World War I is infamous for being the bloodiest and deadliest war at the time. After the first few months of the War, it was quite clear that Germany was on the verge of a great loss against the Allied Powers. Unlike Britain, Germany didn’t have a strategy and went into war thinking that it would end quickly, without them planning ahead. Towards 1917, Germany began to deteriorate in all aspects (militarily, economically, culturally and even political) while the allied powers had just joined forces with the USA and were standing united against a non-existent German army. After the failure of the Von Schlieffen Plan, and Germany’s hopes of the war ending quickly being shattered problems began in all other aspects of German society and the war, including military, economic, culturally and even political.
The key reason Germany and her Allies lost the war, was the failure of the Von Schlieffen plan and the lack of planning ahead, in case their initial plan failed, which it did. Four years before the war even begun, Germany prepared the Von Schlieffen plan in-case of a war against France and Russia. The plan was to attack France through, the up to now neutral, Belgium and try to mobilize into Belgium before Russia. This would have enabled the German’s to concentrate on their Eastern Front, against Russia. Germany tried to execute the plan but it failed as they underestimated not only Belgium but also France’s Western Front. At the same time, Russia had already begun mobilizing much faster than Germany had planned. Germany attacking Belgium, also allowed the British to enter with the auspicious reason that Belgium was neutral. This led to the creation of the image that German’s are barbarians for attacking Belgium. At this point I want to mention that it has been widely speculated that even if the Germans didn’t execute their plan, that the British would have begun a war anyway. The Germans, instead of regrouping, persisted with executing such a risky plan and when it ultimately failed, they were left with no other strategies. When the fast capture of Belgium failed, the German’s were stuck fighting in trenches and only engaging in small attacks until an opportunity arose. This shows that not only the German military leaders were incapable of leading a country to war but also that they underestimated their enemies, even though they had just begun becoming a powerful country.
German propaganda also ridiculed the worth of the enemy and the soldiers trusted that everything the propaganda said was true but when the war actually begun, they were shocked as what they had been told was far from the truth. They didn’t expect the harsh brutality, which was a result of British propaganda presenting Germans as barbarians, and didn’t have time to prepare for what they faced. The British, with their propaganda, adjusted their soldiers to know what to expect and fight with all their might to defeat the barbarians, as they presented them, that pillaged a neutral country.
In addition, Alliances played a big part in Germany losing the war. Before the war broke out, Germany was allied with Austro-Hungary and Italy. As soon as the war begun, Italy left because their contract read that they would help Germany if they were under attack. Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire joined Germany’s Alliance later but both were weak and depended on Germany rather than providing Germany with resources. That in conjunction with the fact that they had no communication with their allies, led to Germany giving more than what they received from their allies. Germany’s war effort relied mainly on their own strength and by the end of the war; they were at war with over 20 countries, by themselves. The allied powers though, made positive contributions to the allied victories. Britain helped the vast expenses of the war and the French proved to be great allies since they were prepared to fight rather than surrender. Also Russia had a lot of man power, which took attention away from the Allies on the Western Front.
Additionally, Germany followed an Authoritarian Government, which is run by a leader that is usually royalty. This was very ineffective in Germany as all decisions were made by Kaiser Wilhelm, a very militaristic minded person. Wilhelm was unwilling to listen to others more experienced in the field, and they made all the decisions without considering the opinions of others and if their plan failed, they had no back-up. Also, Germany was a force to be reckoned with at the beginning of the war but in reality their economy and geography were very limited. In 1914, Germany was one of the richest countries in the world, but after the war had begun it constantly lost money. The biggest drawback of Germany was that it didn’t have a formal tax system, and depended on the people donating money and goods to the government. This also led to problems after the war when people had lost faith in their government and stopped donating money. Furthermore, their weapon manufacturers were private so the German government had to pay to get its weapons and ammunition. Germany had begun expanding, imperialism, and was considered a large empire at this point. The problem was that Germany was in the middle of Europe and when the war had begun, Germany found themselves surrounded and as a result had to fight on many different fronts (Russians in the east, British / French in the west). The British, having an actual strategy, ordered their fleet to create a blockade on German ports to stop other countries from supplying Germany. Being surrounded and outnumbered, impending doom was imminent for the Germans.
