The country also felt threatened as its neighbouring country, Russia was part of the Triple Entente and was itself building up a vast army. Keeping a strong army was important to Germany because it helped to demonstrate to the rest of the world that they were a rising power. In addition, Germany was also in competition with Great Britain. At the time Britain had the largest navy; something Germany envied. Once Britain started introducing their new battleships, named the Dreadnoughts, Germany followed suit.
The war was caused by grudges countries had held against each other from previous wars. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy were the Triple Alliance. Britain, France and Russia were the Triple Entente (friendly agreement). These agreements meant that if ever war broke out you would help the country you are in agreements with. Germany was 30-40 years old and wanted to have a bigger empire and navy than Britain, which had the biggest empire and biggest navy out of all of the countries.
Fischer’s argument that the outbreak of the First World War was due to Germany’s aggressive foreign policy, with a harsh focus on annexation, can be regarded as one of much significance. This theory has been backed up by historians such as Berghahn who claims that Germany ‘[tried] to shift the balance of power in their favour’, and did this through a weltpolitik policy of aggressiveness. This, it can be argued, can be shown by The Navy Race, in which Germany attempted to expand their navy in order to compete with Britain. Despite this being regarded by some as an attempt to
‘German aggression’ was responsible for the outbreak of a general war in august 1914; how far do you agree with this argument? Jesse Thompson Evidently German aggression played a key role in the causation of the first world war. Corrigan strongly supports this view and uses Fischer’s Theory to structure his argument as it effectively highlights the nature of German foreign policy in this period. Other historians, such as Joll and Turner, provide opinions which support the view of the question as well as providing evidence for alternative factors such as Fear of encirclement and foreign policy of contending powers; evidence for this can be clearly seen in Joll’s and Turner’s pieces in an equal and different amount. On the one hand, German aggression held the greatest responsibility for the outbreak of a general European war in august 1914.
Why did Germany go to war in 1914? There are many reasons as to why Germany went to war in 1914 such as fear of encirclement, various alliances formed, internal policies and domestic and military factors. I personally think the most important reason was due to their internal politics. Germany was formed as a country in 1871 and so felt like they had to prove themselves as a nation to the rest of Europe. They did this through aggressive policies, which they hoped would achieve their aim and build up their empire.
It can be argued that whilst German foreign policy was a highly significant factor in the outbreak of war, it is important to remember there were many other vital factors, especially the roles of other nations which played a more important role in the outbreak of war. Source W argues that it was Germany’s naval expansion which was highly responsible for the escalation of international tension and therefore supports the idea that Germany’s foreign policy was responsible for the outbreak of WW1. This is clearly seen when Blackbourn states that Tirpitz ‘built a battle fleet aimed at the British’. The idea that Germany’s foreign policy, involving their military actions was responsible for the emergence of war is also prevalent in Source V, where Volker Berghahn claims that ‘generals could only think of further rearmaments expenditure as a remedy’ for Germany’s diplomatic isolation. Thus it can be argued that other nations viewed these decisions as a threat to their positions, resulting in them building up their military
Germany’s aggressive behaviour was the main reason for the outbreak of World War One This above statement causes a lot of debate. Germany’s aggressive behaviour was one of the main reasons for the outbreak of World War One, but was it the biggest reason? This is a question that many people have tried to answer, however I believe that it is a matter of opinion and there is no right or wrong answer. Germany’s aggression was not the only thing about Germany that many countries feared but also its ambition. Germany had only been a united country since 1871 however by 1914 it had built up a strong army, navy and had the beginnings of an overseas empire.
Having a huge leadership role in the League of Nations, Great Britain played the largest role in allowing Italy, Germany, and Japan to take advantage of other nations, and eventually take them over. Events/agreements that prove these notions are as follows; the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, the Second Italian-Ethiopian War, the Anschluss, the Czech Crisis, the occupation of the Rhineland, and lastly, the Munich Conference. The Japanese Invasion of Manchuria was very significant. Among other reasons, this event proves that appeasement was a major reason in starting WWII. Japan was attracted to Manchuria because it was large, had great forestry, and also other resources.
Both England and France had specific aims for entering the World War One. England wanted to stay and maintain their position as the most powerful country in the world. England desired to expand not only their territories but also their military power even though they had the largest areas under their control and the greatest naval power in the world. Since Germany speedily industrialized and gained power, Britain regarded the rapid development in Germany as the biggest threat to Britain’s aim of staying in the position of great power; thus, through diplomatic channels England claimed to Germany that a large navy or colonies
Great Britain, France, and Russia all formed the Allies while Germany, Austria- Hungary, and Italy formed the Central Powers. The position of Germany might have led to an early declaration of was because it was surrounded by the allied powers. Nationalism and extreme patriotism towards the country was also a reason for the outbreak of the war. This over-confidence gave birth to a fatal misconception: that in the event of war in Europe, one’s own country would be victorious