How far can Germany be held responsible for WWI?

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Alexandra Rousseau

World War I

Topic Question:  How far can Germany be held responsible for WWI?

After World War I fingers immediately began to be pointed as to who caused the war.  At the Versailles Peace Conference, 1919 the victorious powers, the Triple Entente, placed entire fault on Germany, forcing them to admit blame and pay the huge war debts.  However even in this day and age who is to blame for the First World War is still a much-debated subject, as historians presented new interpretations to the events, which lead up to WWI.  This essay will discuss to what extent Germany was responsible for the war in perspective with other key events, which also played a part in igniting World War I.

The Unification of Germany threatened the balance of power within Europe.  A new great power in the heart of Europe raised fears in her neighboring countries, which the new Kaiser Wilhelm did nothing to defuse after Bismarck was relinquished from his post. Kaiser Wilhelm’s change in foreign policy from non-confrontational to confrontational, called the Weltpolitik, arose distrust and suspicion within the other European nations as to German’s true expansionist intentions.  This was amplified by Germany’s imperialist desires for colonies.  Since Germany was newly unified, it was harder and slower for her to acquire an empire, seeing as most territory had already been divided among the older European powers.  

The Kaiser’s insistence to make Germany a distinguished power and his use of foreign policy to draw attention away from domestic issues and gain public support was another feature, which encouraged fear for Germany within Europe.  The Kaiser’s antics, such as in the case of both Moroccan incidents, angered his neighbors and drew their patience thin.  Germany during this time also consisted of one of the most highly trained, educated and skilled armies.  Industrialization within Germany was booming, allocating more money to be spent on military reforms, etc. As Britain is an island, the government deemed it imperative for her to have the best navy available and Germany, desiring to prove her military strength united a naval race between the two, which infuriated Britain.  Yet the Scheiffen Plan is one of the biggest arguments in favor of Germany being to blame for causing WWI.  It called for fast mobilization of troops and the quick invasion of neighboring countries (before they were able to gather their troops), as to avoid a two front war, this is what brought Britain into the war, as the Kaiser insisted on invading France through Belgium which was in alliance of neutrality with Britain.  

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This along with the ‘Blank Check’ which was given by Germany to Austria to do what they felt necessary in the Balkans (Serbia), after the assassination of Duke Ferdinand, are where many historians such as Fritz Fischer draw their criticisms of Germany, and argue her to be the main cause of WWI.  By researching government documents, many never before seen by normal citizens, Fisher drew that the Kaiser’s government cold bloodedly planned the outbreak of WWI from 1912 onwards. “Fischer believes that the First World War was no preventative war, born out of fear and desperation; it was planned and ...

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