Germany and Taking Responsibility for World War I

Germany and Taking Responsibility for World War I

The outbreak of World War One in August 1914 caught European

politicians by surprise: the German attack on Belgium, as a prelude to

their attack on France, was almost the last in a series of events that

dragged the world into war. Thus the attack on Belgium was exactly

the reason the English needed to enter the war. But the question

remains as to whether Germany should be held accountable for this

war. Unfortunately during June, August 1914 the peace was balancing

itself on a pinhead. All that was needed was one unfortunate event to

knock the peace out of balance. Unfortunately the July crisis was all

that was required for the world to degenerate into war. I believe

that Germany played a key role in escalating the situation.

In order to understand the complex causes of World War One, we will

have to examine both long and short-term causes over the long term

growing imperialism and nationalism threatened to upset the balance of

power in Europe, a balance maintained by secret and uncertain

alliances. The Kaisers “Weltpolitik” represented the main challenge

to the status quo. In the short term July crisis, triggered by the

assassination of Franz Ferdinand on 28th June 1914, provided the

spark, which initiated the war.

Here are the sequences of events: the Austro Hungarian heir is

assassinated by Gavrillo Princip, a Serb nationalist, on the 28th of

June. After the assassination the Austro Hungarian leaders were

contemplating a full scale retaliatory attack, however one leader,

count Tsiza, sent a written protest to Franz Joseph, and warned that

an attack on Serbia “…would ...

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... Austria Hungary were

principally to blame. Simply because all the other nations were

trying to find a peaceful resolve to the conflict in what Lloyd George

stated as a “…sane and well ordered arbitrament…”, but Germany and

Austria Hungary simply came up with a counter argument and blocked off

every option to resolve the conflict except war. There were plenty of

opportunities to settle the conflict, and had the Germans and Austro

Hungarians lacked the doggedness, the war would never have broke out.

However the Austro Hungarians, backed up by the Germans, dragged the

world into conflict, for an event that was their own and sole fault.

Bibliography:

Martin Gilbert: The July Crisis 1914 (History of the 20th Century,

Vol. 1)

CGP: GCSE History

Letts: GCSE History

Flagship History: Europe 1870 - 1991