To what extent were germany to blame for the outbreak of ww1

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Charlotte Henley

To What Extent was Germany to blame for the outbreak of War in Europe in 1914?

Was the 1914 crisis “War by timetable”? (A.J.P Taylor) and if so whom should take the blame for such a key event in the worlds History? In the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 article 231 of the Treaty said that Germany was to blame for the war. The Treaty of Versailles explicitly placed the guilt for all ‘loss and damage’ of the war on the defeated Germans and there allies. This term was resented by many Germans who said that war had been one of self defence. This soon became a subject of keen debate among historians of all countries. Many Historians argue that the schliffen plan: the German battle plan that laid out the precautions that Germany would take, if France and Russia were to fight Germany simultaneously was a key area that contributed to the evidence that Germany was to blame for the war as this plan was a offensive plan, therefore this indicates that 9 years before the start of the war Germany was already coming to terms with the likely hood of war. The plan had been drawn up by Cont Alfred Von Schliffen who became increasingly worried about ‘encirclement’ as  friendship between Russia to the East and France to the West, was seen as an attempt to ‘surround’ and threaten Germany. The plan was also drawn up to prevent Germany having to advance through Belgium. In my opinion this is a very important contributor to consider when analysing who was actually to blame for the War in 1914. At this stage I agree with the vast amount of Historians who say that Germany alone could not have been the cause of WW1, “All countries should share the War guilt” (Lenin). In my opinion lots of other aspects and events have to be considered before a clear, concise decision is reached.

The German war council of 1912 is an indicator in which to suggest that Germany was planning a war. Within the council military advises had gathered to discuss the Balkan crisis. The Kaiser discussed a pre – emptive war, discussing the actions that Germany would take in the event of a war declaration.

With regards to alliances in 1890 alliances had already began to emerge, with Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy emerging in the military alliance. France and Russia however were part of the Triple Entente. Great Britain believed in splendid isolation as in the nineteenth century Britain tried not to get involved in European politics. This suggests that Britain didn’t have that big a role in the outbreak of war, although Britain had a huge empire and regarded Russia and France as its biggest rivals. This was not a huge concern for Britain due to its Geographical status. With its luxurious position it had choice in the extent of its involvement in any possible war. The other countries on the other hand did not and their security resided in their armies. This was a problem as a army that did not strike may be destroyed in mid mobilisation, or it may have completed its mobilisation and failed to attack meaning that there plan would no longer be confidential and as a country lost all advantage. This was especially the case in Germany, as there was no line of negotiation between the Great Powers or line of communication to seek. The Kaiser determined all of Germany’s assessment of plans and policies and there was no Governmental process in which to correct this. This  was noticeably a problem in 1914 when the Kaiser alone might have put the breaks on the inexorable progression of the schliffen plan, he found that he did not understand the machinery that he was suppose to control, the Kaiser panicked and allowed a piece of paper to determine events.

Some Historians argue that Germany couldn’t have wanted a war as she was a newborn country who had just begun an empire, and was therefore not in a position to begin a war. I would argue against this as In 1860 Germany was a collection of small independent states of which Prussia was the most powerful, and In 1870 Prussian statesman Bismarck won a war against France. This was the start of a new and powerful German Empire: Germany took from France the important industrial area of Alsace Lorraine. The new Germany was successful in industry and by 1914 its industry had overtaken Britain’s and was second in the world only to the USA. It is evident that Germany was rapidly improving its empire and was therefore in a position for war.

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Leaders of Germany were very ambitious but also had concerns. The Kaiser felt that Germany should have overseas colonies. In 1890’s the Kaiser ordered the building of a large navy, which soon become the world’s second most powerful fleet. German leaders however, became increasingly worried about ‘encirclement’, partially due to the huge build up of arms in Russia. Historians use the above as evidence to suggest that Germany were not geographically in a position to start a war, therefore the war could not have been a long standing intention.

In contrast there is much evidence in which to suggest ...

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