To What Extent Was Germany Responsible for the Outbreak of Ww1?

Many historians argue that the reason for Germany going to war was due to the aggressive behaviour of Germany in the build up to the war. Throughout this essay I will be addressing this issue looking at whether Germany was responsible for the outbreak of a general European war in August 1914. There are many factors which contribute to the outbreak of the war from a short-term trigger such as the assassination of Franz Ferdinand to the long-term annexation aims Germany implemented in the years building up to the war, the most important reason was Germany’s aggressive foreign policy, they had provided

From 1890 to 1914, there was a drastic increase in the amount of money nations began to spend on their navy and army advancements. In fact, as the war began to approach, Germany raised the amount they spent towards armaments from 30 million to 120 million pounds and the Triple Entente raised their total money spent to 225 million pounds in 1914 (Document C). The presence of more armaments created an environment ready for war. Their existence meant that the countries are more likely to use them, which only discouraged time to cool off. Additionally, as one country built up their armies more, the others felt they had to do the same which increased tensions. Britain who increased its colonial empire to the largest in the world since the Romans’, caused an arms race where the nations were competing only to have more armaments than the others. Being an island, they began spending more money on their navy, needing to defend its waters. On the opposing side, Germany did not want to get their own feet tramped by any foreign power, fearing to become the anvil rather than the hammer. Bernhard von Bülow, the German Chancellor, said the only way to “keep ourselves at the fore if we realize that there is no welfare for us without power, without a strong army and a strong fleet” (Document D). Using the idea of survival of the fittest, individual countries became stronger in the fear of being destroyed by the aggressors. Clearly, having arms was a

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

At the end of World War I, the sole responsibility of initiating the conflict fell on Germany. With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany took the blame and agreed to pay for reparations. However, the origin of the war was not the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Rather, the origins were nationalism, the creation of entangling alliances, the conflict in the Balkans, and the economic and imperialistic rivalries in Europe. These factors created the right conditions for war to occur. However, the responsibility of initiating conflict can be placed on Austria-Hungary.

Germany feared the shifting power balance in Europe and therefore made some unnecessary moves that contributed to WWI happening. The power balance in Europe was relatively equal with the creation of the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). However, Germany was surrounded

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

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

The First World War was not caused singularly by Germany and Austria-Hungary as the treaty of Versailles has set out. Germany is greatly responsible for much of the tension of the world situation in 1914, resulting from its aggressive policy of Weltpolitik, its attempts to have a superior navy, the Kaiser's personal poorly said remarks, and its attempts to break up the Triple Entente. However Germany was not solely responsible for the tension, many other events had occurred outside Germany's control, which had the same effect. Germany was also largely responsible for allowing the conflict in the Balkans to escalate into a major European conflict, by giving Austria-Hungary free reign, though it was not their intent. However Germany should

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.

"Reich government was able to undercut public opposition", with Russia being the agressor the German government hoped that nationalism would stop the public from opposing the war. Porter and Armour (soure 2) agrees with Mark "Anglo-Russian naval talks", this would mean encirclement for Germany and in fact might show Germany as the country that only wants to defend itself. This could suggest that German leaders were not as responsible but the other countries such as Russia , France and Britain being aggressive and therefore Germany naturally being worried. Norman ( source 3) also agrees on the fact that it was the tension in Europe that led to war instead of German leaders decisions.

By 1914 the general staffs in Germany, France, Russia and Austria favoured war. Germany and Britain were involved in a naval race, which caused antagonism between the two powers due to Britain’s pride in her naval fleet and the necessity of it to maintain her Empire. She saw Germany’s continued expansion as a threat. Sir John Fisher of the British navy suggested that the navy should “Copenhagen the German Fleet” before it was too late (Europe Since 1870 105). Admiral Tirpitz of Germany opposed any plans for naval disarmament. Von Hotzendorf, the Austrian Chief of Staff, had been pushing for a preventative war against Serbia since 1906.

Scholars are clearly split to two sides, like the war they are referencing. Both supported by evidence, they convey that either Germany was the main instigator or not. The historians who base their argument behind the fact that Germany was not the instigator of World War I and had just scared the triple entente powers through a string of misunderstandings like Russia allegedly did, are slightly baseless. The clear pre-meditation and circumstances relating to Kaiser’s disdain towards the other royals of Europe along with Germany's naval arms race, desire to expand, and its secret alliances with the Austro Hungarian empire and the Ottoman Empire say otherwise. Though, yes, Germany was not the first to declare war, and not even the first to outwardly support their side, its ability to make it a global war, unlike Austria-Hungary is

This conducts us the question: To what extent was Germany responsible for instigating World War One? Two important sources that were provided with simple evidence for this proposal would be The Origins of the World War (excerpts) by Sidney B. Fay, and Willy-Nicky Telegrams. Both of these sources were picked because

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.

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.