Furthermore, a big factor towards the end of the war was the entry of the US against Germany. At this point I want to mention that the US entered the war with the auspicious reason that Germany sank the Lusitania which was allegedly a civilian ship, but in reality it carried soldiers, weapons and resources for the allies. Germany also provoked the USA when rumours spread that Germany was planning an alliance with Mexico to enable them to take back states from the US(which couldn’t have happened, because there was a war within Mexico).The USA had soldiers, money and supplies whereas Germany was running out of all these resources. Germany knew that if the US decided to mobilized, they would surely face defeat. Knowing this, Germany launched a massive attack on France, tried to split the British and the French but they failed. The entry of the US greatly increased the morale of the Allied army as they were fresh and they were excited to join the fight, while Germany’s morale was in an all – time low. As soon as the Americans started bringing troops to France, the war was basically over because other countries were running out of trained troops and they resorted in putting young untrained civilians into the war.
World War I was significant because it was the first war that involved a large amount of countries. The Central Alliance was weak from the beginning because they didn’t have an alternative strategy, or any real support for Germany. Mistakes were made by the government of Germany and instead of relying on the war ending fast, Germany should have actually planned out exactly what they would have done, or at least a back-up plan. Because of the military failure of the Von Schlieffen plan, the weak alliances, the insufficient propaganda machine and the late entry of the USA, Germany and its alliance system declined until ultimately failing in the 11th of November 1918. Germany gained nothing from this war, and lost not only millions of people but also, under the Treaty of Versailles, lost their right to have their own government and were forced to pay unimaginable fees which they couldn’t pay because of how much money they lost during the war.
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Monday 4 October 2010
What was the leading cause of WWI?
Many factors led to the second bloodiest war in history, World War One. Alliances, militarism, nationalism and imperialism were the main causes of WW1.Imperialism is the idea that land equals to power and also describes the need for powerful countries to dominate and control undeveloped, third world countries. The need of powerfull countries to control more land, was an important contributor to the First World War because it created tensions inside and outside of Europe. While Imperialism might have been the most important cause of WW1, alliances, militarism and nationalism also helped shape imperialism.
Alliances were being made constantly towards the beginning of WW1 by all countries so they could protect themselves. This many alliances caused mistrust between members because of overlapping alliances. . The 3 emperor’s league was formed in 1872 after the Franco-Japanese war. Bismarck wanted to keep his land and even gain some more so he joined with Russia and Austro-Hungary. The Ducu alliance of 1879 was a defensive alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany. This was the only alliance that had stayed through to WW1. The Triple Alliance in 1882 was signed by Germany, Austria and Italy and it stated that if one of the three countries went into war (on the defensive) the others would help. Germany and Austria went into war but Italy didn’t support them because they were on the offensive, they were the attackers. Italy ended up joining later with the enemy.
Countries focused all of their resources in the development of armies and new weapons. Industrialization was one of the main reasons that WW1 was so bloody. There were many weapons developed (artillery, machine guns), as well as the naval race which was, mainly, Germany and Britain having a battle for control over the sea. The Dreadnought was the most heavily armed ship in Europe. When it was created, it renewed the naval arms race between Britain and Germany. Admiral Tirpitz was the one that created such a powerful German navy that could compete with Britain’s already established navy. Britain was furious because this new power, Germany, was catching up to their powerful navy even though they had just begun the development of their own navy.
The definition of nationalism is extreme pride in your nation. This was a big issue in Europe because many countries had nationalistic leaders which had nationalistic followers, and therefore caused conflicts between countries in Europe. The Young Turk revolution was the birth of the modern Ottoman Empire. The Young Turks were a coalition of various groups that rebelled and reformed the Ottoman Empire to their liking. Alsace/Loraine was French territory with German speaking people. Germany was trying to unite all German speaking people together but when the Germans tried to take Alsace and Loraine the French didn’t let them, which led to even more issues between the two countries. Slavic nationalism is accounted as the starting point of WW1. With Russia’s support, the Serbian people were thinking nationalistic and they assassinated Franz Ferdinand which led to Austria’s ultimatum.
