A new assessment of one of the pivotal WW1 incidents, based on new and controversial evidence.

Launched in 1907, the Lusitania was briefly the world's largest liner, symbol of the fierce rivalry between transatlantic shipping agents in Europe and a forerunner of the Titanic - proving to be a similarly ill-starred vessel as it became a target for German U-boats early in the First World War. The Lusitania sinking in 1915 was as shocking as any WW1 incident: the massive loss of life confirmed all the pre-conceived ideas of German brutality but what has not been revealed till now is the far-reaching international political and social repercussions of this act of aggression.