This work investigates how the escalation of land-based military armaments and defense policies among European powers served as a primary catalyst for the outbreak of the First World War. David Stevenson, a noted historian of international relations, utilizes extensive archival research across multiple European nations to challenge the traditional focus on the Anglo-German naval race. He argues that the competition between continental armies and the resulting military preparedness created a volatile environment that exacerbated diplomatic crises in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, ultimately leading to the conflict of 1914.

Historians and scholars of the First World War frequently cite this text as a foundational analysis that successfully shifts the academic focus toward continental military policy. Readers often note the high level of detail and the rigorous, scholarly nature of the prose, which provides a comprehensive understanding of pre-war European tensions.