How Far Was Germany Responsible For World War 1 Research Paper

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.

Another debated cause is imperialism, which is the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations. This contributed to WWI because of the rivalry it caused in Europe between Great Britain, Germany, and France. They needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. Great Britain, Germany, and France competed for economic expansion in Africa. Even though Great Britain and France came to an agreement several problems before the war had to do with the dislike of Germany against Great Britain and France in North Africa. Also the crumbling of the Ottoman-Empire in the Middle East was a big factor for Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia. So the competition for colonies brought great powers into conflict and fueled the ideas of war and added to the present tension that already existed, and that tension keeps on building up.

From the Treaty of Versailles, to the rise of Hitler, and the failure of the League of Nations, there were many causes that lead up to World War II. World War I left Germany with many shortfalls, thus leaving them in the hands of the Treaty of Versailles. Rather unfair of a Treaty, this left Germany once again looking for another way out. A country resented by many had no other choice but to feel optimistic toward Adolph Hitlers empty promises… making it substantially simple for him to gain power so quick. Throw in the Great Depression, and you have a vastly unstable world, which the Germans believed Hitler would lead them out of.

Germany had stockpiled quite an arsenal and increased their navy for advanced combat. Great Britain also strengthened her navy. Militarism was another cause of the war. Countries like Germany and Russia had policies in place to build a strong military in readiness for war. Between 1910 and 1914, Germany had a 73% increase in military spending while Russia had 39%, Britain had 13%, and France had 10%. This increase in defense spending led to countries building stronger militaries which thrust the world deeper into the war. Lastly, nationalistic movements were going on all over the world. People were getting more aware of their ethnicities and the oppression that they had endured from people who were not like them. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria came from the nationalistic views of the Bosnians who did not want to be under the rule of Austria-Hungary and wanted their own state. Strong nationalistic movements were going on everywhere and the unification of Italy and Germany was a product of it. France had to give up some land to Germany and wanted it back. Nationalism played a big role in the start of the war as it fueled existing fires and was probably one of the direct causes of the war. Not only did nationalism start the war it extended it longer than it should have gone. This, as each nation tried to prove its power and dominance over the

What actually started the war was the alliances between countries. Countries in Europe formed alliances with each other (e.g., Russia, Britain, and France in the Triple Entente and Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in the Triple Alliance) (Doc A). The countries in the Entente all blamed Germany for the war and felt the need to intervene (Doc B). Germany was backing up Austria-Hungary and Russia was backing up Serbia whom were in a spat. Which lead to invasions and more friends of these countries joining the war to aide them.

Due to Germany taking back the colonies lost after World War I and forming an alliance with Austria, Germany’s actions against the Treaty of Versailles contributed to the cause of World War II. After Germany got slapped with a $33 Billion dollar war reparation bill and Kaiser Wilhelm was removed from power, Germany was a mess, which allowed the rise of Hitler. Hitler, being a former Iron Cross winning

Germany also declared war on France and not long after Great Britain declared war on Germany. In 1917 president wilson asked congress to declare war on Germany. The underlying causes of World War 1 were the “ MAIN”, Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.

Germany also had been blamed for starting WW1 and this caused Germans to become enraged because they had many consequences from the treaty. Most Germans thought that the Treaty of Versailles is unfair and evil and they found it to be a humiliation. They did accept the responsibility but they did not really have a choice. Hitler was a German politician who disagreed with the Treaty of Versailles and many people were following his ideas and he wanted to fight back with violence. To the people that followed him he restored sense of pride and self-respect. (Document

World War II was partly caused by the Versailles Treaty. The Treaty infuriated Germany by taking their money, land and resources, and blaming them for World War l. All of this made Germany want to rise to power and start another World War. One of the reasons Germany was so mad about the Treaty of Versailles is it blamed Germany for the war. The Treaty stated, “...Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all loss and damage.” (Doc D) Germany did not agree that they were responsible for all the damage of the war; they thought this was extremely unfair.

Nationalism and the feeling of superiority over some countries helped contribute to the start of the war. Document 4 states, “The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage.” This quote shows at the end of the war all the countries made Germany pay reparations. Since by this time Germany had lost the war the other countries felt dominant

As a result of World War I, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, made to pay for the war, and had to disarm themselves, which directly led into World War II. Germany went down the tubes after they were forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. There economy crashed and there money had just about no value. Many people that World War II was just a 20 year break from World War I. They were right because just about 20 years later World War II started. There are many things that could contribute to starting the war but these are the main point and the most recognized.

There are many reason why the world plunged into its first world war. There were over a half a dozen mutual protection pacts that forced other countries to enter the war. The fact that countries were in an arms race well before the war is a leading cause. Also Imperialism led to war because

Many countries were involved in WWI, Germany being one of them. It is arguable whether Germany is responsible for the outbreak of war or rather the responsibility of individual countries such as Britain, Russia, France, Austria-Hungary and the Balkans collectively. However, Germany should be blamed to the full extent of starting WW1 due to the reasons that Germany had unconditional support for Austria, Germany 's war plans were planned to cause more conflict and Germany 's mobilization schedule.

The Second World War started for many reasons but the most important were: the treaty of Versailles and the negative impact it had upon Germany, the foreign policy of Adolf Hitler and what did the other countries do to stop Hitler’s actions.

So, Germany made a decision, as too much of the world had been claimed they must fight to gain countries, in order to build their much desired Empire. This lead to the war as it created rivalry between Britain and Germany, who were both powerful Empires in their own right. This meant in the case of a war between nations, such as the one which followed, these domains would be on opposing sides and would have a good motive to want to belittle the others status, Empire, National forces and wealth.