German Responsibility A Satisfactory Explanation Of The Great War

At the end of WWI many countries blamed Germany for starting the war. These countries used the Treaty of Versailles to punish Germany. These punishments included loss of land and military, infeasible reparations, and complete humiliation; this is how the Treaty of Versailles directly caused WWII.

It can be argued wether the second World War was Hitler`s war. It is one of the most arguable Arguments in Modern History. As Hitler did state that he wanted world domination it should actually be very clear that it was his war. On the other hand though he got a lot of help by the failure of appeasement and the Treaty of Versailles. They encouraged that his ideas were the solution to the current situation and made more people support him. The fact that these were just catalysing his ideas. Hitler couldn`t of planned these though as it was very sudden. Another reason could be that it was Germany`s fault rather then Hitlers`s and that they only took advantage of him. That their short-term reaction and aggression triggered the War. In general though it was him that broke out the war as he disrespected the appeasement and invaded Poland. This was the

This leads onto my next point that source 2 implies the military had a large role to play in the outbreak of war. ‘In the final phase, military considerations were of decisive importance. Although the government was in favour of expansion and annexation this statement suggests the military took the decision of war into their own hands, there is evidence which backs this up as many important government officials such as the chancellor was not present at the war council meeting of 1912, however people may argue that the military was controlled directly by the Kaiser who shared similar views to those of the military and was the person that made all important decisions for the country. Therefore although this source agrees that Germany were responsible for the outbreak of war due to aggressive behaviour people may argue that it disagrees to some extent as they look at Frances role in provoking war.

There is no excuse for the horrible things Nazi Germany did during World War II. However, we get a better idea as to how that war started by learning about how World War I ended. The Versailles Treaty was created by the winners of World War I, like France, Great Britain, and the United States to make peace. How did it help contribute to an even worse war less than twenty years later. The Treaty Of Versailles helped cause World War II by treating Germany harshly. This harsh treatment can be seen in three areas: territorial losses, economic losses and ¨ war guilt.¨

When a nation gained more powerful arms, they were seen as a larger threat to the rest of the world, which was proven by post-war speeches from leaders of involved countries and statistics from the war. When Germany was blamed entirely for starting the war, German Versailles Treaty delegation leader Count Brockdorff-Rantzau argued that imperialism and the massive power put in the militaries across Europe had a larger impact on the war than Germany (Document 5). The mobilization of European armies and missed preventative steps to avoid war in almost every European country were both also cited by many historians for causing the Great War to occur (Document 6). The effects of military advancement and involvement in political discrepancies is clearly shown in statistics of money paid by each country involved in the war throughout time. When the war broke out, substantial increases in the investments made for weaponry are shown, especially by the main countries involved in the war, such as Great Britain, France, and Germany (Document 1). Military advancement overall had a large part in World War I’s breakout, due to its effects on the mindset of countries to create more weaponry for defense, and the power it gave to a nation’s

At the Versailles Peace conference, German delegate, Count Brockdorff-Rantzau, pointed out that “the imperialism of all European states has chronically poisoned international relations” (Doc 5), making hostility between countries more apparent and war more likely. Along with that, he mentioned that they fought the war defensively in response to the military advances made by their enemies. The author’s background being German should also be taken into account, as a German delegate is likely to favor their own country and be biased toward them. Thus, every country in Europe holds some responsibility for the causing of World War

As historians look back at World War II, they have noticed a lot of causes for the war. One of the biggest causes that got Germany to start World War II was the Versailles Treaty. The Versailles Treaty took land away from Germany, forced them to pay an unfair amount of money, and placed all of the blame for World War I on Germany. The first reason for how the Versailles Treaty was the major cause of World War II was how it took away land from Germany. In document A, Hitler reflects on the creation of the Versailles Treaty saying that “Only childish and naive minds can lull themselves in the idea that they can bring about a correction of Versailles by wheedling and begging”.

