To What Extent Was Germany Solely Responsible for WW1?

Causes of WW1

“Europe today is a powder keg and the leaders are like men smoking in an arsenal…A single spark will set off an explosion that will consume us all…I cannot tell you when that explosion will occur, but I can tell you where…Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans will set it off.”
Otto von Bismarck
Structural Causes / Immediate Causes / The Spark (The July Crisis)
Militarism:
Terms/concepts:
Carl von Clausewitz: Prussian military thinker, wrote On War
Military Reserve System: Military organization made up of ordinary citizens who are on standby to head off into war in the military as needed
Mobilization system: A system that prepared a country for war by conscripting young able-bodied men into the military to increase the army population. Often used propaganda to increase patriotism. (Britain only country w/o conscription)
War Colleges: Colleges designed for education of potential soldiers
New Technology:
Machine Gun: Automatic gun capable of firing bullets in rapid succession for as long as the trigger is held.
Breech loading rifle: A rifle where the bullet/shell is loaded into the barrel’s rear
Artillery: Large guns used on land-based warfare, such as the guns mounted on war tanks
Poison Gas: Poisonous gas/vapors/fumes able to knock enemy forces unconscious; earliest form of chemical warfare
Radio Communications: Signals, messages, & codes sent to allied forces over radio were the primary and quickest means of communication during the First and Second World Wars
Planes: Airplanes often carried cargo, men, guns, artillery, or bombs to be dropped on enemy territory
Tanks: Armored vehicles best suited for land-based combat, mounted with heavy guns
Flamethrower: A weapon that uses fuel to shoot out flames
War Plans:
Schlieffen Plan: German plan of defense against the Russo-Franc alliance; Germany would attack France first while Russia was delayed trying to encourage mobilization, and would then have defeated France by the time Russia got to her aid.
Plan 17: French “scheme of mobilization and concentration” against Germany in WWI that included five decisive battles, that was designed without a fixed military strategy to remain flexible to offensives into foreign territory.
“Elan”: French war plan to rely not soley on their technology, but the patriotism and pure fighting spirit of the country’s soldiers
“Cult” of the Offensive: a military dilemma when the leaders or commanders of an army faction believe that the offensive advantages are so great that a defending force has no hopes of stopping an attack; this causes all states/countries to try and attack
Anglo-German Arms Race:
Dreadnought Battleship: A 20th century battleship that was bigger and quicker than previous armored battleship models, and also had large-scale guns as artillery.
Tirpitz: Navy Laws: Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz launched a campaign to bring Germany’s military up to par with the Royal Navy of Britain to ensure protection from any attack by sea.
Alliance System:
Dreikaiserbund 1872
(Germany, Austria-Hungary, & Russia)
- Maintain current European territory arrangements
- Resist spread of revolutionary (ex: socialist) movements - Consult e/other for internat’l difficulties
- Bismarck (G.) wanted 2 isolate France
-Bismarck had difficulty keeping Russia & Austria together (both wanted ctrl of Balkans)
Duel Alliance 1879
(Germany & Austria-Hungary)
- Germany sided w/Austria @ 1st Berlin Congress
- This broke the Dreikaiserbund
- Support e/other militarily ‘til end of war if attacked by Russia or Russia and another power
- Agreed to stay neutral if attacked by a power besides Russia
- Germany gained strong ally
- but committed her more to supp’ting Austrian conquest of Balkans
- G. still wanted Russian friendship; feared R. would join France (G. would have enemy in North & South)
2nd Dreikaiserbund 1881
(Russia, Austria, and Germany)
1) Balkan divided into two: The western Balkan goes to Austria and the eastern Balkan go to Russia.
2) Balkan divided into two: The western Balkan goes to Austria and the eastern Balkan go to Russia.
3) If any of them were at war, the other one(s) would remain neutral.
Bismark’s attempt to preserve friendship with Russia
Settling dispute over Balkans
Fell apart soon b/c Austria and Russia fought over the Balkan Peninsula again.
