Britain went to war in 1914 to maintain power and prestige: assess the validity of this view.

Authors Avatar

britain went to war in 1914 to maintain power and prestige’: assess the validity of this view.

One interpretation of the decision which led to Britain entering WWI in 1914 is that she did so for reasons relating to power and prestige, to prevent a shift in the European balance of power away from Britain and towards Germany, as well as to preserve a modicum of comparative economic strength and to uphold the stipulations of the 1859 Treaty of London. Another interpretation of Britain’s entry into the Great War is that it was a result of a burgeoning anti-German sentiment in Britain, both public and governmental, and it was this that spurred Britain into action. Another perhaps more cynical interpretation of Britain’s entry is that it was decided upon by the government because it would stave off domestic social and political problems like the suffragette movement and the re-emergence of the issue of Home Rule. While all of these factors contributed in some way, it was undoubtedly the desire to preserve British power and prestige which pushed Britain into military action.

The argument that the main reason why Britain went to war in 1914 was due to a desire to protect her position as a leading world power has much to commend it. The first thing which must be considered is that Britain had a number of agreements to uphold; choosing to ignore these would have been a sign of weakness on the international stage, something which would have smacked of the period of ‘splendid isolation’ which the government knew it had to abandon in order to remain a respected international force. Thus, despite the strong belief in Germany that Britain would not go to war over a ‘scrap of paper’, Britain felt obliged to honour the Entente Cordiale and the 1839 Treaty of London despite they could have ignored both in order to show strength through decisive action, thereby maintaining the international perception of British power and prestige. Furthermore, the importance of the notion of the balance of power in Europe, a factor which had been at the centre British foreign policy for much of the preceding century, must be acknowledged. Staying out of the war would mean allowing Germany to advance into Belgium and thus into France, which would have had a huge effect on the balance of powers.  Britain’s feared French and Russian defeat at the hands of the Kaiser, leaving Germany in a dominant position on continental Europe. Thus it was in the interests of Britain’s power as a European force to prevent German bellicosity from translating into any kind of territorial success. There is also an economic aspect to the decision to enter the war. From the giddy heights of the mid-Victorian boom, Britain’s status as the dominant economic force in the world was fast declining, with Germany and America outstripping them with huge pools of labour, vast natural resources, larger output and more technological innovation. Indeed, in addition to competing with and outperforming Britain, Germany supplied Britain with many things by 1914, including, remarkably, all of the khaki dye and optical glass for the British Navy. A military victory against the Germans would assert the power of Britain and the war itself would stimulate the economy, increasing the output and reducing trade union problems. The decision to go to war, then, could also be seen as an attempt to regain some kind of economic supremacy after half a century of relative economic decline. It is clear, then, that matters of power and prestige were large factors in the decision to enter WWI; however, other possible motives must be examined before it can be asserted that this was the only reason for Britain’s entry.

Join now!

The second interpretation of Britain’s entry, that it was fuelled by rivalry with Germany, like the first interpretation, appears to be relatively well substantiated. There was rising tension between the two nations since the Kruger Telegram was sent by the Kaiser in 1896. A notable factor which caused Anglo-German friction is the naval race which intensified between the two at the end of the 19th century and into the start of the 20th century. The opening of the Kiel Canal in 1895 and the 1898 Navy Bill which entailed the building of a powerful fleet served as threats to Britain’s empire and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay