'The First World War was the result of a badly mismanaged Balkan Crisis in the summer of 1914 rather then the product of long standing rivalries between the great powers.'Assess the truth of this opinion on the causes of the First World War.

Authors Avatar

Kate Collier                                                      09/05/2007                                                       Mr. Stubbs                              

 School Name: Blessed William Howard

Centre Number: 30400

‘The First World War was the result of a badly mismanaged Balkan Crisis in the summer of 1914 rather then the product of long standing rivalries between the great powers.’

Assess the truth of this opinion on the causes of the First World War.

Whilst the crisis of 1914 was integral in the beginning of war, it would not have occurred without the climate that long-term rivalries created.

During the crisis of July 1914, mistakes were made, which made it the catalyst for the actual outbreak of war. Austria Hungary was the first country to offend. They delayed their reaction to the assassination, and in doing so decreased any sympathy they may have been granted for swift action seen to be a shock reaction. Their response was not issued until the 23rd of July 1914, almost a month after the assassination. Part of the reason for this was the Austrian prime minister’s insistence that Serbia be served with an ultimatum before any action was taken.

This leads on to another misjudgement. The foreign minister Berchtold deliberately made the demands so unacceptable that Serbia could not fulfil them. He was using the ultimatum as a prelude to war, rather than as an alternative solution. Austria Hungary may not have set out to cause a world war, but they definitely deliberately caused a war with Serbia, without considering the possible repercussions, and could be accused of recklessness and irresponsibility, along with serious mismanagement.

 Germany’s reaction could also be seen as unwise. They issued Austria Hungary with a ‘blank cheque’ of support on the 5th of July, encouraging them to threaten Serbia. They may not have known what Austria Hungary’s actions would lead to, but they knew the risks, and as James Joll pointed out, may have even felt that war was inevitable based on the continuing international crisis. This would imply that although the July crisis and its mismanagement may have directly led to war, it was previous events that dictated the climate within which this situation could arise. Fischer would even go as far as to say that Germany had been planning the war since 1912, when they began to build up their army, according to him in anticipation of a major war. He maintained that the German government wanted a war so as to gain land and break the constitutional problem of getting a majority in the Reichstag, and so the crisis of 1914 was a direct result of long-term problems.

However, Germany’s actions could be seen as a mistake. Consequently it could be argued that by giving Austria Hungary this support, they were taking a gamble, as Remack highlighted, not just on keeping the war localised but also that Austria Hungary would follow their advice and act quickly, as Bethman Hollweg said it was ‘a leap in the dark’. This in itself could be seen as a crucial mistake, as without Germany’s support Austria Hungary may never have done as they did. This could be seen as a deliberately calculated risk, they may have been willing to take it because they hoped that France and Britain would not come to Russia’s aid, and therefore the Triple Entente would break down, hence the events that ensued were not their intention, but the cost of a mismanaged decision based on longer term factors.

Join now!

Russia provided an excuse for Germany to go to war with their actions. When they mobilised on the 30th of July, Germany chose to see it as a virtual equivalent of a declaration of war. This was due to the Schlieffen Plan, which stipulated that Germany had to mobilise immediately after Russia in order to defeat Belgium and France before Russia was ready to fight on its borders. However, this mistake could be seen as Germany’s, as Russia did not know of these plans and Germany was the only country in Europe for which mobilisation was war, and consequently it could ...

This is a preview of the whole essay