Assess the claim that the most important reason why Britain went to war in 1914 was to defend Belgian neutrality.

Authors Avatar

Assess the claim that the most important reason why Britain went to war in 1914 was to defend Belgian neutrality.

September 1914 saw the outbreak of the First World War. The trigger to the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on the 28thJune. The subsequent invasion of Belgium elicited the British response of a declaration of war. However, there are a number of extremely significant long term factors which mounted the build up to war.

Of crucial importance was Britain’s policy towards Germany. The relations between Germany and Britain had been deteriorating since the beginning of the century, primarily due to Germany’s decision to develop its navy. Britain perceived this to be a considerable threat as any menace to the Royal Navy posed an unparalleled threat to British domestic security and that of its empire, its trading potential, and compromised its ability to supply itself with resources. As a result the naval race broke out. The resulting, extremely tense relations between the two countries set the foundations for war well before the outbreak in 1914. The aim was to build a fleet based in the N. Sea of sufficient size to pose a significant threat to Br if it found itself at war with a 3rd party. Germany’s construction of the fleet began in 1898 and escalated dramatically in 1906 with the unveiling of the new British battle ship the Dreadnought. It has been argued by certain historians that the terse relationship between Germany and Britain was of limited importance in contributing towards the outbreak of war. This was because 1912-14 the naval race slowed considerably and Germany and Britain managed to co-operate over the Balkans war 1912-13 and the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway. However, it is still apparent that both countries had been gearing themselves for war for some time and that the damage caused by the rivalry had.......

Join now!

Similarly the development in the relationship between Britain, France and Russia was partially significant. Since the start of the 1900’s Britain had also been stepping away from its policy of isolation and in 1904 made the ‘Entente Cordiale’ with France. Moreover, in 1907 Britain and Russia signed the Anglo-Russian agreement. These agreements were viewed a step in the direction of war as they bound the countries closer together, as a result each felt obligated to support the other in the event of a declaration of war. The closeness of the links, in particular between France and Britain were illustrated further ...

This is a preview of the whole essay