Introduction
Germany bears the most significant blame in the contests over who started World War I. However, some scholars or historians contend that Germany should not be held responsible for the conflict because other nations, including Britain, Russia, France, Hungary, and Serbia, also made significant contributions. These historians and intellectuals contend that countries like Britain, Germany, Russia, Serbia, and Austria should all share equal responsibility for the problem.
Although World War I began 100 years ago, the ongoing debate over its origins suggests that Germany should not be held solely responsible for the war. Sadly, the war took the lives of 17 million people, destroyed old empires, altered the world’s political landscape, and traumatized an entire generation. Many German citizens felt a sense of unity during World War I that had held them together ever since the founding of the empire. A separate class of people, a different faith, and different ideologies seemed to disappear as Germans moved through their town centers to demonstrate their dynamic reinforcement for an impending fight.
Events After the Beginning of World War I
Austria-Hungary and Germany Declaring War
By 1914, the major European powers had divided into two opposing camps. The Triple Entente was the first alliance formed by France, Britain, and Russia. Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary established a coalition on the other side. These two major European alliances played a significant role in precipitating World War I, but Germany ultimately bears a tremendous responsibility.
Most significantly, the murder of Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, was the first incident that started the war. Following the murder of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary began to fight Serbia a month later. Germany and the Ottoman Empire struck a covert deal on August 2, 1914. Being a secret agreement, it suggests that Germany and the empire had a personal goal against the union of France, Russia, and Britain.
Another event was that on August 3, 1914, Germany declared war on France, possibly due to the secret treaty it had signed the day before with the Ottoman Empire. On August 4, 1914, Germany attacked Belgium to reach France. Germany had to use Belgium as a gateway to invade France, and an attack on Belgium was essential. On the same day Germany attacked Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany. Austria-Hungary launched an invasion of Russia on August 10, 1914, which caused things to spiral out of control and ignited the First World War.
Finding the Main Perpetrator
Nevertheless, based on the historical trends outlined above, determining the chief aggressor is the major challenge. While scholars, researchers, and experts contend that Germany was the chief aggressor, some believe that Germany may have been the principal aggressor but that France, Britain, and Russia prolonged the conflict by responding militarily to Germany. Since France was a member of the Triple Entente in this instance, allowing Britain to stand by while Germany attacked France would have constituted a betrayal of trust.
Additionally, Belgium, an apparent ally of Britain, needed to be secured from any German attack from the outside. Because of this, it made sense for Britain to react militarily to Germany’s invasion of its allies. The worst part was that Austria-Hungary attacked Russia, a country allied with Britain and France. Because Austria-Hungary had Germany as an ally, Germany assumed that it was prepared to defend its allies and supported the invasion.
German Aggression and Incitement During World War I
German’s Role in the Conflict Between Austria-Hungary and Serbia
Germany’s support for Austria-Hungary was a significant factor in why it was held responsible for the military attack on Serbia. Austria, the strongest of Hungary’s friends, Germany, gave Austria-Hungary the confidence to invade Serbia, thinking their ally would constantly come to their aid. Serbia had a direct hand in the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his spouse on June 28, 1914.
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand, a prominent figure in Austria, shocked both Austria and Hungary. Fortunately, Serbia acceded to the conditions imposed by Germany and Austria-Hungary. Russia and Serbia organized the military against Austria, but neither nation rapidly entered the conflict. The key to this issue is that Germany played a crucial role in supporting Austria-Hungary when it demanded things of Serbia.
Due to the murder of an Austrian citizen and his wife by a Serbian, Germany, a strong ally, could defuse the tense diplomatic relations between Serbia and Austria. Germany would have acted impartially; for instance, it could have conducted the probe, but instead, it permitted Serbia and Austria to sever diplomatic ties, opening the door for war. Germany was held responsible for the invasion of Serbia that sparked the First World War because it failed to defuse the tension between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Due to Germany’s direct involvement in the declaration of war, it was also responsible for the conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
Germany was pressured by Russia, France, Britain, and other European powers to de-escalate the conflict between Austria and Serbia. Germany, meanwhile, disregarded appeals for action to end the conflict before it escalated. The leadership of Germany backed the Austria-Hungary war on Serbia rather than asking for a truce.
