3.
Source J displays Germany in an effort to prevent a war, however source K displays the Germans as the aggressors. These two sources also emphasise the difference of opinions between the people of Germany and the Berlin government.
Source J displays Germany as ‘a man fighting for his life’, whereas source K shows Germany as a man who is impatient to engage in a fight. Source J is a telegram sent to the German Chancellor probably to be sent to the British Prime Minister, since Britain issued an ultimatum to Germany to respect neutrality of Belgium on August 3rd, 1914. The newspaper and the telegram have the same date on them; which further emphasises the difference in attitudes of the government and people. However, the extract taken from a newspaper is probably a propaganda to ignite the people of Germany to serve for their country in the war. Source K writes that ‘a sword was forced into the German hands’, which indicates that Germany did not a start a war indeed, she was forced to defend herself. So we can say sources J and K are similar in showing Germany not to be the cause of the war. However source K indicates that in a war Germany’s only aim was not to defend herself but also ‘extend’ its territory.
We can say that sources J and K are similar in showing Germany as ‘a man fighting for his life’ but source J is written in diplomatic language whereas source K is written to ignite the people of Germany against her enemies.
4.
Source H indicates that Germany was the main cause of the war, and source G supports this judgement. Source G indicates that Germany was ‘preparing for a war for years’, before the Anglo-French, Franco-Russian and British-Russian alliance were made.
Since source G is an official report, it is reliable. So it would be relevant to say that Kaiser was ‘preparing’ his army for a war, therefore he had no doubt about engaging in a war with Russia. This aggressive attitude of Germany as stated in source H could be considered as a cause of the First World War.
However, source G does not give sufficient information to say that Germany caused a war. Source H states that it was not the alliance system that caused the war, it was the German attitude. When we examine source G careful, it can be seen that this aggressive attitude of the Kaiser is partially the result of alliance systems. Germany as an ally of Austria, was bound to defend her ally; seeing a weakened Austrian Empire would have put Germany in real danger in Europe.
Although source G might indicate that Germany was planning a war, and therefore prepared its army, source G is not enough to simply declare Germany as the only cause of the war.
5.
Sources D and F clearly indicate that Germany regarded France as its greatest enemy. Source D explains part of the Schlieffen Plan. According to this plan the main German army was to attack ‘the strongest, most powerful enemy’ which was France. This meant that if a war broke out Germany would attack France first and Germany was basing its military plans on a war against Germany as shown in source D (i). This is an indication that France was Germany’s greatest enemy. Source F also indicates that Germany was planning to engage in a war with France. Source F shows that Germany is prepared to risk everything to defeat France. Although, the Germans wanted British neutrality, they were expanding their navy in order to defeat Britain as well if they should intervene in a war against Germany and France.
Sources D and F are both reliable sources, and since they reflect the views of the Germans, they are sufficient to suggest that France was Germany’s greatest enemy.
Source A on the other hand does not reflect Germany’s views. Source A is a part of the Franco-Russian alliance, which was a military alliance made against Germany. Although this source might not seem relevant to state that France was Germany’s greatest enemy, it indicates that Germany was right to declare France as its enemy. Source A also indicates that France was not Germany’s only enemy; Russia was also an enemy of Germany. This source clearly shows that all eyes were focused on Germany, so it was certain that if a war broke out in Europe Germany would definitely be attacked.
If we are to consider our own knowledge, it was true that Germany regarded France as its greatest enemy. German policy since Bismarck was to isolate France. Bismarck feared France might begin a war in order to recover Alsace-Lorraine. Although France could not win such a war single-handed, there were two other great powers along Germany’s borders-Austria and Russia-, which could join France. Because of this Germany’s ultimate goal was to prevent a ‘war on two fronts’ by keeping good relations with any power likely to be an ally of France. This was the reason why the Emperor’s League, which consisted of Austria, Russia, and Germany was created. So Russia was Germany’s ally, however when Bismarck left the office, Germany did not keep good relations with Russia and Russia signed a military alliance with France.
As a conclusion, historically it would not be wrong to say that Germany regarded France as its greatest enemy and sources A, D and F together help to argue that this was true.
6.
Source B is a French cartoon. It indicates that the Anglo-French entente was made against Germany, however it does not seem aggressive. France and Britain are portrayed very friendly and peaceful in this cartoon but they still give a message: ‘Let Germany be careful now’. According to this cartoon the Anglo-French entente will make Germany think twice before engaging in a war against Germany. This cartoon can also be used to indicate the feeling of the French people as explained in source C; the French believed that Britain would support them in a war. However we should take into account that source B is a cartoon so although it might seem to reflect the view of the French people, it is actually the belief of the cartoonist. However, we should not completely dismiss this source, as it helps us to understand one particular interpretation. According to this source, we could say that French viewed the Anglo-French entente as a protection against Germany, they hoped that Germany would start thinking twice before engaging France in a war.
