Veit Valentin (25 March 1885,

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

– 12 January 1947, Washington D.C.) was a German historian who was Professor of History at the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württe ...

. In comments that caused a storm of controversy in Germany, Valentin attacked Ernst Graf zu Reventlow's ''Deutschlands Auswärtige Politik'' in 1916: "It is a classic example of historiographical demagogy and we have no choice but to warn the public against the book and its author".G. P. Gooch, 'Recent Revelations on European Diplomacy', ''Journal of the British Institute of International Affairs'' Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan., 1923), p. 5. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, Gustav Stresemann tried to have Valentin sent to court for alleged treasonable utterances. Hans W. Gatzke, 'The Stresemann Papers', ''The Journal of Modern History'' Vol. 26, No. 1 (Mar., 1954), p. 55, n. 29. Valentin was appointed by the German Foreign Office to write a history of German foreign policy, permitting him access to their papers. This was published in 1921 as ''Duetschlands Aussenpolitik, 1890-1918''. In assessing responsibility for causing the World War during the July Crisis, Valentin ranked Russia as the country most to blame, followed by

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, with France, England and Germany joint third. Valentin wrote: "None of the Powers was wholly innocent, none alone guilty. The world spirit was ready for the world war". In a conversation with Paul Nikolaus Cossmann, the editor of the ''Süddeutsche Monatshefte'', Valentin accused Admiral

Alfred von Tirpitz Alfred Peter Friedrich von Tirpitz (19 March 1849 – 6 March 1930) was a German grand admiral, Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office, the powerful administrative branch of the German Imperial Navy from 1897 until 1916. Prussia ...

of doctoring statistics related to Germany's performance in the U-boat campaign.Frederick A. Hale, 'Fritz Fischer and the Historiography of World War One', ''The History Teacher'', Vol. 9, No. 2 (Feb., 1976), p. 262. Cossmann launched a legal action against Valentin and he resigned his professorship, thus ending his academic career in Germany.

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