Fragile rise
Subtitle: grand strategy and the fate of Imperial Germany, 1871-1914
By: Xu Qiyu ; foreword by Graham Allison ; translated by Joshua Hill
Contributors: Hill, Joshua, 1977- translator
Series: Belfer Center studies in international security; Belfer Center studies in international security
Publisher: The MIT Press
Published: 2017
Place of publication: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Language: eng
Number of pages: 341
ISBN-13: 9780262036054
Subjects: Foreign relations; Politics and government; Geopolitics; History; Strategic aspects; Balance of power; Case studies; Strategy; Diplomatic relations; Strategic aspects of individual places
Other titles: Grand strategy and the fate of Imperial Germany, 1871-1914
Description: "In Fragile rise, Xu Qiyu offers a Chinese perspective on the course of German grand strategy in the decades before World War I. He traces the evolution of Germany's strategic choices from the era of Bismarck to the July Crisis. Fragile Rise shows how Germany's diplomatic blunders turned Germany's growing power into a liability instead of an asset. Bismarck's successors provoked tension and conflict with the other European great powers. Germany's attempts to build a powerful navy alienated Britain. Fearing an assertive Germany, France and Russia formed an alliance, leaving the declining Austro-Hungarian Empire as Germany's only major ally. Xu's account demonstrates that better strategy and statesmanship could have made a difference--for Germany and Europe. His analysis leads to important lessons for the leaders of China and other countries. A careful reading of Fragile Rise reminds us that the emergence of a new great power creates risks that can only be managed by adroit diplomats, including the leaders of the emerging power. In the twenty-first century, another great war may not be inevitable. Heeding the lessons of Fragile Rise could make it even less likely"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Translated from the Chinese.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: A low-profile rise --; title: "Active shaping" and the foundation of a grand strategy --; title: Working to maintain the grand strategy --; title: Entering the post-Bismarck era --; title: Institutions, society, popular opinion, and grand strategy --; title: From Weltpolitik to encirclement --; title: An obsession with command of the seas --; title: The Schlieffen Plan and the retreat of grand strategy --; title: Crisis management on the path to war, 1908-1914.