I’m in the middle of this right now and really appreciating the insights into late 19th century Europe: Robert K. Massie, “Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War”. It’s the third book I’ve read by this guy. Massie does a great job of laying out a history of events by deep diving into the key players lives. Kind of like reading 100 biographies strung together in one book.