The impact of stress on the British statesmen of the July crisis.
Publication Date
July 31, 2026
Creator
Abstract
The July Crisis of 1914 was the diplomatic prelude to the outbreak of the First World War. Such is the significance of the First World War in shaping modern European history, the July Crisis has received a significant amount of scholarly attention since its outbreak. Historians have often sought to find the cause of the wars outbreak, whether it be through long or short-term causes such as militarism, nationalism, or societal factors. However, this thesis is focused not on the causes of the war, but rather examining the impact of stress on the British statesmen during the July Crisis. This means, in practice, how stress, which was omnipresent throughout the latter stages of the crisis, influenced individuals and events with the British Government. It will focus on key events such as the split within the Cabinet over whether to intervene in the upcoming European war, the curious behaviour of the Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, as well as how some of the Cabinet members used the stress of crisis to exploit their colleagues and further their own aims. To do so, this thesis will employ an interdisciplinary methodology, similar to that used within the history of emotions. In practice, this will involve the application of findings from cognitive neuroscience into the impact stress has upon humans more generally, and then applying it to historical figures using available primary evidence. In this case, the members of the British Government of 1914. It is hoped that by employing an interdisciplinary approach, new questions will arise on the July Crisis, and diplomatic crises more generally.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
PhD
Supervisors
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
Department of History
eprints ID
83119
UoN Repository URI
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Name
Michael Smithson Thesis Complete FINAL SUBMIT PDF.pdf
Type
Full-text
Description
Examined
Size
2.2 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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