Imperialism is the idea that land equals to power and it also represents the need of big countries to conquer and rule underdeveloped countries to shape them as part of their empire and also use them to have more overall control over the world. The Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia raised conflicts in between alliances because Russia was in an alliance with both sides. The ultimatum was sent, after the king was assassinated, to Serbia with a list of demands. The two meetings in Morocco were also factors to the shape of alliances in WW1. France wanted to claim the land of Morocco but so did Germany and there were 2 meetings that Germany tried to sabotage by sending high members (such as the Kaiser himself) to impress England so the land could be given to them but to no avail since France signed with the British an alliance that granted them the area . Industrialization also created conflicts in Europe in terms of Imperialism and could be accounted as one of the main sub-causes of WW1. Industrialization was the revolution in fields such as agriculture, mining, transporting and even military technology. The industrial revolution also gave way to the creation of rail ways, and one of the most famous railways created at the time was connecting Berlin to Baghdad which was a British colony, and a railway connecting them with their enemy infuriated them.
Imperialism was the main cause of WW1 because it developed the base for everything to occur. The need for countries to expand can be accounted towards nationalist leaders having nationalist followers (nationalism), or the industrial revolution which led to the naval race as well as the development of new, deadlier weapons (militarism) and untrustworthy and overlapping alliances (alliances), all led to the Imperialism, which is the need for countries to expand and become more powerful at the expenses of others.
Alliances were being made constantly towards the beginning of WW1 by all countries so they could protect themselves. This many alliances caused mistrust between members because of overlapping alliances. . The 3 emperor’s league was formed in 1872 after the Franco-Japanese war. Bismarck wanted to keep his land and even gain some more so he joined with Russia and Austro-Hungary. The Ducu alliance of 1879 was a defensive alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany. This was the only alliance that had stayed through to WW1. The Triple Alliance in 1882 was signed by Germany, Austria and Italy and it stated that if one of the three countries went into war (on the defensive) the others would help. Germany and Austria went into war but Italy didn’t support them because they were on the offensive, they were the attackers. Italy ended up joining later with the enemy.
Countries focused all of their resources in the development of armies and new weapons. Industrialization was one of the main reasons that WW1 was so bloody. There were many weapons developed (artillery, machine guns), as well as the naval race which was, mainly, Germany and Britain having a battle for control over the sea. The Dreadnought was the most heavily armed ship in Europe. When it was created, it renewed the naval arms race between Britain and Germany. Admiral Tirpitz was the one that created such a powerful German navy that could compete with Britain’s already established navy. Britain was furious because this new power, Germany, was catching up to their powerful navy even though they had just begun the development of their own navy.
The definition of nationalism is extreme pride in your nation. This was a big issue in Europe because many countries had nationalistic leaders which had nationalistic followers, and therefore caused conflicts between countries in Europe. The Young Turk revolution was the birth of the modern Ottoman Empire. The Young Turks were a coalition of various groups that rebelled and reformed the Ottoman Empire to their liking. Alsace/Loraine was French territory with German speaking people. Germany was trying to unite all German speaking people together but when the Germans tried to take Alsace and Loraine the French didn’t let them, which led to even more issues between the two countries. Slavic nationalism is accounted as the starting point of WW1. With Russia’s support, the Serbian people were thinking nationalistic and they assassinated Franz Ferdinand which led to Austria’s ultimatum.
Imperialism is the idea that land equals to power and it also represents the need of big countries to conquer and rule underdeveloped countries to shape them as part of their empire and also use them to have more overall control over the world. The Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia raised conflicts in between alliances because Russia was in an alliance with both sides. The ultimatum was sent, after the king was assassinated, to Serbia with a list of demands. The two meetings in Morocco were also factors to the shape of alliances in WW1. France wanted to claim the land of Morocco but so did Germany and there were 2 meetings that Germany tried to sabotage by sending high members (such as the Kaiser himself) to impress England so the land could be given to them but to no avail since France signed with the British an alliance that granted them the area . Industrialization also created conflicts in Europe in terms of Imperialism and could be accounted as one of the main sub-causes of WW1. Industrialization was the revolution in fields such as agriculture, mining, transporting and even military technology. The industrial revolution also gave way to the creation of rail ways, and one of the most famous railways created at the time was connecting Berlin to Baghdad which was a British colony, and a railway connecting them with their enemy infuriated them.