1. According to the authors of Germany’s complaint. The various provisions of the treaty hurt Germany’s economy by forcing Germany to accept full responsibility for the damages caused not only by the Germans but also by everyone associated with them and the damage that was caused. As stated in the article, Comments of the German Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 President Wilson recognized in his speech of 1916 “no single fact caused the war, but that in the last analysis the whole European system is in a deeper sense responsible for the war, with its combination of alliances and understandings, a complicated texture of intrigues

Fischer argues that German imperialism bears the onus for the Great War, as he concluded that they had gone to war to achieve European and worldwide domination. He states that Germany had ‘confidence in the invincibility of her military strength,’ implying that Germany had been building up their forces. This indicates Germany must have already been preparing for war, strengthening her army until she saw that both France and Russia were ‘militarily weak’ in comparison - to the extent that German elites believed they would remain somewhat unhindered in their continuation of ‘aggressive intentions.’ This is significant for several reasons. First, it was controversial as these ideas challenged the pre-existing general consensus of historians’ outlook since the 1930s: that all involved European nations shared a collective war-guilt from the First World War. Fischer rejects this view. He references a document written by Bethmann’s private secretary on 9 September 1914, outlining the Chancellor’s plan for peace negotiations which he anticipated would soon take place, as according to the September Programme. Fischer extrapolated that these detailed plans (that already had the support of the wider political nation in Germany) must have existed in August and July, and that this was indication towards Germany’s

m Germany to Austria-Hungary reassuring Austria-Hungary that Germany will support them with unconditional financial support,this is the blank cheque.The blank cheque is a reason why other countries puts responsibility on Germany for starting world war one because without it then Austria-Hungary would not of invaded Serbia as fast because they were afraid of russia,because of the alliance system which says if serbia is invaded or attacked then Russia will jump in to help and vice versa.another reason Germany is to blame for the start of world war one is the schlieffen plan,the schlieffen plan was the German army's plan for war against france via belgium once russia started to mobilize,the reason this is a cause to blame Germany for the outbreak of the war was because the schlieffen plan was made in 1905,9 years before the start of world war one in 1914.This led countries to saying that Germany had pre-conceived notions of starting a war and that's why they should be blamed.The last reason Germany is to blame for world war one is naval expansion.German naval expansion is when the Germans tried to build up a navy of dreadnoughts to rival the british by order of Kaiser Wilhelm II,This wasn't a good idea because Great Britain had the strongest navy at the time and they were not going to let Germany one up them,this caused immense tension between the two countries and eventually made Great Britain very mad.This is why Germany is one of the countries responsible for the outbreak of

To what extent should the allies share the guilt for the injustices perpetrated during the 1930s and World War II?

The downfall of Germany after the Second World War is an outcome thought by many that time as deserving for a nation touted to have caused one of the most atrocious events in human history. The Nazi Party, which ran Germany under its terrible regime before and during the Second World War, has perpetrated a series of destructive actions that soon wrought havoc to the rest of the world. From the anti-Semitic platform of the Nazi Party that generated the Holocaust up to the unholy alliances with Italy, Japan and others under the Axis Powers that led to massive destruction of lives and properties in different parts of the world, Germany undoubtedly had the greatest responsibility to account for with

After a massive war, it easy to see why a lot people would point fingers at the country that lost the war. However, is this always correct; or do people jump to conclusions much too quickly? By doing this, do they also create a whole new kind of trouble for themselves to come in later years? Some may suggest that it is more productive to look at the events leading up to the war to determine who was at fault. The blame attached to World War One (WWI) is not exclusively German, but may lie with the concepts of militarism, imperialism, nationalism, and alliances.

The Article never used the word guilt, but read, "...Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war..." In response to taking the blame for WWI, Germany proceeded to produce a great supply of records disproving the guilt they accepted in the Treaty of Versailles. During and after the war, many of the European powers also provided inconsistent records of the events of the war -- this was later referred to as the ‘World War of Documents’ by Bernhard Schwertfeger. Again, this information lends itself to the argument that while all the great powers in Europe shared some responsibility for the events of WWI, Germany is still the most at

After the First World War (1914-1919), the world was faced with the questions - who was responsible and what was reason for the outbreak of the war. Ultimately it was agreed on the 28 June 1919 that “the Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage” from the First World War. However, there have been many other interpretations on whom and what was responsible for the war. On the one hand, some historians would agree with David Lloyd George’s notion of all “the nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war”, however, on the contrary, others would agree with Fischer in arguing that Germany’s aggressive foreign policy was responsible for the First World War. Whether you agree with Lloyd George or Fischer, it is important to understand some of the other possible reasons for the outbreak of the First World War – including the growth of nationalism and imperialism, the alliances within Europe and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Although this essay will argue that Germany’s aggressive foreign policy was responsible for the outbreak of the First World War, it will also illustrate why other historians have argued against that notion.