Given that Germany failed to mediate a ceasefire to ease tensions between Serbia and Austria, it is true that Germany was the cause of the war. Austria-Hungary was able to start the war against Serbia because it had the assurance that Germany would support it. In essence, Germany deserves complete responsibility because its leadership had a direct hand in announcing war with Serbia.
Notably, France, Britain, and Russia believed that only Germany had the official authority to mediate a ceasefire between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. However, Germany’s decision to disregard this demand demonstrated that it was prepared for any fallout and to defend its allies. Perhaps Germany used the military invasion of Austria-Hungary as justification for fighting Serbia’s allies.
Germany’s War with Russia
Germany seemed to be seeking a conflict with the Triple Entente. It was looking for a compelling pretext to do so. Due to the invasion of Serbia, the Triple Entente was paralyzed in fear and apprehension. Since Germany was unwilling to terminate the war, Russia was forced to pursue military preparation.
Germany’s war declaration on Russia alarmed France and Britain, two of Russia’s allies. Germany urged Russia to cease military preparations because they could intensify the dispute. Still, Russia persisted in doing so to obstruct Austria-Hungary in Serbia.
Russia kept up its military practices out of concern that the conflict would also impact it. Germany became disappointed after Russia made appeals to halt military mobilization. Germany, a powerful ally, believed it had to play a part in defending its ally, Austria-Hungary, from Russian aggression. Germany consequently declared war on Russia, which caused things to get complicated.
France and Britain were dissatisfied with Germany since Germany’s declaration of war on Russia blocked attempts to engage Russia diplomatically. Germany seemed prepared to take advantage of any opening and declare war on any nation that resisted it. Russia could hardly be at war with us while we simultaneously expected them to halt military preparations.
Russia may have ended its military deployment and cooperated with Germany to reach an agreement on the standoff if Germany had involved it diplomatically rather than ordering it to do so. However, by declaring war on Russia, Germany made it clear to Russia’s allies that it was no longer committed to maintaining the peace. However, in this instance, Russia and Germany might be held accountable for adopting partisan attitudes in the wake of the attack on Serbia.
Russia’s allies commanded the militarization of France’s armed forces, particularly France, to stave off German aggression toward Russia. When France ordered the troops to mobilize, Germany declared war on France. The situation deteriorated once France was declared at war because Britain believed that Germany would next strike them. In this instance, Britain found it impossible to observe such developments on the perimeter.
Germany’s Invasion of Belgium
In addition, after declaring war on Russia, Germany invaded neutral Belgium. It should be emphasized that France and Germany both declared war on each other after Germany attacked France. In this instance, it is clear that Germany has declared war on every nation that appeared to be against it and considered any country that backed Russia an adversary.
Likewise, with its invasion of Belgium, Germany was far too inflammatory. Germany had to attack Belgium to access France, which was its nemesis. Britain had to deploy its troops to Belgium to protect it from German aggression, while France was ready for Germany.
Germany was also held responsible for starting the war because it saw it as a chance to demonstrate its military might in Europe. As the war dragged on, it became understood that the German force was powerful enough to partially overwhelm the armies of Russia, Serbia, Britain, and France. Germany most likely would not have demonstrated such a level of aggressiveness toward another nation if it had known how weak its military was. Germany appeared to believe it was feasible to subjugate Europe by military power. Germany aggressively invaded other nations to accomplish that goal and heavily backed Austria-Hungary against Serbia.
Germany as a Main Warmonger
Naturally, a country will become aggressive if it believes it has a powerful army with better or more advanced weapons, since it will be better able to protect itself in the event of a counterattack. The main conclusion from this conflict was that Germany had been the driving force behind the Austria-Hungarian attack on Serbia. Germany’s governance might have prevented the invasion of Serbia, but instead, it encouraged it.
Franz Ferdinand, a Prince of Austria-Hungary, did not have sufficient reason to declare war on Serbia. Had Germany intervened, Austria-Hungary would have been pressured to negotiate diplomatically with Serbia to ascertain the circumstances surrounding Prince Franz’s death and alleviate Serbian propaganda against Austria. Such a move would have brought the crisis under control. Germany instead opted to back Serbia’s military assault. Furthermore, Germany declared war on Russia and was prepared to deal with any Russian allies because it felt it had the military might to confront any invader.
