Fay
Fay’s perspective on the origins of the first war became the most accepted and durable of the revisionist arguments. Serbia felt strong nationalism at the time and felt the need to bring all of Serbia together, under one national government. This brought upon the assassination of Archduke of Austria because at the time, Austria controlled Bosnia, which contained a largely Serbian population. Serbia nationalism was supported by Russia. When Russia mobilized to help Serbia after the Austrians declared war, Germany declared war and ultimately dragged the rest of Europe into war. Fay disagrees with most historians in that Germany did not hold control of Austria.
Fay believed that Austria was responsible for the war more than any other power. This is because they forced the ultimatum upon Serbia, knowing that it would be rejected, a give them justification for war. Austria wanted the war to occur because they felt threatened by the growth of Serbia in the Balkan region. Unlike other revisionist historians like Taylor, Fay believed that Germany did not plot or even desire war. Conversely, Germany made genuine efforts to prevent the war from happening. Germany was the last country to mobilize, following Serbia, Russia, Austria, and France, respectively. Russia was also partly responsible for the Austro-Serbian conflict because of the constant encouragement at Belgrade that Serbian unity can be achieved with Russian assistance. Austria underestimated Russian power, due to their defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, and believed that they would not intervene in a local conflict between Serbia and Austria. According to Fay, the secret preparations of military measures threatened Germany and Austria, and later the mobilization of Russia caused Germany to declare war.
Taylor
A.J.P. Taylor placed primary responsibility for WWI on Austria and Germany. The Germans welcomed the war when opportunity came. They believed that they could win the war at the time; Germany also felt power over Austria-Hungary. The Balance of Power broke down when the Russo-Japanese War weakened Russia. As Russia slowly regained its power, the Germans were fearful that the Balance of Power was being recreated. Germany thus declared war before Russia took any actions. Germany did not enter into war to defend themselves like the other powers, but they entered the war for a decisive victory for its own sake. Austria Hungary blamed the Serbs for the South Slav discontent on the failure to solve Austria’s national problems. Even though Germany and Austria decided on war with different motives, the two decisions together caused a European war.
Taylor believed that the Triple Entente – Britain, Russia, and France, entered the war simply to defend themselves. The Russians fought to preserve the free passage of the Straits, a reasonable intent as the Russian economy largely depended on this passage. France fought to retain a position in what it hoped would become the most influential power in Europe, the Triple Entente. Britain fought for the independence of sovereign states and to prevent German domination of the continent.
Seaman
Seaman’s outspoken view attributed the cause of WWI to the collapse of the German system of government. Bismarck’s Reichstag depended on the personal domination of the German Chancellor or the German Emperor. However, after Bismarck, either the Chancellor or the Emperor could exercise power. Now there was neither diplomacy nor policy. The army became the only coherent force in Germany because no one else was capable of making decisions after the Bismarck. Bismarck’s Reichstag was only a success because of the threat of force used. The national influence from that point on could only think of success. However, Bismarck’s empire was not build on economic, military, and population strength but on German aggressiveness. By 1914, they possessed heavy machinery and the pride of the constant success in European history.
Germany entered the war without any purpose except victory. There were no war aims to be achieved, except the expansion of German influence, creating a satiable appetite for conflict in the Germany government, military, and people.
Schmitt
The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 was swift and surprising. Within one month after the first hostile incident, the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, all of the major powers in Europe, and some lesser ones, had been drawn into the conflict. Various factors contributed to the sudden crisis, but Schmitt believed that they all were part of the breakdown of the balance of power established after the Napoleonic Wars.
Since the Napoleonic Era, European politics had been dominated by the formation and dissolution of international alliances. Since the spread of industrialisation, international politics had been complicated by economic rivalries. Arms races served to stimulate national economies and build military power, as well as cause political tension. This was especially true of the arms race between Germany and Great Britain in the early years of the twentieth century. As England and Germany emerged as the major military powers in Europe, the remaining powers chose sides as dictated by past alliances and current trade interests. In the decade before WWI, Europe gradually divided into two major alliances, the Triple Alliance, of Germany, Austria, and Italy, and the Triple Entente, of Great Britain, France, and Russia. Though Europe was distinctly divided, the alliances were not the direct cause of the outbreak of WWI. In fact, relations between the two alliances improved the year preceding the war.
It was the sudden assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, which plunged Europe into the First World War. Relations between Serbia and Austria had been very poor in recent years, and the Archdukes assassination was a manifestation of the Serbians hatred of Habsburg interference. One month after the assassination of the Archduke, after making a show of diplomacy and causing much confusion in Europe, Austria declared war on Serbia. This was a signal for other European powers to prepare for war or let the balance of power shift in Austria’s favour. In an ominous chain, each European country mobilized, one after another, so as not to be the left unprepared in the event of a General European War. The Alliances dictated the side of each country in the war, pitting the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente against each other. Great Britain was the last to be drawn into the war. It could not avoid involvement for the sake of the balance of power against Germany; however, the German invasion of Belgium provided the perfect excuse for Britain to enter into the war.
As demonstrated by these five historians, the theories on the primary cause of WWI are extremely varied. While both Schmitt and Taylor believe in the balance of power, Taylor believes its breakdown was a partial cause of the war, while Schmitt argues that attempts to maintain it was the cause. Fay and Seaman hold contrasting beliefs about responsibility within the Triple Alliance, but Fay maintains Austrian responsibility and independence from German control and Seaman blames Germany for its own, and Austria’s involvement. Taylor and Seaman agree that Germany entered the war with no decisive war aims, but disagree on Germany’s level of responsibility. Taylor and Barnes contradict each other entirely, Taylor maintaining the original theory of German responsibility, and Barnes placing primary responsibility on France, Russia, and Serbia. Through studying these contradicting theories, one can obtain a clearer, more complete picture of the possible causes of the First World War.