Source C on the other hand reflects the view of the British. This source indicates that the main intention of the British when signing this entente was not to form a military coalition. However, signing of this entente created an atmosphere in which the entente came to be regarded as a military alliance. It also gives the impression that Britain accepted this simply because the British government felt that they cannot back down, which would upset the British and French people creating a negative atmosphere for the British government. However, the British government viewed a European war as ‘horrible’, which suggests that the Anglo-French entente was not aggressive towards Germany. Source C is a very reliable source in indicating the British views, since it is from the British Foreign Minister.
From our won knowledge we know that the Anglo-French entente was not a very formal agreement, it was not a full-scale alliance. This entente was made to settle the long lasting colonial problems between France and Britain. However, for some it was a military alliance. With the weakened relations between Britain and Germany, and France’s effort to defend herself against Germany let to the belief both for the British and French people that this Anglo-French entente was a formal military alliance. However as sources B and C suggest this alliance was not aggressive towards Germany. However, if France was attacked by Germany, the French and British people were expecting Britain to support France. As a conclusion, we could say that the Anglo-French entente was a defensive alliance against Germany.
7.
Sources A, C, F, G, J and I show that the alliances before 1914 were more likely to bring war than to keep the peace. The factor that made the threat of war most dangerous was the existence of the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, Russia, and Britain). When a member of one alliance found itself in dispute with a member of the opposite group, the other members of both alliances often became involved. As stated in source A, if France was attacked by Germany, or by any other power supported by Germany, Russia would attack Germany and vice versa. This did not create peace in fact it created more tension in Europe. As source C indicates in a war against Germany, France was seeking Britain’s aid. Source C also indicates these types of alliances created a pro-war feeling in society with the increasing militarism. According to the alliance signed between Germany and Austria, both these countries would land their full support to each other if one were attacked. As the alliances created more tension, European powers started expanding their army or navy. As source F shows after the Anglo-French entente, Germany was convinced that she needed to continue expanding their army until they could establish themselves as the strongest power in Europe. This suggests that the alliances led to military expansion of European countries again creating more tension. Because of the alliance system, matters that concerned only two powers were often spread to continent-wide dimensions. Source I is a good example to show this. The Sarajevo crisis, which was a problem between Austria and Serbia and maybe including Russia, was spread to the whole continent thus starting the First World War. This was because the Sarajevo crisis was seen as a ‘test of strength between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente’. This shows that even a small problem had the power to ignite a general war in Europe because of the alliance system. Also because of the alliances certain nations such as Germany felt encircled. So they viewed a war as a means of ‘self-preservation’. Because Germany was ‘threatened from East and West’ they were forced to defend themselves. War was now defined as ‘the act of man fighting for is life’. Source J also indicates that the alliance system made it very difficult to prevent a war.
Sources B and E on the other hand suggest that the alliances created a more peaceful Europe. As source B indicates alliances made the aggressor think twice before engaging in a war. This statement is proved with source E. According to this source although Russia opposed Austria’s annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, they were not able to take any action against Austria because Germany (according to the Triple Alliance) would ‘stand beside Austria’. Although, this seemed to have solved the Bosnian question, it created a bigger tension between Austria and Russia. So this shows that alliances helped to establish enemies in Europe.
However, the alliance system was not the only cause of the First World War. The attitude of certain nations, the feeling of militarism was also causes of the First World War. Sources D, G, and H suggest that the German militarism created the tension, which created the First World War. Source D and G indicate that Germany was ‘preparing for a war for years’. Moreover source D indicates the aggressive attitude of Germany. It is stated in source D (ii) that Germany ‘must throw itself upon the enemy’. Because no reason is stated for this Germany is portrayed as the aggressor who wanted to destroy all of its enemies rather than establishing good relations. Source G also shows that Germany was prepared for war. Source H suggests that ‘war came not because of the alliance system, but because the behaviour of Germany made it unavoidable’. Source K can be used to prove this statement. When war broke out as source K shows Germany got what it ‘wished so much’: a war. Although source K suggests that Germany was forced into a war to defend itself, their fight was not only defensive; in fact they wanted to expand their territory. The German naval expansion, colonial ambitions and outspoken diplomacy made the war inevitable.
It would not be correct to put all the blame on Germany’s shoulders. The other powers also played important roles in causing the First World War. The alliance system and the growing militarism together increased the tension in Europe, which then led to the First World War. The First World War was a lesson to be learned by every statesman or citizen of the world, that peace cannot be kept by force but it only can be achieved through understanding.
IGCSE History
Project
THE ALLIANCE SYSTEM AND THE CAUSES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Prepared by: Mehmet Tuncer