Fragile Rise: Grand Strategy and the Fate of Imperial Germany, 1871-1914

Description

A series of solemn anniversary events have marked the centenary of World War I. Could history repeat itself in today's geopolitics? Now, as then, a land power with a growing economy and a maritime power with global commitments are the two leading states in the international system. Most ominously, the outbreak of war in 1914 is a stark reminder that nations cannot rely on economic interdependence and ongoing diplomacy to keep the peace. In Fragile Rise, Xu Qiyu offers a Chinese perspective on the course of German grand strategy in the decades before World War I. Xu shows how Germany's diplomatic blunders turned its growing power into a liability instead of an asset. Bismarck's successors provoked tension and conflict with the other European great powers. Germany's attempts to build a powerful navy alienated Britain. Fearing an assertive Germany, France and Russia formed an alliance, leaving the declining Austro-Hungarian Empire as Germany's only major ally. Xu's account demonstrates that better strategy and statesmanship could have made a difference -- for Germany and Europe. His analysis offers important lessons for the leaders of China and other countries. Fragile Rise reminds us that the emergence of a new great power creates risks that can be managed only by adroit diplomats, including the leaders of the emerging power. In the twenty-first century, another great war may not be inevitable. Heeding the lessons of Fragile Rise could make it even less likely. Contents Foreword Translator’s Note Preface 1 A Low-Posture Rise 2 “Active Shaping” and the Foundation of a Grand Strategy 3 Working to Maintain the Grand Strategy 4 Entering the Post-Bismarckian Era 5 Institutions, Society, Popular Opinion, and Grand Strategy 6 From Weltpolitik to Encirclement 7 An Obsession with Command of the Seas 8 The Schlieffen Plan and the Retreat of Grand Strategy 9 Crisis Management on the Path to WorldWar, 1908–1914 Notes About the Author Contributors Index Belfer Center Studies in International Security Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs