Learning from Contingency
| Date | 01 June 2008 |
| Published date | 01 June 2008 |
| Author | Richard Ned Lebow |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200806300214 |
| Subject Matter | The Lessons of History |
World War I was the dominant event of the 20th century. It hastened the as-
cendancy of the United States as the world’s leading economic power, led to
the breakup of the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman em-
pires, and set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately lead to the end
of the British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese empires. It nearly wiped out
a generation of young men and killed millions of civilians made vulnerable
to influenza and other pathogens by the ravages of war, dislocation, ethnic
cleansing, and the allied blockade. It triggered a revolution in Russia that
echoed in eastern and central Europe with a lasting resonance in China and
southeast Asia. Collectively, these developments made it almost impossible
to restore political and economic stability to Europe, paving the way for
Hitler’s rise to power, the Holocaust, and a second and far deadlier bid for
hegemony by Germany, Italy, and Japan. World War II in turn gave rise to a
Richard Ned Lebow is the James O. Freedman presidential professor of government at Dart-
mouth College and Millennium professor of international relations at the London School of
Economics and Political Science. His most recent book is A Cultural Theory of International
Relations. He is the author of several books, including The Tragic Vision of Politics, and
is co-editor of The Politics of Memory in Postwar Europe, Unmaking the West: “What-
If” Scenarios that Rewrite World History, and Theory and Evidence in Comparative Pol-
itics and International Relations.
Richard Ned Lebow
Learning from
contingency
The case of World War I
THE LESSONS OF HISTORY
| 447 | International Journal | Spring 2008 |
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