Origins of WWI. Throughout The Origins of World War One, Dr Gary Sheffield examines the origins of the conflict.
The Origins of World War One
Throughout “The Origins of World War One”, Dr Gary Sheffield examines the origins of the conflict.
Moves were made in the past to reflect a popular opinion: that issues were not worth the ensuing bloodbath. Now, however, most scholars do not agree and go as far as blaming Germany for planning and waging a deliberate war of aggression.
“Europe was divided into two armed camps: the Entente Powers and the Central Powers”
During the reign of Kaisser Wilhelm II, Germany move from a small into an aggressive stance. Germany wished to surpass all other countries, as Britain was the leading power at the time with the largest amount of land covered and owned. Germany however, was quite conscious of this and therefore wanted to overtaken Britain. Europe was split into two sides, the Triple Entente and the Central Powers. In the Summer of 1914, Germany was already filling to risk a full scale war. Despite a war with Russia, Germany continued to order the blank cheque; this way, she would be able to break up the Entente. The most dramatic of interpretations however, relate to how Germany had already been planning an aggressive war since December 1912 (Kaiser). Although controversial, the bellicosity of Wilhelm is clear and the actual outbreak of the war is remarkable. As Germany made her way to the top a month into the war, she became “power hungry”.
