To What Extent Was Germany Responsible For The Outbreak Of The First World War 1914? Flashcards
Intriduction
Responsibility for outbreak of First World War controversial. Article 231 of treaty of Versailles blames Germany.
Opinions: Fischers was result of aggression. David Loyd George “slithered over the brink into the boiling could ten of war”. (Aggression, alliances).
What Is The Acronym?
HAIGE (Hungry-Austria, Alliances, Individuals, Germany, Everyone)
Germany’s Aggression
Weltpolitik. Flottenpolitik. Support for Austria. 1912 War Council. Kurt Reizlers Diaries.
Weltpolitik
Seen as far back as Bulow (1897-1900). Expressed by Moroccan crises in 1995 and 1911. Crises highlights features of Weltpolitik as only small bits of land acquired (I.e. Two small strips of the Congo).
HIGHLIGHT INDIVIDUAL ROLES AS ALTHOUGH POLICY NOT PUBLICALLY OPPOSED, NOR WAS IT PUSHED (SO COULD BE INDIVIDUAL AGGRESSION).
Flottenpolitik
Tirpitz naval laws (1898, 1900, 1906). Competing with British navy (I.e. 1996 naval law in response to release of HMS Dreadnought.
NAVAL RACE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN RACE, BRITAIN MAY HAVE BEEN WINNERS ALL ALONG. CAN BE ARGUED AS INDIVIDUAL AGGRESSION, NO PUSH BY PEOPLE.
Support For Austria
Blank cheque issued 5th July 1914 (indirectly highly aggressive). CAN BE ARGUED IT WAS THE AGGRESSION.
Fischer argued Germany hoped this would lead to war.
1912 War Council
Controversy over whether indicates plan or precaution for or incase if war. Fischer in ‘war of illusions’ believed it showed aim for war by Germany.
HISTORIANS BELIEVE IT WAS TO DISCUSS OUTCOMES OF WAR AND PREPARE FOR WORST. CAN ARGUE ROLE OF INDIVIDUALS.
Kurt Riezlers Diaries
Private sec to Bethmann-Hollweg. Annexation plans for what was thought to become peace talks (9th September 1914). Fischer bases evidence off these arguing plans can’t come from nowhere and must have been thought of pre war
MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THOUGHT PRE WAR OR JUST ALTERED. POTENTIAL TAMPERING WITH RIEZLER DIARIES
The Role Of Individuals In Germany
The Kaiser. Opposition Parties. The army. Nationalist pressure groups. Bethmann-Hollweg. Schlieffen Plan.
The Kaiser
Was in charge of all policy. Military minded man who turned to them for advice. Had chance to stop but didn’t.
ARGUED THAT GERMANY SITUATION LEFT NO CHOICE BUT TO PUT ATTENTION TO FOREIGN POLICY.
Opposition Parties
I.e. SPD leader August Bebel. Argued parties placed strain onto political system leaving Kaiser etc, have no choice but to distract public using f.p.
OTHER POSSIBILITIES THAN FOREIGN POLICY FOCUS (I.E. MORE REFORMS TO SETTLE TENSIONS).
The Army
Namely Tirpitz (Moltke too). Had personally aggressive aims. Naval laws in 1898, 1900 and 1906 are examples. More powerful than the moderate politician of that time.
Nationalist Pressure Groups
Pushed for aggressive expansion. Pushed those in power to f.p.
NOT INCREDIBLY LARGE OR POWERFUL.
Bethmann-Hollweg
Fischer placed him at centre using Kurt Riezlers diaries.
POSSIBLE TAMPERING WITH DIARIES. 29th JULY 1914 BETHMANN URGED AUSTRIA TO NEGOTIATE WITH RUSSIA. BETHMANN NOT INVITED TO 1912 WAR COUNCIL AND DIDNT ADVOCATE WAR PUBLICALLY.
Schlieffen Plan
Field marshal from 1891-1905. Blitzkrieg war to capture France then move to east and Russia. Aggressive plan which included annexation. Would drag Russia into war.
NOT JUST HIS PLAN, WAS AGREED UPON
Fears Of Encirclement/ Alliances
Geographically. Alliance system.
Geographically
Germany land locked with one shoreline. Close geographically to Russia, France and Britain.
Alliance System
Triple Alliance Germany, Austri-Hungry and Italy. End of Britain Isolation with alliance from Japan, France and Russia (1902, 1904 and 1907). Germany felt weak, entente was bigger (lead to mutual distrust).
ARGUED IF THEY FELT ENCIRCLED THEY WOULD HAVE BEHAVED.
Austria-Hungry Was To Blame
First to go to war with Serbia (28th July 1914). Refused to participate in negotiations. Acted aggressively in war mongering way.
PARTLY DUE TO FEAR OF SERBS. MAY NOT HAVE ACTED THIS WAY IF NOT FOR BLANK CHEQUE. OR ESTIMATED EVENTS ‘WORLD’ WAR.
It Was Everyone’s Fault
Others foreign policy. Inevitable.
It Was Everyone’s Fault
Others foreign policy. Inevitable.
Other Foreign Policy
No ones actions or f.p. Was faultless. Considered it was down to no single desire for war.
Inevitable
Franco German Historians committee 1951 - “documents do not permit the attributing a conscious desire for European warts any one government or people”.
Lloyd George - “the nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war”.
Is now general consensus no one can be fully blamed. A chain of events requires every single link and it is impossible to say what would happen without one event.
Conclusion
If blame had to attributed to one people then reasonable assumption is Germany.
However naive view to put 100% blame on single nation.
In reality, wide spectrum of reasons a world war broke out in 1914, but not all of equal weight. However were all vital to an extent for events to have been as they were.
Tirpitz Naval Laws
1898, 1900, 1906
When was the blank cheque issued?
5th July 1914
When were Kurt Riezlers diaries written?
9th September 1914
When did Bethmann-Hollweg urge Austria to negotiate with Russia?
29th July 1914
In what year was Bethmann-Hollweg not invited to the war council?
1912
During what years was Schlieffen a field marshal?
1891-1905
When was the triple alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungry and Italy?
1882
When did Britain gain alliance with Japan, France and Russia?
1902, 1904 and 1907
Austria-Hungry was the first to go to war with Serbia, but when was this?
28th July 1914
