'To save gallant Belgium' - To what extent was this reason why Britain went to war in August 1914?
‘To save gallant Belgium’. To what extent was this reason why Britain went to war in August 1914?
Relations between Britain and the other European powers, namely Germany and France, had been tense and forever-changing in the lead up to the war in 1914. France, Britain’s natural enemy, had become increasingly cooperative and relations greatly improved, enforced by the Entente Cordiale agreement. On the other hand, the Anglo-German naval race increased tension, which had previously been almost non-existent, between the powers. Britain’s conflicting obligations` and reluctance to make an alliance made matters more awkward. Britain had been making more specific commitments to France in the run up to the war, and when Germany declared war on France it put these commitments with her to the test. The threat to Belgium’s neutrality provided a way out of the corner which Britain had backed itself into, and gave politicians sufficient justification to sway the public over going to war with France to whom it had reluctantly committed albeit an ‘informal’ alliance but none-the-less a military agreement with.
The position of Splendid Isolation which Britain was in by 1900, suited imperial interests, however with increasing tension in Europe between emerging rivals, essentially between France and Russia (who were allied) and Germany, the balance of power in Europe was threatened and Britain realised the need to make agreements of its own. The natural ally, it seemed, was Germany, as the two countries had a mutual admiration for one another and perhaps also due to the close kinship between Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Edward VII of England. However, it proved very difficult for Britain to make an alliance with Germany, especially with the emergence of the naval race, which was a seen as a large threat to Britain and a hostile policy from Germany. The Kaiser himself was also inconsistent in his feelings towards Britain, he sometimes took a cold attitude to her, again causing tension and adding to the feeling that Germany was being aggressive to Britain. Germany’s belligerent foreign policy, generally made it difficult to discuss and therefore resolve the tensions between the powers, as a result the naval race increased and Britain could not make any kind of informal agreement with Germany. This was all Britain would compromise as the government was reluctant to make an alliance in case it dragged Britain into a war which would not be in its interests.
