Did German Ambitions for World Power Make War Inevitable in 1914? Essay Example
Did German Ambitions for World Power Make War in 1914 Unavoidable?
The First World War was the biggest and bloodiest war to have been fought with modern technology and caused wide spread chaos and tragedy that until that date was unparalleled in Europe. Of the 65,038,810 people mobilized to fight from all the countries involved 8,556,315 died, 21,219,452 soldiers were injured, and 7,750,945 were reported missing/P.O.W. Because the war was fought on such a massive scale, and caused such wide spread tragedy, all within living memory, it makes it both an interesting and controversial subject, and because of this there are many different theories about what the cause of WWI was. The most blamed party for the outbreak is Germany. There were many different factors involved in the events leading to war, and Germany found herself at the root of the majority of them in one way or another. Even German historian F.Fischer was quoted saying “Germany had a will to war” in his book Griff nach der Weltmacht (Germany’s aims in the First World War) [1] Fischer’s theory on the origins of WWI was that Weltpolitik was instigated because Germany wanted a war. However the impact of the events surrounding assassination of Franz Ferdinand must be taken into account, as well as the other power’s actions/responses.
In 1890 after the dismissal of Bismarck for Caprivi, Germany’s Weltpolitik began with three main aims; colonial annexations, creation of economic spheres of influence, and expansion of the navy. It can be argued that Germany knew that each of these policies would cause conflict with the other powers, and that they were introduced not only for the purpose of making Germany a great power but also to instigate a war. In his first years in power Caprivi attempted to untangle the complex system of alliances and commitments Bismarck had created during his long stay in office, and it can be said that his most important decision in accordance with Weltpolitik was his decision not
The First World War was the biggest and bloodiest war to have been fought with modern technology and caused wide spread chaos and tragedy that until that date was unparalleled in Europe. Of the 65,038,810 people mobilized to fight from all the countries involved 8,556,315 died, 21,219,452 soldiers were injured, and 7,750,945 were reported missing/P.O.W. Because the war was fought on such a massive scale, and caused such wide spread tragedy, all within living memory, it makes it both an interesting and controversial subject, and because of this there are many different theories about what the cause of WWI was. The most blamed party for the outbreak is Germany. There were many different factors involved in the events leading to war, and Germany found herself at the root of the majority of them in one way or another. Even German historian F.Fischer was quoted saying “Germany had a will to war” in his book Griff nach der Weltmacht (Germany’s aims in the First World War) [1] Fischer’s theory on the origins of WWI was that Weltpolitik was instigated because Germany wanted a war. However the impact of the events surrounding assassination of Franz Ferdinand must be taken into account, as well as the other power’s actions/responses.
In 1890 after the dismissal of Bismarck for Caprivi, Germany’s Weltpolitik began with three main aims; colonial annexations, creation of economic spheres of influence, and expansion of the navy. It can be argued that Germany knew that each of these policies would cause conflict with the other powers, and that they were introduced not only for the purpose of making Germany a great power but also to instigate a war. In his first years in power Caprivi attempted to untangle the complex system of alliances and commitments Bismarck had created during his long stay in office, and it can be said that his most important decision in accordance with Weltpolitik was his decision not