To what extent was the system of alliances and ententes responsible for Britain entering the First World War?

by ncjns (student)

The alliance system was partly to blame for Britain entering the war. Since 1880 Britain had been trying to avoid war. Initially Salisbury had tried to create a concert of Europe where all the European powers could discuss their grievances and sort them out amicably. When this failed mainly because Russia would not co-operate over the Balkans and because the Kaiser refused to negotiate with the British, the British attempted to achieve a balance of power between the European powers so that tension over Alsace-Lorraine, colonies in Africa and the Balkans would not lead to war. With Germany building up its armed forces and trying to expand in Africa, the British supported the French and Russians, signing treaties in 1904 and 1907. However to counteract this Britain supported Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Balkan War 1913.

However, by 1914 this approach had also failed. Both the Alliance and the Entente believed that in the event of war Britain would support them. The Germans did not believe that the British would support the French, who were their main rivals in Africa or the Russians, who were interfering so annoyingly with trade with China that the British had made an alliance with the Japanese in 1902.

On the other hand the French did not believe that the British would support the Germans who were their main trading and naval rivals.

Yet, there were other important reasons for British ...