The First World War was the result of a badly managed Balkan crisis in the summer of 1914 rather than the product of long standing rivalries between the Great Powers

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Faisal Iqbal

The First World War was the result of a badly managed Balkan crisis in the summer of 1914 rather than the product of long standing rivalries between the Great Powers

I disagree with the statement that “The First World War was the result of a badly managed Balkan crisis in the summer of 1914 rather than the product of a long standing rivalries between the Great Powers” because the First World War was not only caused by the 1914 crisis alone but long term factors too.

There were many long-term causes of the First World War. The rivalry between Great Powers is one of them. Before 1914, tension arose between the Great Powers: Germany, Britain, France, Russia, Italy and Austria-Hungary over wealth and power. In 1870, France was considered a Great Power but eventually in 1871 Germany united it’s 309 states it was split into before 1870 and defeated France. The treaty of Frankfurt, which involved £200 million of reparations and annexing of Alsace-Lorraine, was formed the same year. France felt very bad and crippled, which was Germany’s main aim, to make France weak. But after Bismarck’s removal in 1890 and Wilhelm coming to power, the Reinsurance Treat was broken up and France took the advantage and formed an alliance with Russia in 1894 so that they can get revenge with Germany.

Another cause of the First World War was the Eastern Question and Austro-Russian rivalry over the Balkans. When the Turkish Empire started to decline, Austria and Russia wanted to take the advantage; this caused tension between them because both wanted the Balkans. Russia wanted this area because it was a Slav state and was keen to expand its empire and Austria wanted this area because it feared the growth of Slav nationalism, as it could undermine their empire. To solve this problem Bismarck the German Chancellor invited all the Great Powers to a conference in Berlin to solve the Austro-Russian clash, when the first Bulgarian crisis occurred in 1875-77. The treaty of Berlin dismantled the big Bulgaria. Russia obtained a protectorate over Bosnia. Although Russia was humiliated, the important thing was that the Great Powers had worked together to avoid a general war and localized the conflict in the Balkans.

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After the dismissal of Bismarck, Wilhelm II came to power as Kaiser. He believed in World Policy (Weltpolitik), which meant that Germany should have a right to a colonial Empire. He spoke of achieving ‘a sort of Napoleonic supremacy’ in Europe and beyond. Wilhelm made two significant appointments in 1897- Admiral von Tirpitz new Secretary of State for the Navy, and the new Foreign Secretary in 1897, Bernhard von Bulow. They acted as the Kaiser’s principal agents in the promotion of German Weltpolitik. This ‘New Course’, where Weltpolitik was the main thread, led to Germany involving them in other ...

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