Triple Alliance 1882
(Germany, Italy, Austria)
1) If Germany and Italy would help another if one was to be attacked by France
2) Austria has to aid Italy when she is attacked, but Italy does not have to aid Austria if the same happened.
First Alliance Camp
Bismark friends with Russia, Austria, and Italy, but shunned France
Reinsurance Treaty 1887
(Russia and Germany )
-Russia and Germany would be neutral with each other if either in war with a third power, except if that third power was France or Austria-Hungary
-Bismarck able to prevent two-front war they would not be able to win
Franco Russian Alliance 1893
Germany Italy, Austria, and France
-If France was attacked by Germany or Germany and Italy, Russia would aid France
-If Russia was attacked by Germany or Germany and Austria, France would aid Russia
-If 1+ members of the Triple Alliance mobilized, they would mobilize to help each other automatically
-Ended isolation of France
-Created rival to Triple Alliance
-Faced Germany of a two front war
Entente Cordiale 1904
( Britain and France )
- Settled disputes in Siam, West Africa, Madagascar
- New Hebrides and fishing rights in Newfoundland
-France recognized Egypt and Sudan as influenced by British
- Morocco recognized as influenced by France
- Would support each other if spheres of influences were challenged
- German Kaiser William II was furious because it shut out Germany from Morocco
- Indicated that French interest lied in British influence rather than those of Germany
Anglo-Japanese Alliance 1902
(Britain & Japan)
- Concluded alliance in 1902
-Britain broke policy of “splendid isolation”
- Japan could check Russian aggression in Far East;
- B. fear of Russian colonial expansion lessened
- Made future Brit & Russian Entente possible
Anglo-Russian Entente 1907
(Britain and Russia )
- Persia divided (Russia kept North, British kept South and central was a buffer)
- Russia renounced interests in Afghanistan, countries would have equal trading rights in area
- British control of Afghanistan’s foreign policy
- Russia & Britain recognized China’s power over Tibet, but was neutral to Russia & Britain
- England was bound to France and Russia
- France and Russia had a firm alliance
- Three powers known as Triple Entente
- Emergence of two rival camps: Triple Entente versus Triple Alliance
Imperialism:
There was a burst of imperialistic expansion after 1870, when the European powers finally got access to Africa with the advent of treatments for Malaria and other native African viruses. This created trouble among the powers and helped lead to the formation of Alliance camps, because colonial rivalry was one of the main issues of the time. Social Darwinism was one main idea that emerged, stating that survival of the fittest would come to the countries with the greatest power. This also lead to competition in the markets and in trade, especially with Germany who had been late to the race or trade venues, and really wanted warm water ports to open up trade to increase nationalism and strengthen its alliances. All Germany wanted at that point was its “place in the sun,” concerning gaining territories and valuable trade (Foreign policy of Weltpolitik) The French lost Alsace-Lorraine to Germany, and the two countries also competed over Morocco and its valuable raw materials. Mahan wrote “A history of naval power” which stated that a truly great nation needed a great navy. This led to the German-British naval race, which in turn increased militarism.
Nationalism:
This refers to the formation of nation states in Europe and deals with German unification via Prussia fighting the 7 weeks war with Austria and scaring surrounding states into joining the German Empire (South Germany joins up with North Germany.) This also refers to Italian Unification, which occurred when the Pope could no longer control the Papal states, and when Nationalists like Garibaldi united the small Italian states into one large empire, leaving the Pope with only one papal state (the Vatican) to ensure Catholic countries would not target Italy to set the Pope free. During this time, Italy succeeded in unification mainly due to France’s distraction by the Franco-Prussian war (otherwise Catholic France would have stopped the small states from gathering together against the Pope.) This lead to a long-standing rivalry between France and Prussia (later Germany) where the loser French always failed to win back their beloved Alsace-Lorraine </3
Staggering Empires:
Russia: Medieval-type economy: farmers almost but not quite serfs (tied to land), terrible working conditions in factories, still very little industrialization and progress in the region; class distinctions between the elite landowners and the working and thinking classes paved way for future of socialism in the state (many working class wanted totally equal socio-economic rights and therefore supported the ideas of socialism and Marxism)
Ottoman Empire: Falling apart due to corruption within the government and little unification throughout the region; internal chaos due to its failure to industrialize leading to a terrible economy; fell apart when the Young Turks, a group of revolutionist doctors, soldiers, and other intelligent people, wanted to reform the region into a greater place to live.
