Quotes from A.J.P. Taylor

Otto von Bismarck] only considered the interests of his own country - always the worst offense that a statesman can commit in the eyes of foreigners.

In retrospect, though many were guilty, none was innocent.

Bismarck fought 'necessary' wars and killed thousands, the idealists of the twentieth century fight 'just' wars and kill millions.

History is not another name for the past, as many people imply. It is the name for stories about the past.

Revolutions in short are made in the name of the proletariat, not by it, and usually in countries where the proletariat hardly exists.

Study of the past often turns into love of the past and a desire to keep it.

Revolutions occurred in almost every European city with more than 50,000 inhabitants. The occasion for the revolutions was hunger.

Marx was concerned to change society or rather, if he adhered rigidly to his system, expected society to change in the way he wanted.

There is nothing more agreeable in life than to make peace with the Establishment — and nothing more corrupting.

The British are entitled always to mistrust other people but others are not entitled to mistrust the British. That is why England is known or was known abroad as 'Perfide Albion', because the British have two standards, one for themselves and one for other people.

Increasing prosperity for the capitalists has everywhere brought with it increasing prosperity for the proletariat, instead of the increasing misery which Marx foretold. The most advanced capitalist countries are also those where the working class has the highest standard of life.

It is important to remember that events now long in the past were once in the future.

earlier wars, and in the Second World War, generals, even marshals, also ran risks and died in action. In the First World War they led comfortable lives. All except Kitchener. He was the only outstanding military figure on either side who came to a violent end. Asquith

There is nothing more disastrous than a committee of extremely able men.

On the contrary, all experience shows that revolutionaries come from those who are economically independent, not from factory workers. Very few revolutionary leaders have done manual work, and those who did soon abandoned it for political activities. The factory worker wants higher wages and better conditions, not a revolution. It is the man on his own who wants to remake society, and moreover he can happily defy those in power without economic risk.

Soup kitchens were the prelude to revolution. The revolutionaries might talk about socialism, those who actually revolted wanted 'the right to work'- more capitalism, not its abolition.

Once men imagine a danger they soon turn it into a reality.

It is always tempting when you have political discontent in your own country to say it is the fault of some other country and not of your own government.

The Germans drew up elaborate plans for moving Italian forces to the French front, and the Italians enjoyed this planning greatly.

Those British generals who prolonged the slaughter kept their posts and won promotion; any who protested ran the risk of dismissal. By

Though the object of being a Great Power is to be able to fight a Great War, the only way of remaining a Great Power is not to fight one.