When in 1961 a book by one of the most celebrated British historians, Alan J. P. Taylor, "The Origins of the Second World War" was published, it caused not only a sensation but also a scandal. Taylor, armed with diplomatic documents, challenged the widely accepted version that in the recent pan-European conflict, the sole culprit was Hitler, who was executing a carefully crafted plan to ignite a large-scale war. Instead, Taylor concludes that Hitler was primarily an aggressive opportunist with fantasies of grandeur, and that Britain's and France's declaration of war on Germany in September 1939 was caused by a great many factors — from the objective balance of power among European states to internal contradictions within Western societies. Over the more than 60 years since, Taylor's book has undoubtedly become a landmark of historical thought — too many facts have been revealed, established, and clarified during this time — yet it continues to be reprinted and influences the discourse on these still defining historical events. This is its first Russian edition.