Compare And Contrast The Rivalry Between Germany And Britain

The Rivalry between Germany and Britain

The direct cause of the First World War, the spark that set it off in other words, was the assassination of the Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand, who was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife by a Serbian student in Sarajevo in June 1914. A month later Austria declared war against Serbia. This local warfare brought Russia, Germany and France straight into fight, and in the end got other European Powers such as Britain, and even Japan and America involved thus became a world wide armed conflict. There are many arguments that have been made among historians about grounds of such war. So many theories have been found, and discussed for decades. Yet the controversy has not seen its end and is still growing. Imperialism, militarism,

This growth was the outcome of imperial empire in both countries’ cases. However, it is shown that Germany had expanded at more rapid rate than Britain. Germany’s coal production between 1880 and 1913 increased by 307 while Britain’s grew by 96,5%. The difference between the two countries became even greater in steel production. Germany’s output during the period increased twelve fold while Britain’s rose six fold. Advanced technology and increase in steel production achieved “the increased availability of modern machinery” (Robert Wolfson and John Laver, 1996, p.91). By the end of nineteenth century Germany undeniably became the leading nation in the electrical and chemical industries. These progresses in technology had also dominated to the increase in agricultural production. The use of fertilizers contributed to this. “The yield of sugar per ton of beet increased from one ton of sugar from twelve of beet to one of sugar from six of beet over a 40-year period… Yield of crops and number of livestock, … also increased” (Robert Wolfson and John Laver, 1996,