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Before 1914, Europes main power was divided into two series of

alliances; the triple alliance Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy;


the triple Entente Britian, Russia, and France. These alliances were
defensive in nature, however these alliances meant that any conflict
between one country from each alliance was bound to involve the
other countries, which was also one of the main causes to why
Germany supported Austria, thus being part of the war and its
actions during the July Crisis.
Although Italy was part of the Triple Alliance, after 1914, Italy had
concluded a secret treaty with France where Italy promised to stay
neutral if Germany attacked France.
(In order to destroy the growing power in Serbia/Preventative war)
The direct cause of the World War 1 was the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian in Bosnia. However, there
were underlying causes the rivalry between the Great powers which
allowed war to break out.
Rivalry:
-

Germany and France: France supported the return of AlsaceLorraine


Russia and Austria-Hungary over the Blakans. They both
wanted control of the Balkans; Austria saw Serbia as a threat
and was concerned with its rapid growth.
Austria-Hungary and Serbia was Rivals Austria annexed
Bolivia, which enraged Serbia as Bosnia is largely populated
by Serbians
Britian and Germany were rivals over their navies and
economic growth

Militarism:
Nationalism:
The July Crisis:
-

28 June: Assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to


the Austrian throne. During his visit to Bosnia, he was
assassinated by a Serbian nationalist.
5 July: Kaiser assured Austria of Germanys support in
whatever measures she took against Serbia, the Blank
Cheque.

23 July: Austria issues an ultimatum to Serbia, and gives


Serbia 48 hours to response.
28 July: Serbia accepts 8 demands out of 10 demands made
by Austria, and Austria declares war on Serbia (series of
demands Serbia suppress all anti-Austrian propaganda, take
steps to root out and eliminate terrorist organizations *black
hand)
29 July: Russia orders partial mobilization of its forces.
30 July: Germany mobilizes and demands Russia to
demobilize.
Germany knew that once she was in war with Russia, it also
meant war with France. Therefore, The Schlieffen plan came
into operation.
The Schlieffen Plan relied on the quick movement of troops
when it found itself with war with both Russia and France. The
plan involved the concentration German forces on an attempt
to take Paris and so defeat France. After, the troops would be
transferred to attack Russia. However, Britian came in this
plan.
1 Aug: France mobilizes; the German ultimatum to Russia
expires at noon; Germany declares war.
2 Aug: Russia declares war; Germany issues an ultimatum to
Belgium to allow the passage of German troops.
3 Aug: Germany declares war on France.
4 Aug: German forces invade Belgium shortly after 8 a.m; the
British issues to withdraw; British declares war on Germany.
6 Aug: Austria Hungary declares war on Russia.
10 Aug: Britain and France declare war on the AustroHungarian empire.

Effect of the war:


-

The abdication of the Tsar and a Communist revolution in


Russia
The fall of the Kaisers regime in Germany
The collapse of Austria-Hungary
The end of the Turkish Empire

The Great Powers believed that the war would be a very short one;
most of the people in Britian believed that the war would end until
Christmas.
Austria:
-

Preservation of the Austro Hungarian Empire


Reliance on the Triple Alliance and particulary to Germanys
support
The belief that Austria could manage a quick victory: did not
expect Russia to interfere in the war; wanted to conduct a

preventative war which would weaken/destroy the growing


power in Serbia.
The desire to prevent Serbia from growing too powerful and
expand
Desire to prevent nationalism in Serbia to grow.
Fear that the growth of Serbia would threaten the AustriaHungarian Empire, which would also affect its rule over
Bosnia.
Influence of growth of military power. Confident enough to
take risks.

