Asses the relative importance of the long-term and short-term causes of WWI
Carola Vega V=
Asses the relative importance of the long-term and short-term causes of WWI
On the 1st August 1914, Germany declared war on his late 19th century ally: Russia. From this day and on, the war that was ahead was no longer a “Balkan conflict” which involved the declining empire of Austria- Hungary and her neighboard Serbia, it was; the beggining of what would be the bloodiest war ever seen before. It is important to highlight that what followed the assasination of Franz Ferdinand in June 28 wasn’t just a series of impulsive reactions of the Great Powers, it was a combiation of short and long term causes that determine the course of history.
In the matter of who started the war, historians usually blame Germany and her 20th century policies such as Weltpolitik, but what importance does Kaiser Wilhem’s policies have without the foundations of alliances (Alliance System) and arrangements made by Otto von Bismarck in the 1870s and 1880s? It is easy to judge the unstable Kaiser, but many are short sighted and dismiss Bismark’s role in starting the polarization in Europe. He iniciated the germanophobia in the French population with his determination to isolate France at any cost, policy that would make them feel intimidated and therefore seek for allies and by consequence form the Entente more than 30 years after. Further, the stablishment of the Dual Alliance back in 1879 can easily be linked to the German’s“Blank cheque” for Austria- Hunagry 35 years later. Considering this fact, we can allegue that Bismarck iniciated the Austro-German dependance that would a key ingredient in draging the other Great Powers in a simple “Balkan conflict”. Overall, what can be resumed of the Bismarckian system is Germany’s selfishness to seek for her aims regardless of the effects it could bring (war), a clear characteristic of all the Great Power’s leaders at the start of the 20th century as AJP Taylor stated in his Railway Thesis: “None of the great powers wanted a war, but all wished to increase their relative powers to the others”.