When a Serbian assassin gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, there was nothing to suggest the event would lead to a horrific world war. In a discussion of his new book, historian Sean McMeekin reveals how a small cabal of statesmen used the Archduke's murder to set up a long-awaited showdown among the European powers. July 1914: Countdown to War reveals how in a single month a handful of men changed the course of the 20th century.

McMeekin is a professor of history at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. He is the author of several books about World War I, including The Berlin-Baghdad Express: The Ottoman Empire and Germany’s Bid for World Power.