Imperialism was the main cause of WW1 because it developed the base for everything to occur. The need for countries to expand can be accounted towards nationalist leaders having nationalist followers (nationalism), or the industrial revolution which led to the naval race as well as the development of new, deadlier weapons (militarism) and untrustworthy and overlapping alliances (alliances), all led to the Imperialism, which is the need for countries to expand and become more powerful at the expenses of others.
Monday 13 September 2010
To what extent was Germany already at war with Europe by 1914?
Otto van Bismarck had a very special way of thinking. His belief was that war should be the last resort, but at the same time wanted events that couldn’t have come if there was no war. Germany was improving steadily under the rule by Bismarck until Kaiser Wilhelm II came to power in 1888. Germany then began trying to align themselves with many countries so they could prevent potential war. Two incidents in Morocco, a naval race with Britain and a crisis in the Balkans were enough to cause war.
In 1905, France tried to extend her influence in Morocco but Germany argued that it would be illegal to do so and the Kaiser went himself to Morocco to demand a deal to struck. Germany did this because it wanted to show that Germany was the powerful ally and not Britain. However, Britain supported France at the Algeciras conference and won their support. At this point, Germany was more isolated than ever but still had the Triple Alliance. Once Britain joined Russia, Europe split up into two alliances which was one of the main causes of the war.
In 1908-1909 there was a crisis in the Balkans where loyalties where questioned. Germany stood by Austria and forced Russia to back down in 1909, an event that Russia stated would never be repeated again. The Balkans were a contested area between Germany and Russia because of their location but Russia was weak after the Japanese war so they were forced out by the Austro-German alliance. A naval race was also going on between Britain and Germany. The British government believed that if Germany was to attack by sea, they would be annihilated. The liberal government agreed to increase battleship production and the race to a superior navy begun.
The Second Moroccan crisis was in 1911, when French troops were sent to Morocco at the Sultan’s request. Germany thought that this was the beginning of a takeover, and so they sent one of their gunboat’s to demonstrate their power. Germany had previously been in talks to exchange some land in Morocco for the French Congo but the British were alerted by the German fleet and got gunned down. This concluded their negotiations.
Germany was isolated, the naval race was growing to an all new high and there was expansion in land by all big European powers. The prospect of a war was clearly present. Germany was alarmed by the speed of Russia’s recovery. Wilhelm and his army general’s called a meeting where a war was discussed, thus proving that not only was Germany at War in 1914 but even two years before.
In 1905, France tried to extend her influence in Morocco but Germany argued that it would be illegal to do so and the Kaiser went himself to Morocco to demand a deal to struck. Germany did this because it wanted to show that Germany was the powerful ally and not Britain. However, Britain supported France at the Algeciras conference and won their support. At this point, Germany was more isolated than ever but still had the Triple Alliance. Once Britain joined Russia, Europe split up into two alliances which was one of the main causes of the war.
In 1908-1909 there was a crisis in the Balkans where loyalties where questioned. Germany stood by Austria and forced Russia to back down in 1909, an event that Russia stated would never be repeated again. The Balkans were a contested area between Germany and Russia because of their location but Russia was weak after the Japanese war so they were forced out by the Austro-German alliance. A naval race was also going on between Britain and Germany. The British government believed that if Germany was to attack by sea, they would be annihilated. The liberal government agreed to increase battleship production and the race to a superior navy begun.
The Second Moroccan crisis was in 1911, when French troops were sent to Morocco at the Sultan’s request. Germany thought that this was the beginning of a takeover, and so they sent one of their gunboat’s to demonstrate their power. Germany had previously been in talks to exchange some land in Morocco for the French Congo but the British were alerted by the German fleet and got gunned down. This concluded their negotiations.
Germany was isolated, the naval race was growing to an all new high and there was expansion in land by all big European powers. The prospect of a war was clearly present. Germany was alarmed by the speed of Russia’s recovery. Wilhelm and his army general’s called a meeting where a war was discussed, thus proving that not only was Germany at War in 1914 but even two years before.
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