“The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 was due to an aggressive foreign policy which had been waged since c.1900”. How far do you agree with this opinion? Explain your answer using sources V, W and X and your own knowledge relating to the controversy. The implication that Germany’s use of an aggressive foreign policy led to the outbreak of the First World War is an extremely controversial topic, and has ultimately caused great debates amongst historians. Fischer, the provoker of this controversy, expresses this concept of German aggression by stating that since c.1900 Germany planned, and then was able to execute a war, due to their aggressive weltpolitik; based purely on expansionism.
Overall, Source W challenges source V, as it indicates that Germany’s aggressive actions since the turn of the century resulted in war. Source X implies how it is a matter of great controversy however leads more towards the fact that Germany had always wanted colonial expansion. Although it could be argued otherwise, it is evident that outbreak of war in Europe was due to an aggressive foreign policy which had been waged c.1900. Source V states that Germany, ‘felt encircled not only by the triple entente but also by the forces of change’. Although it is true that Germany was surrounded by an alliance system, indeed an extensive alliance system did surround Germany, whether they posed a threat or not is questionable.
This meant more power for their empire. This is why Britain backed France as they didn’t want Germany to gain land as they could potentially get more land and a bigger empire than Britain. In the long term this caused problems between Britain and Germany because they was both power hungry and the thought of another country having a bigger empire or navy made them angry. Wilhelm tested the Entente Cordiale again in 1911 when he demanded compensation
They clashed with the main powers of Europe over territory like morocco, which ultimately strengthened Franco-Anglo relationships. Weltpolitik was a huge political risk and in the end the risks outweighed the positive factors, which resulted in the failure of the plan and ultimately was a great cause of WW1 In 1893 the Franco-Russian alliance was formed which meant that it allowed the possibility of encirclement of Germany, which made them paranoid. The Kaiser at the time was Wilhelm II and he surrounded himself with military figures so had a very militaristic point of view. So his response to the possible encirclement was to come up with a new plan called the Schliffen Plan. This stated that if a possibility of a two front war with France and Russia was ever to arise they would mobilise their troops quickly and beat the French within six weeks and then march back in time to meet the Russian army.
became a super power was that after WW2, the American government saw a need to keep a vigilant watch on countries that wanted to harm U.S. interests. After the World Wars, enemy countries saw how rich the U.S. was in resources and wanted to capitalize on those resources. Also, they saw the threat of democracy on their own way of life in which those countries' saw the spread of democracy spread further into Europe soon after WW2. (2011, Lagon, M.P.) The differences between foreign policy before and after WW2 were very different.
A major cause of WWII was the fact that both Germany and Japan felt that they did not have the amount of power that they deserved. Germany wanted to regain the power it was stripped of through The Treaty of Versailles after its loss in WWI. Japan wanted to have a large empire and to be treated as a major power. The allies resisted this because they were happy with the status quo. The major similarity of WWI and WWII to me is that both were caused by countries trying to with the status quo in the international system.
The liberal capitalist US economy needed ever increasing trade and investment opportunities to overcome its endemic weaknesses, (Mccauley). The Marshall Plan was designed to create an informal American empire in Europe and thereby to extend American political influence over the USSR itself. Roosevelt and Truman and their advisors already predicted the threat of Soviet Expansionism, and that they tried to restrain the Soviets from changing the international order in a way that would have been as dangerous to Western interests. Therefore Marshall Plan then led to Truman Doctrine, which not only did it influence Europe to be under control by American imperialism, but also did not support Soviet Union because the United States inserted anti-communism propaganda. American pressure and the Western decision to
The fear of the spread of communism to Western Europe caused Western European countries to join forces to stop the spread. Communism was the direct opposite ideology of the democratic governments of Western Europe, the aggressive tactics of Russia to spread communism threatened them. If Communism was to enter Western Europe, the USA, Great Britain and other countries would loose crucial trade partners. To prevent this from happening they set up numerous organisations to prevent the economic threat communism portrayed. Most
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.
archduke franz Ferdinand The Most Important Cause of WWI was the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Do you Agree? World war 1 was a controversial war, which was also said to be the war to stop all wars. Germany, a powerful empire in the early years of the twentieth century, fought the First World War (1914-1918) alongside the Austrian empire and against the Allies (England, France and Russia.). The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was just a prominent cause for the outbreak of the war; yet, there were other causes as well.