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1906 - 1990
Lecturer, University of Manchester (1930 - 1938)
Fellow, Magdalen College, Oxford (1938 - 1976)
Full details of Taylor's life here.
Alan John Percivale Taylor was one of the very first names I heard as an undergraduate. Intrigued as I was, I quickly hunted down and purchased the latest edition of probably his most famous work, The Origins of the Second World War.
Published first in 1961, the controversial book earned Taylor the reputation of being a "revisionist." Very quickly, its thesis became the focal point of all academic discussion on the reasons for the war.
Taylor argued against the commonly-held version which saw Hitler as an aggressive, over-ambitious politician who plotted to gain control over Europe.
Taylor instead, viewed Hitler more as an opportunist, whose foreign policy was no different from prior German leaders and, for that matter, other European leaders.
World War came about, not so much due to his maniacal obsession, but because of the sheer inadequacy of the Treaty of Versailles to prevent it.
As a professional historian,Taylor wrote numerous books, many of which were insightful and broke new ground as far as historical interpretations went.
However, he made a great attempt to be accessible to the common reader, and went so far as to work in broadcasting, earning himself the well-deserved reputation of being able to deliver speeches and lectures without a script.
Watch one of Taylor's famed live lectures. Here, he explains the causes for the First World War.
The thesis and impact of Taylor's book, Origins of the Second World War, are presented here.
Some of the books by AJP Taylor
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