Austria-Hungary: Only unified by having a dual-monarchy: two parliaments with a single reigning monarch. The people in the Empire were not unified at all, and most were in fact neither Austrian nor Hungarian. Many Serbs lived there and wanted to break their states free from the Empire to join the Serbian dream of a Greater Serbian State. / Declaration of Weltpolitik: German foreign policy under Kaiser Willhelm; caused many other countries to see Germany as too aggressive, because the ideas of Weltpolitik were for Germany to gain its “place in the sun” with the other Great European Powers who had already established colonies in Africa and owned territory in the Balkans, as well as having established secure lines of international trade to boost their economies. Because Germany was late to the race so to speak, the country was desperate to hold territories to be considered a true Great Power.
The Moroccan Crisis (1905):
The French went to Morocco, their sphere of influence, to suppress revolution. Germany wanted to break of the Anglo-French Entente, and so it tried to support Moroccan independence. This attempt failed however. The French were angered, as well as Britain, who saw German aggression as particularly dangerous, which drove the British and French Entente closer together (the opposite of what Germany had set out to do.)
The Bosnian Crisis (1908)
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 caused Austria to obtain Bosnia-Herzegovina, which enraged the Serbs because it prevented their dream of a Greater Serbian State and also denied them access to the ocean for trade and naval reasons. Russia made a secret deal with Austria that Austria would support Russia’s demands to revise several recent treaties. Austria backstabbed Russia by going ahead with the annexation of Bosnia-H. before the Russians could declare their support for this in a treaty (humiliated Russia, angered Serbia more, and ended the first Dreikaiserbund)
The 2nd Moroccan Crisis (1911)
France sent troops to suppress revolt against the Sultan, but Germany saw this as a threat, thinking the French were mobilizing and could come and attack them with Russia as a two-front war. Germany sent naval ships to Morocco to intimidate the French, which once again backfired, and Germany gained very little territory. The Anglo-French Entente was also strengthened once again.
The 1st Balkan War (1912)
Greek and Montenegroian Balkan alliance banded together to try and force Turkey out of the Balkans by taking over Macedonia, which scared Britain because the foreign minister guy, Sir Grey, was afraid of a whole war breaking out in the Balkans. He set up a peace conference, which split up a lot of Turkish land among the Balkan states. Most importantly Alabania was created, which served as a buffer state between the Serbs and the Austrians.
The 2nd Balkan War (1913)
Only another year later did another war break out in the stupid Balkans (epic fail) which was caused by disagreement over the terms of the treaty for the first war! How surprising… Anyway, Bulgaria went to war with Serbia and Greece, feeling that too many Bulgarians were living in places that were not Bulgaria (mainly in Serb and Greek territory) which the Austrian foreign minister didn’t like. Austria asked Germany for support but Germany wanted Austria to be restrained. The Serbs, Greeks, and Turks kicked Bulgaria’s butt, and it lost most of its dumb land. Main idea: Austro-Russian cooperation in the Balkans was finished. / Assassination of Franz Ferdinand:
The July 1914 Sarajevo assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand occurred while he was on a diplomatic visit to Bosnia. The Black Hand, an extremist group of terrorist Serbians, were responsible for the assassination. The Archduke was next in line to become the reigning monarch of Austria-Hungary, which the Serbs did not want to happen because they wanted to break the Empire apart so their Serbian brothers in the Empire could join them in their dream of a Greater United Serbian State. The assassination angered Austria but also gave it a chance to finally crush its greatest fear: Serbian nationalism.
