Until now, it has been accepted that the Turkish Straits--the Russian fleet's gateway to the Mediterranean--were a key factor in shaping Russian policy in the years leading to World War I. Control of the Straits had always been accepted as the major priority of Imperial Russia’s foreign policy. In this powerfully argued revisionist history, Ronald Bobroff exposes the true Russian concern before the outbreak of war: the containment of German aggression. Based on extensive new research, Bobroff provides fascinating new insights into Russia’s state development before the revolution, examining the policies and personal correspondence of its policy makers. And through his detailed examination of the rivalries and alliances of the Triple Entente, he sheds new light on European diplomacy at the beginning of the twentieth century.

List of Tables * List of Abbreviations * Note on Usage * Introduction * Stolypin and a policy of avoiding confrontation, 1907-1911 * Policy drift and the Italo-Turkish War, March 1911-October 1912 * The Balkan Wars, 1912-1913: Choosing between the Balkan States and the Straights * The Turkish Naval Expansion and the Liman von Sanders Crisis, March 1912-July 1914 * War Deferred: Diplomats Predominant during the Turkish Neutrality, July 1914-October 1914 * War Engaged: Allied Disputes over the Fate of Constantinople and the Straights, November 1914-July 1916 * A Russian Tragedy * Bibliography