Why has AJP Taylor's analysis of the origins of the Second World War caused such controversy among historians? of Hitler's plan for world domination; many historians validated this view at the time until AJP Taylor published his book "Origins of World War II" in 1961. AJP Taylor was the first historian to examine the war with a completely open, forcing people to consider origins not in the same way. a moral question but as a political story. Taylor considers the start of the war a mistake on both sides, stating that "Hitler had no clear plan and was instead a supreme opportunist, taking advantages as they presented themselves." Taylor suggests that neither Hitler nor any other power wants this war. However, because his argument has sparked such debate, it has led other historians to criticize the methods Taylor used to establish his argument. Hugh Trevor-Roper states that "Mr. Taylor almost never refers to Mein Kampf..." Mein Kampf is considered an essential piece of writing when examining the origins of the war. In Mein Kampf, there was not a detailed policy of what Hitler planned to do, but an "oracular declaration, pointing the way to the hard historical path that Germany must follow", Overy asserts. Therefore, Taylor's analysis was so controversial because it forced people to look at the origins of the war in a completely new way, viewing Hitler not as a world-dominating fascist like everyone thought, but like a normal statesman. Germany's desire to revoke the 1919 Treaty of Versailles and Hitler's relentless quest for empire. This was considered a valid answer to why the war started in 1939, until 1961 when AJ P Taylor...... middle of article...... when "Origins " was published in 1961, people still believed the myth that Hitler was a madman bent on world domination, this myth and the memory of the war is why Taylor's reputation was destroyed and essentially why his analysis was so controversial. AJP Taylor, A Personal History, London, (1983,) p. 299.2. Hugh Trevor-Roper, “Hitler's War Plan Reaffirmed” in Snell, JL, ed., The Outbreak of the Second World War: Design or Mistake? (Boston: D.C. Heath, 1963) p. 93. Richard Overy, “Misjudging Hitler: AJP Taylor and the Third Reich” (London: Routledge, 1992), p. 994. Richard Overy, “Misjudging Hitler: AJP Taylor and the Third Reich” (London: Routledge, 1992) pp. 955. Richard Overy, “Misjudging Hitler: AJP Taylor and the Third Reich” (London: Routledge, 1992) pp. 986. AJP Taylor, The Origins of the Second World War. (1961)p.33