‘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.
Weltpolitik could be argued to be a factor relating to the breakout of the First World War in August 1914. Although, it could be said that the war was avoidable and not inevitable, supported by Geiss in source 2 and Mombauer in source 3. On the other hand there are a two other main views which the sources suggest could be accountable for the outbreak of the war, with Deist source 1 mainly pushing for the political decision makers in the Kaiser and his military cabinet, such as Molkte and Tiripitz. The final factor that all three sources partially suggest is the impact of the tensions in the Balkans, mainly between the Austro-Hungarians and the Russians. Altogether, the idea that Weltpolitik made the First World War inevitable by August 1914 is short sighted as this is not entirely accountable for the war but was a contribution.
‘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.
Taylor wrote a book called “The Struggle for Mastery in Europe”, in this book A.J.P. Taylor claimed that German ambitions were the cause of the war. All of these views have merit; however, while imperialism was one of the causes of World War 1, the Alliance system and militarism in the pre-war period were definitely the major causes of the war. The Marxist historian, Eric Hobsbawn, came up with a theory, the "zero-sum game" theory. This theory was applicable to World War One because it was an "age of total war", therefore the war was "zero-sum game".
World War I has been studied for many years by many different scholars, journalists, and historians, all who have different opinions. It is a very controversial subject that can often end up in a great debate. The first article, titled “The Crisis of July 1914 and Conclusions,” by V.R. Berghahn presented that the beginning of the war was all Germany’s fault, because of the precautions taken by them to defend their nation. Although both authors agree on the fact that Germany bears much of the responsibility, this author emphasizes that it is all Germany’s fault.
There are many main causes of war, including short-term causes and long term causes, and I will be elaborating on them and why the war broke out. This was because in 1914 ,the 6 most powerful countries in Europe were divided into two opposing alliances: the triple entente and the triple alliance. Politicians at the time called this system of alliances the “balance of power”. They believed that the power and size of the two alliances would prevent either side from starting a war. This is why it took a long time from starting a war, due to the “balance of power”.
In the following paragraphs we will have a close look at both of the reasons or events that made Hitler popular. First I would like to start with “the Treaty of Versailles”. Treaty of Versailles was monumental in the rise of Adolf Hitler from a struggling military officer to Fuhrer of the Third Reich. It was the Treaty of the Versailles that made Hitler appears to stand against and remove all the things that were blamed on Germany. The Treaty of Versailles in the mind of the Germans stabbed them in the back, especially the guilt clause that made them take blame for the First World War.
Although nationalism is a factor that contributed to World war 1, to say that it is the primary cause of the outbreak of the war is incorrect. Many factors, adding up together, led to the outburst of World war 1. Alliances and Imperialism can both be seen as much of a cause to the war as Nationalism. All these three factors: Nationalism, Alliances and Imperialism are as important as the other in the lead up to the war. Nationalism refers to nations trying to take over smaller nations and making them subject to their rule.
The Americans had a great importance in the Second Battle of Marne. They helped began because of Germany’s greed for power. There were also many other causes of World War One. Some causes of the World War one was nationalism, imperialism, and militarism. Nationalism was a unifying force, but it also led to intense competition between nations.
More specifically, while any number of aggressive acts could have triggered war, following public disclosure of German efforts to lure Mexico into war with the United States, American for the first time felt both threatened and hostile toward the European aggressors. Finally, the continued presence of German u-boats in the North Atlantic and the threat of unrestricted submarine warfare against our economic interest hit close to home, drawing the United States into war with hopes of breaking growing stalemate. (Faragher et al.,