The two world wars of the twentieth century never cease to arouse emotion, capture the public imagination and provoke lively historical debate. This new theme text, which is part of the Cambridge Perspectives in History series for advanced level students and first-year undergraduates, analyses the origins of the First and Second World Wars in a single volume. In concise, readable chapters, Frank McDonough surveys the key issues surrounding the causes of both wars. He offers an original and critical survey of the conflict of opinion between historians and provides a lively selection of primary documents, including original sources, to support coverage of the major issues. The result is a unique perspective on the origins of the two most devastating military conflicts in world history.