Essay example (partly in note form) for Chapter 7

Introduction. Germany can be held more responsible for the outbreak of war in 1914. Germany was the first Great Power to declare war on another. Germany, also, was the greatest, but not sole, contributor to the international tensions that were the background to the war through a ham-fisted foreign policy after 1890. Further, although not the initiator of the Balkan crisis in 1914, Germany did too little, too late, to restrain Austria, Germany’s primary ally.

Paragraph 2. Germany must bear much responsibility for the formation of two armed and mutually suspicious groups of countries by 1914 and heightened tensions between the Great Powers. When William II became Emperor in 1890 Germany began to follow a more self assertive policy, called Weltpolitik (world leadership). The cautious policy followed by Bismarck after 1871 was forgotten. It was Germany who was substantially responsible for causing the alignments and tension in 1914, the tension that was the background to the war.

• It was Germany that allowed the Reinsurance Treaty, created by Bismarck in 1887, to lapse after 1890 and this helped to bring about the Dual Alliance between Russia and France in 1893.
• Germany began the construction of a major navy in 1898, in rivalry with Britain and a threat to British security.
• Germany spurned attempts by Britain to negotiate agreements in 1898, 1899 and 1901 and this encouraged the Ententes (agreements) with France in 1904 and Russia in 1907.
• Germany created or used crises to weaken the ‘entente powers’ (Russia, France and Britain) in 1905 by the first Moroccan crisis, the 1908 Bosnian crisis when Germany went as far as to threaten war on Russia and the 1911 Agadir (second Moroccan crisis) when war seemed likely between Germany and Britain.

Paragraph 3. Germany had a less responsibility than Austria or Serbia for the outbreak of the Austro-Serbian War that began on 28 July and from which the outbreak of the major war between the Great Powers was an escalation but, even so, Germany was not without some responsibility. Serbia, with a pan-Serbian expansionist policy, wanted to unite with Bosnia and Herzegovina. These areas were ruled by Austria. Austria was prepared to thwart Serbia by war. Austria, a large but weak power, relied on German support and Germany agreed to Austria’s war plan after 28 June readily with, apparently, limited care. Even though Serbia threatened Austria’s lands and Austria was very ready to go to war, without German agreement Austria’s declaration of war on Serbia on 28 July was unlikely. Germany, therefore, has some responsibility, but not the most responsibility, for the outbreak of the Austro-Serbian War that immediately preceded the First World War.

Paragraph 4. Germany was most, but not solely, responsible for the escalation of the Austro-Serbian War into the First World War. The strongest evidence to support this statement is that Germany was the first Great Power to declare war on another Great Power when she declared war on Russia, 1 August. It is accepted that Russia was provocative with the order for mobilisation on 31 July and this was the background to Germany’s war declaration. Good leadership in Russia should have calculated the effects of mobilisation on Germany. Russia’s mobilisation must be seen in the context of support of Serbia who had been invaded by Austria. The claim that Germany has primary, but not sole, responsibility for the escalation is further supported by the domination of the military in decision making from 31 July. It was this domination, and implementation of the Schlieffen Plan, that led to Germany’s declaration of war on France, 3 August, followed by invasion and thereafter by Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 4 August.