“The Blank Cheque”:
Germany assured its ally Austria that it would give unconditional support to Austria throughout the crisis. This reassured Austria that it would have a powerful ally in cause war would break out, which allowed it to proceed in its plan to finally crush Serbian nationalism.
The Serbian Ultimatum:
Austria’s ultimatum to Serbia was sent in hopes of gaining total control of the country and to investigate if the Serbian government was truly at fault for either conducting or allowing the Archduke’s assassination to occur. The ultimatum delivered terms that must be agreed upon and the response delivered within 48 hours: Serbia would open state up for investigation into the assassination, Would allow itself to be occupied by the police force of Austria, and would carry out anti-terrorist measures to ensure Austrian safety.
Belgian Neutrality:
In a past treaty, Belgium had been declared a neutral, non-war zone. Britain, one of its neighboring countries, would later support and defend its neutrality when Germany executed its Schlieffen Plan to attack France before France’s Russian allies could mobilize, moving through Belgium to get to France.
Russian Mobilization:
Russia knew she needed to mobilize in order to protect her patriotic interests that would unify her people, despite many of the working and thinking class leaning towards socialism out of spite for the elite wealthy class. Russia also followed the cult of the offensive because in 1909 she stopped mobilization to help out Serbia, which helped avoid a European War but also humiliated her diplomatically for not supporting her Serbian brothers in another country. She needed to mobilize and help her Serbian brothers this time in order to avoid more diplomatic humiliation, or else she would be seen as not as Great of a European power and also her weakness would allow the angered working class to blame the Tzar and lead more revolts against him.
Declarations of War
Germany declared war on Russia on August 1st after she began mobilization, and immediately put into effect the Schlieffen Plan. It was slightly modified to ensure its success in the given context of war, but drove her through neutral Belgium, so that Britain declared it would fight against Germany by siding with Russia and France. This created a total war between the two alliance camps, successfully dividing Europe between them.

To what extent was the July Crisis destined simply to be only the 3rd Balkan War?

The July Crisis was planned to be a limited war by the Germans, expected neither for the British to jump into the war, nor for the involvement of all of the Great Powers. Germany wanted the war to have a simple, quick end, giving the Austrians more security in the Balkans, crushing the Serbs, and sending Russia back into a state of diplomatic humiliation. However, this plan did not work out because of the tangled Alliances between the Great Powers, as well as Britain protecting Belgian neutrality.

Responsibility of Germany:
Germany had previously given a pledge of full military support to the Austrians and it was this support that made Austria go to war with Serbia / Responsibility of Austria-Hungary:
Devised the ultimatum to Serbia and even though Serbia accepted 2 of the 3 terms, they attacked Serbia anyway. This attack was against the wishes of Germany, who thought attack was not necessary / Responsibility of Russia:
Allied with Serbia and decided they would seem too weak if they didn’t protect their Slavic brothers. Russia was a big supporter of pan-Slavism and was over-protective of Serbia due to its Slavic population. Russia was also very quick to mobilize.
Responsibility of France:
France rejected Germany’s ultimatum that they must be neutral, stating that the country would “act in its own best interests.” This angered Germany, who declared war on the country and decided to execute the Schlieffen Plan. The French had their own war plan based on patriotism (elan) called Plan 17. / Responsibility of Britain:
Britain was initially unsure of how they would react, telling Germany they didn’t know what they would do if war occured, but later sided with neutral Belgium after Germany violated its neutrality by invading the country (Belgium was also very close to Britain, which scared the British to have Germans invading their neighboring country.) / Reasons Germany was NOT responsible: Germany felt the Serbian response to Austria’s ultimatum was acceptable, and told Austria that it was ok and not to attack

To what extent was Germany solely responsible for WW1?