Historians such as Fischer have the view that Germany was actively seeking a war and this is shown by his theory in Source 1. Another theory is the shared guilt idea which both Source 2 and 3 have evidence to support. Source 2 also points towards the Fischer theory but also that events spiralled out of control, a ‘War by Timetable’ as A.J.P. Taylor said. It is fair to say however that Germany, in any of these scenarios, was very much responsible which is why their aggression points towards the outbreak of a general European war.
The First World War did not arise primarily as a result of planned Germany aggression. Discuss. The First World War started due to many of reasons, many Historians’, such as Fischer, argue that it could have been down to Germany’s aggression and that Germany had always been planning a war. This is supported by Source two, written by James Joll, which argues that the war did result of planned German aggression. Meanwhile, other Historians, such as Steven Ozment in, sources one, believe the First World War started from various other reasons such as alliances, arms race and all countries just slithered into war.
Sadeed Bari WHY DID EUROPE GO TO WAR IN 1914 CHC2D1-01 2010-09-20 World war one also known as “The Great War” and the war to end all wars started in 1914. There were four main reasons which started the war; Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism. One cause of tension was Militarism. This means that the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain strong military capabilities and be prepared to use it to defend or promote country’s interests. An example for this is the dreadnaughts between Germany and Britain.
Germany had to either get involved in the war and be on the front foot against France and Russia, or they could wait until they were attacked and be unprepared. They showed this fear in the German Imperial War Council of 1912. As well as this, they had pledged to defend Austro Hungary, and had a burden of responsibility after their show of support in November 1912. The Austro Hungarian Empire also had reasons for war, they had a large empire and wanted to protect their land from the rebelling Serbs. There was also the widely accepted claim that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the event that tipped the scales of war.
It was not until the 4th August, where the British declaration of war was announced. Why Britain joined the Great War is debatable and historians have come up with numerous reasons such as the threat of Germany, due to public opinion and was it over the invasion of Belgium? Each of these reasons and more I will discuss in the following paragraphs. Furthermore the impending threat of Germany was seen to be a reason for Britain going to war. According to Ferro in his book 'The Great War' he suggests that England felt threatened by Germany due to the unprecedented economic strides the country made between 1880 and 1914, although Germany did not have a financial base on the same scale as Britain's economic power.
The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 was due to an aggressive German foreign policy which had been waged since c.1900. How far do you agree with this opinion? It has been a matter of controversy within Germany on whether or not they went to war with aggressive or defensive intentions. Source V seems to be of the opinion that Germany went to war solely for defensive reasons due to the extensive array of alliances that encircled the country as well as diplomatic tension in Europe. Source W seems to take the opposite approach deeming how Germany’s aggressive actions since the turn of the century resulted in war.
‘The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 was due to an aggressive German foreign policy which had been waged since c.1900.’ How far do you agree with this opinion? Explain your answer using the evidence of Sources V, W and X and your knowledge of the issues relating to the controversy. When considering the outbreak of the First World War and who bore responsibility, there are certain factors that must be considered. These factors are German aggression through military and individual aggression, whether Germany engaged in a defensive war, the responsibility of other countries, the idea of calculated risk, and the domestic tensions that had arisen in Germany around the time. Sources V, W and X provide evidence for most of these issues with the exception of calculated risk, and domestic tensions.
Germany’s action and mistakes played a significant role in the outbreak of WWI. While their actions around the time were significant including their quest for nationalism, the strong systems of alliances and the military plans put in place by Germany, they are not totally to blame. Other countries actions such as England, Serbia and Russia must also take some responsibility for the outbreak of WWI. Extreme nationalism was a potentially explosive force around the early twentieth century; it was the cause of many quarrels between Germany and France, and eventually became a driving force for Germany to act upon France at the beginning of WWI. Many people were eager to take any action to further their own nation and were even ready to start wars to promote their nations interests.
Why did world war 1 break out in 1914? I think the reason why world war 1 broke out In 1914 was because was to do with the making up of Alliances which caused all the countries to fight for the country they had made a treaty with but there are many reasons that build up to the great war. Alliances are agreements or promises to defend another country when in need. There were two alliances the Triple Alliance which consisted of Germany, Austria and Hungary and also Italy whereas the Triple Entente was made up of Britain, France and Russia. The Alliances were made to protect the country when in war or whilst away and fighting.
If Germany had not given Austria the blank cheque or the military backing in the first place Austria would have to have accepted Serbia’s amended ultimatum, but because Germany had pledged their undying support Austria was able to declare war on Serbia thus also dragging a precarious network of alliances with it. By 1900 Austrians were losing their grip on their multi ethnic empire. In response to the Serbians attempt to reduce Austro-Hungarian, Austria-Hungary adopted an aggressive foreign policy in order to reestablish its reign over the empire and crush Serbia’s aspirations. A now determined Austria Hungary continually provoked Serbia by addressing the Eastern Question