In his landmark 1967 study, what did historian A.J.P. Taylor describe as perhaps the most prominent cause of the First World War?
Answer: The humble timetable. Taylor argued that although the leaders of the Great Powers did not want war, they knew that being the quickest to mobilise their armies was key to winning any confrontation. As a result, the great powers developed sophisticated timetables to mobilise faster than the other powers. When the July Crisis came in 1914, the need to mobilise fast created an unstoppable movement towards war.
Source: War by Timetable – How the First World War Began by A. J. P. Taylor