The First World War and Nationalism
German National Interests
German involvement in the First World War cannot be entirely blamed on the other Western powers because they would have preferred dialogue rather than retribution, seen from a broader viewpoint. Germany had attained its goals based on its geographic expansion. Germany had to engage in war with other countries to make other European nations its colonies.
Germany refused to engage in any negotiation that could have terminated the war due to its national interests. Instead, Germany accelerated the conflict by aiding Austria-Hungary in its invasion of Serbia before launching a strike on Russia. Germany prioritized all of this in its national interests. When diplomacy is subordinated to national interests, it becomes increasingly complex to avert World War 1.
Serbian and Russian National Interests
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, an Austrian-Hungarian royal, also served Serbia’s national interests. Serbia, too, had a territorial expansionist mindset, which it achieved by assassinating the rulers of its neighbors’ governments. Furthermore, Russia issued an order for military mobilization to safeguard its interests at its borders with Serbia because it feared that inaction would have put those interests at risk. Due to Russia’s military assault during the Austria-Hungary-Serbia War, Germany was concerned that its national goods with Austria-Hungary would be damaged (Taylor, 1954:56).
National Interests as a Cause of the War
Thus, the Western powers, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Serbia, France, and Britain, ultimately started the First World War, preserving their national interests. It might have been feasible to prevent this conflict if the Western powers had set aside their national interests for regional harmony. Germany defended itself against Russia on the defensive and, to make this situation worse, waged war on it after using the attack on Serbia to further its national interests. Other Western nations, such as Britain and France, were outraged by Germany’s war declaration on Russia and needed to stop it at all costs. Although Germany did not start the conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, it did use it as a pretext to invade other nations.
Schlieffen Plan
Reason Behind the Invasion of Neutral Belgium
Additional reasons for war included the Schlieffen Plan’s existence and, in particular, Germany’s refusal to recognize other countries’ neutrality. Germany needed to prevent conflict on two fronts (the Eastern and Western fronts); thus, they devised this plan in 1905 because they expected the war to break out. The plan was based on the assumption that Russia would need some time to prepare, so Germany would need to defeat France first. Given their victory over France in 1870, Germany was confident it could do this. Large forces were focused on France as part of the plan, while fewer troops were left in the East because it was thought that France would be quickly defeated and that they could subsequently advance on Russia.
However, Belgium had stayed blatantly neutral then and had to be crossed for Germany to carry out the plan. The Schlieffen plan was an effort to address this tactical flaw. However, the German high military erred in judgment by failing to realize that the breach of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg’s neutrality would have political repercussions. They might have relied too much on a gradual Russian mobilization forecast.
Weaknesses of the Plan
By choosing not to invade the Netherlands, German Army Supreme Commander Moltke attempted to minimize the diplomatic fallout, which may have undermined Germany’s military role. Germany did not win the war from the start. Russia was able to mobilize faster than it anticipated. The British expeditionary force helped slow the German assault as the German army faced fierce Belgian opposition. The Allies could stage a counterattack at the Battle of the Marne after the Germans were forced to abandon their plan to encircle Paris. Following a nervous collapse, Moltke resigned, and Falkenhayn took his place.
Success of the Plan
Germany could not develop a different military plan that would result in triumph in 1915. Battles were won on the Russian front, and they effectively got the Allies to leave the Dardanelles. However, Britain had several important naval victories. They established a naval force, captured German colonies, and annihilated the German cruiser fleet.
Tirpitz’s request for unrestricted submarine warfare was in reaction. In February 1915, Chancellor Bethmann gave his approval. However, they changed their strategy in September 1915 after sinking the American ship Lusitania out of concern for the political fallout.
Conclusion
Although Germany played an insignificant role in several aspects of the disputes in the years preceding the war, it is impossible to deny the significant role Germany played in escalating tension and ultimately starting the war. It is also debatable whether Germany played an essential role in elements like the alliance system, which involves several nations rather than just one, leading to increased guilt being placed on them. Germany’s efforts are thus primarily to blame for the war. Still, it is crucial to remember that no one nation can take full responsibility because, for instance, the war would not have started without the Balkan wars or Russia’s role in them.
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