Decisions made by Germany's leaders did cause outbreak of WW1
To what extent were the decisions made by Germany’s leaders responsible for the outbreak of the First World War? Explain your answer, using sources 1,2 and 3 and your own knowledge of the issues related to this controversy.
Sources 1, 2 and 3 all bring different arguments to the opinion that the decisions made by Germany’s leaders were responsible for the outbreak of the First World War. Arguments such as the decisions made by Germany’s leaders caused outbreak, that diplomatic tension between the European countries caused outbreak and that pressure on Germany from inside the country caused outbreak are all presented in the sources and will be analysed in order to come to an evaluated conclusion.
The first opinion presented in the sources is that decisions made by Germany’s leaders were responsible for the outbreak of the First World War.
Source 1 partially agrees with this opinion, stating that ‘The German army and the government pushed for war before 1914’. This argues that the leaders of Germany and other important figures wanted war even before 1914, suggesting that plans and decisions made pre-1914 were made with the outbreak of a war in mind. Fischer’s argument of the War Council of December 1912 supports source 1 and shows that German leaders were discussing the prospect of war before 1914, and that the decisions made in that meeting such as the support of Austria-Hungary against Serbia caused the outbreak of war as it created sides, alliances and further tension in an already tense environment. Equally, the creation of the Schlieffen plan in 1905 to win the war in the West in six weeks shows how Germany were making decisions about war almost ten years before it happened, so were well aware of their decisions causing the outbreak of war.
Source 2 also partially agrees that the decisions made by Germany’s leaders were responsible for the outbreak of war as it states, ‘The argument of a preventative defense suggests that the Bethmann-Hollweg government
Sources 1, 2 and 3 all bring different arguments to the opinion that the decisions made by Germany’s leaders were responsible for the outbreak of the First World War. Arguments such as the decisions made by Germany’s leaders caused outbreak, that diplomatic tension between the European countries caused outbreak and that pressure on Germany from inside the country caused outbreak are all presented in the sources and will be analysed in order to come to an evaluated conclusion.
The first opinion presented in the sources is that decisions made by Germany’s leaders were responsible for the outbreak of the First World War.
Source 1 partially agrees with this opinion, stating that ‘The German army and the government pushed for war before 1914’. This argues that the leaders of Germany and other important figures wanted war even before 1914, suggesting that plans and decisions made pre-1914 were made with the outbreak of a war in mind. Fischer’s argument of the War Council of December 1912 supports source 1 and shows that German leaders were discussing the prospect of war before 1914, and that the decisions made in that meeting such as the support of Austria-Hungary against Serbia caused the outbreak of war as it created sides, alliances and further tension in an already tense environment. Equally, the creation of the Schlieffen plan in 1905 to win the war in the West in six weeks shows how Germany were making decisions about war almost ten years before it happened, so were well aware of their decisions causing the outbreak of war.
Source 2 also partially agrees that the decisions made by Germany’s leaders were responsible for the outbreak of war as it states, ‘The argument of a preventative defense suggests that the Bethmann-Hollweg government