What Caused World War I, and Who Was to Blame?
A: Alliance System
- Once the 1894 alliance had been signed between France and Russia, the fate of Europe was sealed
- Russia's war against Japan (1904-5), France sent no help; nor did they support Russia when she protested at the Austrian annexation of Bosnia
- Austria took no interest in Germany's attempts to prevent France from taking over Morocco
- Germany restrained Austria from attacking Serbia during 2nd Balkan war
- Italy was on good terms with France and Britain and entered the war against Germany in 1915
B: Colonial Rivalry
- German disappointment with their imperial gains and resentment at the success of the other powers
C: Naval Race
- Germany needed a much larger navy capable of challenging Britain (world's greatest sea power)
- Dreadnought battleship in 1906 made all other battleships obsolete
- New German navy could only mean that Germany intended making making war against Britain
D: Economic Rivalry
- Desire for economic mastery of the world caused German businessmen and capitalists to want war with Britain, which still owned about half the world's tonnage of merchant ships in 1914
E: Russia Supported Serbia
- Was the first to order a general mobilization, and this provoked Germany to mobilize
- Felt that their prestige as leader of the Slavs would suffer if they failed to support Serbia
F: Germany Backing Austria at Crucial
- Germany encourage Austria to declare war on Serbia in 1914
- Kaiser sent a telegram urging them to attack Serbia and promising German help without any conditions attached
G: Mobilization Plans
- The Shlieffen Plan was seen as the start of disaster both for Germany and Europe
- German troops crossed the frontier into the Belgium on August 4, thus violating Belgian neutrality
H: A "Tragedy of Miscalculation"
- The Austrians miscalculated by thinking that Russia would not support Serbia
- Germany made a crucial mistake by promising to support Austria with no conditions attached therefore the Germans were certainly guilty, as were the Austrians, because they risked a major war
- Politicians in Russia and Germany miscalculated by assuming that mobilization would not necessarily mean war
- The generals, especially Moltke, miscalculated by sticking rigidly to their plans in the belief that this would bring a quick and decisive victory
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