O.I. Aganson. In search of balance. Great Britain and the “Balkan Labyrinth”, 1903–1914. Saint Petersburg: Aleteiia, 2022. 362 p. ISBN 978-5-00165-492-6

Abstract

This is a review of the book by O. I. Aganson “In search of Balance. Great Britain and the “Balkan Labyrinth”, 1903–1914”. The strength of this monograph is the author’s excellent knowledge of the works of his predecessors, especially modern British and American historians. The academic signifi cance of the reviewed work results from its solid source base, including not only documentary publications, domestic and foreign, but also archival materials (from AVPRI, GARF, RGVIA), as well as memoirs and the press. Aganson offers a new approach to the causes of the outbreak of the First World War, considering the foreign policy of Great Britain through the prism of its attitude to the problems of the Balkan Peninsula. The research focuses on the mechanism of global conflicts, the interaction and mutual influence of regional and global levels of world politics, and the gradual increase in the share of small countries. This reviewer does not fully share the conclusions that Aganson comes to, but at the same time believes that her book is a serious scientific study and makes a significant contribution to the study of the origins of the First World War. The presence of different approaches to solving the problems raised by Aganson is beneficial to the cause, as it provides an incentive to further search for the truth.

Received 4 August 2022.

How to cite: Kostrikova, E.G., 2022. [Rets.] O.I. Aganson. V poiskakh ravnovesiia. Velikobritaniia i “balkanskii labirint”, 1903–1914 gg. SPb.: Aleteiia, 2022. ISBN 978-5-00165-492-6 [[Review] O.I. Aganson. In search of balance. Great Britain and the “Balkan Labyrinth”, 1903–1914. Saint Petersburg: Aleteiia, 2022.]. Slavic World in the Third Millennium, vol. 17 (3–4), pp. 264–282.