Was the outcome of the First World War truly on a knife edge? In this compelling account of German wartime politics and strategy, Holger Afflerbach argues that the war’s outcome remained uncertain until surprisingly late.

Drawing on fresh evidence from diaries, letters, and memoirs, this book fundamentally revises our understanding of German strategy. It explores the decision to go to war, the failure of the western offensive, the radicalization of Germany’s war effort under Hindenburg and Ludendorff, and the ultimate collapse of the Central Powers.

Afflerbach uncovers the internal struggles within wartime Germany between those who sought peace and the hardliners determined to fight to the bitter end. He proposes that Germany was not as committed to total conquest as previously believed, highlighting numerous German peace initiatives that could have potentially ended the war before it plunged Europe into devastation.