Assess the aims of two countries entering the First World War. To what extent were they successful in achieving their aims?

Assess the aims of two countries entering the First World War. To what extent were they successful in achieving their aims?

        Two important countries in the First World War are Germany and Britain. Germany entered the war on August 1 1914, when it declared war in Russia. Britain declared war three days later, after Germany did not withdraw from Belgium. Both these countries had individual aims prior to entering the war. However, succeeding in achieving these aims differs for the countries. Furthermore, the aims were influenced during the course of the war.

        There were several aims Germany had prior to entering the war. One of these aims was expanding their colonial overseas empire. This is described in full depth by Wilhelm II in 1867, by his emphasis on the policy of Weltpolitik. They needed overseas colonies for raw materials, power, and prestige. An example of this are the Moroccan Crises of 1905-1911. The German Kaiser Wilhelm II, in addition to the reason of testing the relationship between the Entente Cordiale, also acted in Morocco out of interests in African colonies. This is clearly seen in the summer of 1911, when Germany demanded the whole of French Congo as compensation for leaving Morocco alone. This ties in to Germany's next aim, which was to catch up and eventually dominate other industrial powers. Britain and France were such powers, and perhaps Wilhelm II acted in 1905 in Morocco as a desperate attempt to prevent French control of the nation. He did this by telling the Sultan of Morocco that he recognizes it as an independent nation; if Moroccan independence was brought into concern, the French would not have it- a clear victory for the Germans. Germany also wanted to dominate Britain industrially. This is clearly seen by the efforts made by the nation; from 1871 to 1913, there was a 636 % increase in coal production, increasing from 37,900 thousand metric tonnes to 279,000 thousand metric tonnes. Britain, on the contrary, only had a 147 % increase from 118,000 thousand metric tonnes to 292,000 thousand metric tonnes. Germany also produced more pig iron than Britain in 1910 (14793 vs 10380 thousand metric tonnes.) As you can see, Germany's aim was domination over the other countries. They also wanted to be dominant in a military perspective. This is seen by their efforts in the naval and arms race. Prior to the beginning of the war, in 1914, they had 791,000 soldiers compared to Britain’s 247,000. They spent 1,468 million marks compared to Britain's 1,071 million marks. However, all these aims were not made successful due to the fact that they lost the war and the Treaty of Versailles was put into effect. Germany’s aim of being dominant industrially and militarily was a failure. It's army was reduced to 100,000 men; the army was not allowed tanks, airplanes, only 6 battleships, and no submarines. Economically, they were not allowed overseas colonies, and lost much of their territories, including the vital industrial areas of Upper Silesia and the Saar. As you can see from the above, the Germans wanted to dominate the other great powers of Europe, but this failed due to their defeat in World War 1, and the introduction of the Treaty of Versailles.