= Austria desired to conduct a preventative war which would


manage a quick victory against Serbia. Serbia was a rapidly growing
state, and Austria was feeling threatened by the growth of Serbia as
it felt that its control over affecting its rule over Bosnia, as Bosnias
dominant population consists of Serbians. Also, Austria-Hungarian
wanted to prevent Serbia to gaining power, as it would lessen
Austrias control over the Balkans.
Austria was also largely dependent on its triple alliance, particulary
to Germanys support; the development of military power also
encouraged the state to take risks.
Russia:
=Russia, too, believed in a short, quick victory, with overwhelming
number of troops. They also were dependent on its alliance, and
believed that France and possibly Britian would support them in part
of the war. Russias military expansion also allowed Russia to take
the risks, and success in the war would strengthen the empire and
unite the country behind Tsar Nicholas 2. Furthermore, Russia
desired to control the Turkish Straits and gain access to the
Mediterranean through Ottoman territory, which they 2were banned
to do. They wanted to expand into the Mediterranean as well as
unify its country behind the Tsar, and increase its prestige and
power within the world as Russia does not wanted to be treated
powerless and unable to support the Slav state. Other than that,
Russia also had national feelings as it wanted to support its fellow
Slavs in Serbia, as they were not treated equally, and often bullied.
France:
=France is major rivals with is negiboring country, Germany;
nationalism within France was strong, as the dominant voice of
France supported the return of Alsace-Lorraine back from Germany.
Germany:
Fischer

Germany had plans for war before the crisis of 1914, and the
assassination of the Archduk Franz Ferdinand provided an
excuse for Germany to implement its plans.

o Germany developed a clear set of aims, already


discussed before the war, to gain larger areas of
territory in central and eastern Europe
- He claimed that Theobald Bethmann Hollweg, the
German Chancellor who was generally well liked was
the person responsible for Germanys expansionist
aims
-

Germanys desire to become a dominant world power, as


Germany was starting to colonise countries in some parts of
Africa, and Asia. Such as the annexation of Belgium, part of
France and European Russia.
Germany deliberately encouraged Austrian war plans to
provoke a crisis and continued to do so even when it seemed
clear such a war could not be localized.
Therefore, Germany is responsible for World War 1

- he was a child during WWI, served in the German


army during WWII and was appointed professor of
history at Hamburg University after WWII
- He analyzed undisclosed documents regarding the
Kaiser, Chancellor, Foreign Secretary and Chief of
the Armys General staff, to determine if Germany
had truly been responsible for the war.

- Entente powers were paralyzing Germany and Russia was


growing stronger in Balkans.
- Take into consideration: Germany is a country that is located
between Russia and France, two strong rival countries.
- Germany believed that the July crisis would divide the Entente
powers and give Germany a bloodless diplomatic victory
- There is also no direct evidence that Hollweg supported
annexations as he opposed ideas put towards by the military
regarding to these annexations.

- Germany was mainly motivated by the desire to keep Austria as a


great power and to prevent Russia from dominating the Balkans.
- Germany also miscalculated as it did not take into consideration
that the British would join, and since it also believed that other
states would be appalled by the murder of the heir to the throne.
=Thus, Germany did not enter war with aims of territorial gains, but
rather due to its desire for a quick, bloodless diplomatic victory
where the entente powers would be divided, and a balance of
power within Europe.
Germanys policy was a preventative war born out of desperation,
and was designed to ensure the survival of Germany between the
two large powers Russia and France.
Therefore, Germany acted defensively to preserve its position

Germany also pulled back from supporting Austria in 1913, and


there is evidence that its statesman tried to resolve the July 1914
crisis peacefully.

== Germany felt that it should support its ally Austria or risk serious
consequences. If Russia drove Austria out from Serbia and
established itself in the Balkans, Germanys security would be
largely affected. If France gave support and retook Alsace
Lorraine, Germany would not be secure. If the Kaiser showed
weaknesses, this would further develop into a war, and Germany
believed that war should be faced earlier before Russia grows
stronger and especially tensions between France due to Alsace
Lorraine has been ongoing for years.
Imperialism had increased conflicts with other powers and there
may have been plans to expand Germanys imperial territory by
conquests in Russia, where the Ukraine offered a tempting
prospect of food supply for a growing German population.
- Growth of military power

- Support of their alliance countries

war was the apex of capitalist desire for new markets and territory

supported by the fact that many arms manufacturers and steel companies
profited from war

counter-arguments:
o scramble for Africa and Asia did not result in hegemonic war
o primary western European industries (e.g. steel, coal, iron) became
increasingly interdependent before 1914, making peace desirable for
capitalists
o evidence for influence of capitalist businessmen on European foreign policy
is lacking
o not all German monopoly capitalists supported war (at least two were
found to oppose it)
o

arms manufacturers and steel companies also profited in peacetime

power-political considerations (alliances, military strength, etc.) fueled the


war as opposed to economic ones

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