Millions of people did not have to die in the first world war. That is the grim message of Margaret MacMillan's magnificent new book. Had Europe's leaders in 1904 been wiser and more far-sighted-had they pulled back from the brink, as had happened in earlier crises-Europe and the world could have avoided grief and ruin. "The War That Ended Peace" will certainly rank among the best books of the centennial crop. Ms MacMillan, an Oxford don and great-granddaughter of Lloyd George, a fiery British wartime prime minister, deftly navigates the roiling currents and counter-currents of the pre-war decades. These were golden years for Europe.
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