The present enables us to understand the past, not the other way round.

- A. J. P. Taylor

If there had been a strong democratic sentiment in Germany, Hitler would never have come to power . [Germans] deserved what they got when they went r…

- A. J. P. Taylor

The great armies, accumulated to provide security and preserve the peace, carried the nations to war by their own weight.

- A. J. P. Taylor

No war is inevitable until it breaks out.

- A. J. P. Taylor

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

- A. J. P. Taylor

No matter what political reasons are given for war, the underlying reason is always economic.

- A. J. P. Taylor

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.

- A. J. P. Taylor

History is not a catalogue but...a convincing version of events.

- A. J. P. Taylor

Like most of those who study history, he (Napoleon III) learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones.

- A. J. P. Taylor