Oxford University historian Margaret MacMillan takes a penetrating look at the run-up to World War I in The War That Ended Peace, a book that might serve as a prequel to her excellent "Paris 1919." In this new book, MacMillan offers a compelling explanation as to why Europe "walked off a cliff," blaming, in a part, a deep-rooted conviction on the part of European leaders that warfare could serve as a viable policy tool. Some readers are already ranking this book as one of the best-ever examinations of the causes of World War I. You can read the Monitor's full review of "The War that Ended Peace" here.
