"To what extent can it be said that the First World War was caused by the alliance system?"

Military discussions and plans came hand in hand with the alliances that had been created. Leaders had to choose how to best combine their forces in the event of war. However these defensive tactics soon were translated into methods of attack. Unalterable mobilisation plans forced countries to distinguish between friend and foe from a very early stage. The Schlieffen Plan is just one example of the military plans that were created. It was started in the 1890s. This suggests that Germany already had a fair idea of who her enemies were from this early on. The alliance system therefore had a considerable effect on the outbreak of war. The military plans also prevented countries from reconsidering their actions. Once implemented they were virtually unstoppable as Germany found in 1914 when deciding that diplomatic victory would suffice as opposed to war.

During June and July of 1914 the alliance system proved to be influential on the way in which countries acted. After the assassination of the archduke Ferdinand on the 28th of June 1914, the Austrian government was split. The Chief of Staff urged war while the Count Stephen Tisza and the Hungarian minister were opposed to war and still members of parliament hesitated about the actions that should be taken. However these attitudes changed on the unprecedented arrival of a German unconditional support of Austria’s actions. Similarly Russia received full support from France in the event of Austrian invasion of Serbia. This support offered by the alliances influenced the declarations of war.

The menace of hostile division that led to arms race was another cause for the First World War. Armies and navies were greatly expanded. The standing armies of France and Germany doubled in size between 1870 and 1914. Naval expansion was also extremely competitive, particularly between Germany and Great Britain. By 1889, the British had established the principle that in order to maintain naval superiority in the event of war they would have to have a navy two and a half times as large as the second-largest navy. This motivated the British to launch the Dreadnought, invented by Admiral Sir John Fisher, in 1906. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had demonstrated how effective these battleships were. As Britain increased their output of battleships, Germany correspondingly stepped up their naval production, including the Dreadnought. Although efforts for worldwide disarmament were made at the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907, international rivalry caused the arms race to continue to feed on itself. The German Schlieffen Plan to attack France before Russia in the event of war with Russia was one such complicated plan that drew more countries into war than necessary. However, although this offered great support to the war, arms race cannot be classified as the principle cause of conflict.

Another underlying cause of World War One was nationalism as there was an emerging problem of aggressive patriotism throughout Europe. Nationalism posed a problem for Austria-Hungary and the Balkans as a large number of Ethnic groups such as the Serbs and the Hungarians lived under the Austro-Hungarian Empire and wished to gain independence. This also created tension between Austria-Hungary and Russia, who were allies with Serbia. In France, there was a strong feeling of resentment due to the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-1871 where France was left seething over the loss of Alsace- Lorraine to Germany.

Imperialism was another factor which contributed to the increase in rivalry in Europe. Great Britain, Germany and France needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. These countries competed for economic expansion in Africa. Although Britain and France resolved their differences in Africa, several crises foreshadowing the war involved the clash of Germany against Britain and France in North Africa. In the Middle East, the crumbling Ottoman Empire was alluring to Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia. Imperialism and nationalism had influenced the declarations of war to a great extent, however they still cannot be the central causes of World War One.

In conclusion it is evident that the alliance system was only one of the most significant causes of the First World War. However it can be said that the mobilisation plans of the allies played a significant role in the spread of war. Nonetheless the organisation and function of the alliance system may remind one of the world of Alice in Wonderland:

“I don’t think they play at all fairly Alice began, in rather a complaining tone and they all quarrel so dreadfully one can’t hear oneself think – and they don’t seem to have any rules 

(Lewis Carroll).”

At the outbreak of war that countries such as Italy, Britain, Germany and France were in fact not following a set of rules but were reacting to events around them. The priority given to maintaining trade and bonds that were created emphasise the superficial nature of the alliances. There were other significant causes such as the arms race, nationalism and imperialism that undoubtedly led to war.