A. J. P. Taylor

A. J. P. Taylor (1906–1990) was a British historian whose influential books recast European diplomacy, the origins of the Second World War, and modern European history.

Diplomatic history: The study of relations, negotiations, and conflicts among states and their representatives. Taylor made this field accessible through narrative accounts of European power politics.
The Origins of the Second World War: A. J. P. Taylor’s 1961 book arguing that the war arose from diplomatic miscalculation rather than a master plan by Hitler. This controversial interpretation made Taylor a central participant in debates over responsibility for the war.
Intentionalist interpretation: An interpretation that explains the Holocaust or Nazi foreign policy chiefly through Hitler’s deliberate plans and ideological aims. Taylor’s account of the war’s outbreak challenged intentionalist readings of Hitler’s foreign policy.
Isaiah Berlin: A British philosopher and historian of ideas, known for his writings on liberty and political thought. Berlin and Taylor were prominent Oxford contemporaries with sharply different approaches to history and politics.
Historiography of the Second World War: The study of how historians have interpreted the causes, conduct, and consequences of the Second World War. Taylor’s book became a landmark controversy within this continuing historical debate.
European balance of power: A system in which states seek to prevent any one power from dominating Europe. His diplomatic histories traced how leaders pursued security through shifting alliances and rivalries.
The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848–1918: Taylor’s 1954 history of European diplomacy from the revolutions of 1848 to the First World War. The book exemplifies his emphasis on state interests, changing alliances, and political contingency.
Structuralist interpretation: An interpretation that emphasizes institutions, competing agencies, and structural pressures over a leader’s coherent master plan. Taylor’s focus on diplomatic events differed from structural explanations centered on Nazi regime dynamics.
Hugh Trevor-Roper: A British historian whose work ranged from early modern Europe to the history of Nazi Germany. Trevor-Roper became a prominent critic of Taylor’s account of Hitler and the origins of the war.
Historical revisionism: The reinterpretation of established historical accounts in light of new evidence or arguments. Taylor demonstrated how a revisionist account could overturn a widely accepted explanation.

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