‘German aggression was responsible for the outbreak of a general European war in August 1914.’ How far do you agree with this judgment? Whether German aggression was responsible for the outbreak of a European war in August 1914 is one that is widely debated by historians up till today. Many historians, for example Fischer, agree, as sources 1 and 2 will show. Others, however, suggest that the Germans’ actions can be seen as a form of defense against the rest of Europe – the arms race with Britain, for example - as talked about in source 3, due to the fact that they felt encircled and only had one ally. In this essay I will argue both sides of this argument using sources to back up my points, however ever maintaining the fact I agree.
‘German Aggression Was Responsible For The Outbreak of A General European War In August 1914’. How Far Do You Agree With This Judgement? Over the course of the last century, the question of who was to blame for the first world war has been up for intense debate. As such a recent event opinions have evolved dramatically since those first published soon after the end of the war meaning that a variety of theories are available. A somewhat controversial notion is that Germany was responsible for the outbreak of the war, evident in the country’s aggressive actions towards foreign policy and their non hesitant approach to the devision of the military planning and developments.
Explain why you chose this country. I chose Germany because it was surrounded by the Triple Entente (France, Russia, and Great Britain) meaning, if one goes on war with Germany, so does the others. Therefore, Germany needed a stronger navy to face the other countries. c. Based on the state of the arms race in 1914, if you were a German citizen, how would you feel? Explain why.
There are many reasons as to why war broke out in August of 1914. Sources 1 and 2 agree with the statement that it was due to decisions made by the German military. Source 1 states it was the military who mobilised and made Germany appear to the rest of the world to be gearing up for war whilst source 2 uses the schlieffen plan as the reason for why the German military caused the outbreak of war. Source 3 however disagrees with the statement arguing all other countries carefully thought about the risks of war before entering into it, implying it was up to the Kaiser and Bethmann Hollweg. Source 2, even though it agrees with the statement also disagrees to an extent as well and supports source 3, blaming the immobilisation of Russia for the outbreak of war, linking to source 3 as Russia would have carefully thought out the plan to immobilise and rearm.
Because Germany was surrounded by the Triple Entente .So that means Germany was land-locked. Germany needed a strong navy so that it would have a place in Europe, and to oppose other countries. c. Based on the state of the arms race in 1914, if you were a German citizen, how would you feel? Explain why. I would feel nervous but fear less.
Because Germany was surrounded by the Triple Entente (the Great Britain, France, Russia). So Germany was land-locked. Germany needed a strong navy so that it would have a place in Europe, and to confront other countries. c. Based on the state of the arms race in 1914, if you were a German citizen, how would you feel? Explain why.
World War 2 & Hitler Nationalism was a large part of the second world war. Hitler wanted to achieve the status he desired for Germany, and there for he displayed multiple forms of ultranationalism. I agree with Margret MacMillan that Hitler would have always wanted more power no matter what happened, but I do not agree that the Treaty of Versailles had no effect on world war two. The Treaty of Versailles had a direct impact on the second world war, without Hitler violating the treaty Britain would not have declared war in 1939 kick-starting the second world war. I agree with Margret MacMillan that Hitler would want to gain more power no matter what happened.
Because Germany was surrounded by the Great Britain, France, Russia. So Germany was land-locked. Germany needed a strong navy so that it would have a place in Europe, and to confront other countries. c. Based on the state of the arms race in 1914, if you were a German citizen, how would you feel? Explain why.
What nded World War 1 was the Treaty of Versailles passed by the Allied Powers, many believe this to also be the starting point of World War 2. Through research I plan on showing how World War 2 is a continuation of world war 1 and not a separate war all together. World War 1 would end with the defeat of the Central Powers which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and The Ottoman Empire by the hand of Allied Powers including Great Britain, France and Russia. As a result of losing the war the allied victors planned to punish Germany by placing a strict set of restrictions and rules against them; named the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty placed blame solely on Germany resulting in loss of the Rhineland, also Germany had to demilitarize and pay back billions to allies as part of war reparations[1].
Although both authors agree on the fact that Germany bears much of the responsibility, this author emphasizes that it is all Germany’s fault. Berghahn’s main point was that the decision made by the Kaiser to activate the “Schlieffen Plan” was one that changed everything. This plan called for a small troop deployment against Russia while the rest of the German army would invade western France, by way of Belgium. When France was defeated, the plan was then for the German army to deploy to the east, against Russia. However, because of the ultimatum given to Belgium on August 2, 1914, by France, war was declared between the two countries on August 3.