Starter

Create a catchy slogan about the events

in the Balkans in the lead up to WWI.

Who, in your opinion should the finger

have pointed at for the outbreak of war?
What are your reasons for this?
 To What Extent was
Germany Responsible for
WWI?
 Learning Objectives:
Assess the contribution of Germany in
causing the First World War

Success Criteria:
Assess the contribution of historians’
Fischer & Ferguson in the debate of
blame for origins of WWI.
The debate about responsibility began
immediately after the war had
ended…..
The Treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for
the outbreak of the war.

How would Germany have reacted to clause

231?

Germany published selective documents that

pushed the blame for the war onto other
shoulders.
By the late 1930’s many accepted Lloyd
George’s words of slithering over the brink.
 Franco German Historians’
Commission
This belief lasted until after the Second World War.
In 1951 a group of French & German historians met
in a Franco-German Historians’ Commission. One of
the subjects discussed was the outbreak of the First
World War.
Their conclusions were accepted by most historians
for the next 10 years. They were determined to
build a peaceful relationship between France &
Germany.
 Source
The documents do not permit attributing a
conscious desire for a European War to any one
government or people. Mutual distrust had hit a
peak, and in leading circles it was believed that
the war was inevitable. Each one accused the
other of aggressive intentions, and only saw a
guarantee for security in an alliance system and
continual armament increases.

From the Franco-German Historians’ Commission 1951

 Question
The history textbooks in France &
Germany in the 1950’s & 60’s were
based on the line expressed by the
Franco-German Historians’
Commission.

In your opinion, was that line

accurate?
 Key Term
Historiographical Revolution
Turning points in the writing of history
when new ideas are put forward that
change how people think. These
ideas can constitute a revolution in
the writing of history.
 The Fischer Controversy
In 1961, a German historian, Fritz
Fischer, launched a historiographical
revolution. In his book Griff nach der
Weltmacht, which became abridged
into the English version Germany’s
Aims in the First World War (1967)
Fischer came to several conclusions:
• Germany had gone to war to achieve
Europe & Worldwide domination very
similar to that aimed for by Hitler and the
Nazis in the Second World War; it was a bid
for power.
• Germany had hoped that the ‘blank
cheque’ given to Austria in July 1914 would
result in war.
• The root cause of German expansionism
were to be found as much in the social,
economic and political tension in Germany
in the period pre-1914
 Sensational views….
From what you know, how far do you
agree with Fischer?
 Fischer’s evidence
Fischer based his evidence partly on a document found in the
German archives written by Bethmann-Hollweg’s private
secretary Kurt Riezler on 9th Sept 1914 in which he outlines
the Chancellor’s plans for the peace negotiations, which he
expected to take place in the near future. Fischer argued that
these plans were the continuation of policy made by
politicians, military leaders and industrialists before the
outbreak of war in 1914. The plans were not just the ideas of
Bethmann-Hollweg or even the leading political, military and
industrial figures of the day. To Fischer, these plans had the
support of the wider political nation. To Fischer the plans in
the 9th Sept programme represented
‘a complete revolution in European political and power
relations’.
The logic was clear: plans for annexation that were being
written down in Sept 1914 did not come from nowhere – they
must have been already considered in July 1914. Therefore,
Germany was not the victim but the perpetrator of war.
Fischer’s thesis broke new ground in other ways:
• It placed Chancellor Bethmann-
Hollweg at the centre of the drive for
expansion.
• It removed the distinction between
the expansionist military and the
supposedly more moderate
politicians.
• It linked foreign and domestic policy
by suggesting that the proposed
annexations were seen as a means of
maintaining domestic dominance.
 Look at the following sources
and answer the questions
below
1. What is the significance of The September
Programme for Fischer and what are
Ferguson's criticisms.
2. Who do you believe is right and why?
3. Summarise the arguments from all four
sources about the extent of German
blame for the outbreak or war.
4. To what extent do Sources C & D agree
with A & B? Explain your answer fully with
reference to the sources and your own
knowledge.