First published in 1955, James Joll's introduction to the history and development of International Socialism before the First World War is of crucial importance for understanding the development of Left-wing movements in the 20th century: the difficulties posed by prominent anarchist groups, the ambiguities of the scope of revolutionary activity, and the challenges posed by the rise of nationalism.

James Joll's classic text is an ambitious and wide ranging analysis of the historical forces at work in the Europe of 1914, and the multitude of very different explanations which historians have advanced to explain the causes of one of the most significant events in modern history. In this new edition, Gordon Martel seamlessly weaves into the original text the enormous amount of new research that has been conducted by historians since the original text was published. This edition also includes a completely new introduction which analyses these new topics and arguments in detail and assesses...