The Evidence in the Case: A Discussion of the Moral Responsibility for the War of 1914 as Disclosed by the Diplomatic Records of England Germany Russia

James M. Beck’s The Evidence in the Case is a legal and diplomatic analysis of the causes of World War I focusing on the moral responsibility for the conflict as revealed through official diplomatic records. Drawing on treaties government correspondences and official statements from England Germany and Russia Beck examines the events leading up to the war and evaluates the extent to which each nation contributed to the outbreak of hostilities.Beck a lawyer and former U.S. Assistant Attorney General approaches the topic as a legal argument dissecting the diplomatic negotiations and the actions of key political figures. He argues that Germany bore significant responsibility for the war due to its aggressive military policies and violation of Belgian neutrality. The book also critiques the diplomatic failures of other nations while defending Britain’s decision to intervene. The Evidence in the Case serves as both a wartime justification for the Allied cause and a historical document that reflects contemporary efforts to assign blame for the war’s outbreak.