World War I – Germany

World War I – Germany

WWI began in the summer of 1914 and continued for four years to 1984. The war was triggered by the assassination of Austria’s Franz Ferdinand by Serbian-sponsored terrorists. More than 20 million soldiers died in the war, with another 21 million wounded. These casualties can be attributed to the number of countries which were involved and the trench warfare. Understanding the causes of WWI is equally important as understanding its effects. This paper discusses Germany and WWI.

Discuss why the different types of German expansionism (military, colonial, industrial) in the Wilhelmine period helped force Germany and Europe down the path toward war in 1914.

Despite opposition by Otto Von Bismarck regarding the colonies overseas, the German people pressured the Chancellor to establish these colonies for the sole purpose of prestige. This led to a significant scramble by the country during the Scramble for Africa. The colonial empire of Germany comprised territories, dependencies, and colonies. The short-lived attempts by the individual states that took place in the centuries preceded the expansion, but the crucial efforts at colonialism began in 1884. Most Germans’ perceptions in the late 19th century were that colonial acquisitions indicated real nationhood. Finally, the public opinions agreed that a world-class navy was best suited to the prestige of Pacific and African colony acquisitions. These aspirations became a reality following Kolonialfreunde (colonial acquisition supports) press replete and numerous colonial societies and geographical associations (Smith, 2012).

According to Bönker (2012), Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1891 broke away from Bismarck’s Realpolitik” and created the world policy: “Weltpolitik”. The world policy aimed at transforming Germany into a world power via aggressive diplomacy, acquiring overseas colonies, and developing a large navy. Meanwhile, as the expansionism of France and Britain continued, opposing empires continued to have tensions brewing between them, including the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Germany, and this led to the creation of the Allied Powers comprising France and Britain and the Central Powers which comprised of The Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Germany during the WWI. The most friction that was felt by the nations was caused by the Triple Entente, which included Russia, Britain, and France. Germany perceived that the Triple Entente was a threat to its existence and power. As the tensions increased between the alliances, the pre-existing ones fed into other nations and declared war in the face of conflict against one another. The conflict over the alliances propelled nations to come to the defense of each other. These consequently resulted in WWI’s two sides, the Central and Allied Powers. The US and Italy joined the Allied Powers at the commencement of the war, while Bulgaria ultimately was on the side of the Central Powers.

What other factors (cultural, socio-political) also played a role in this context?

In the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, the working class in Germany grew rapidly. The national income per capita was at 728DM from 352DM. Even with these progresses, the industrial workers did not have complete political rights, causing most of them, including Roman Catholics, to cast their votes for the revolutionary socialist party (Weitz, 1997).

Additionally, every election saw the return of the Socialist Democrats, who were voted in by the increasing number of urban electorates. The Socialist Democrats adopted a revolutionist Marxist program and received more votes compared to any other party. Industrialization was rapid, though it occurred in specific economic sectors, with other areas only being marginally affected. During this era, approximately 2 million Germans continued with their traditional enterprises as the country continued to grow industrial-wise (Weitz, 1997). The nation had large cartels and Junkers as well as small workshops and dwarf-sized farms. The pre-industrial sector was backward, while the industrialized sector superseded the British and French. During depressions, the Germans in traditional trades most times sought out the ideology of anti-Semitism as this was seen as being anti-capitalist and patriotic (Weitz, 1997).

It is not clear what would have become of the German economy had the war not taken place. Some historians perceived the war outbreak as the elite’s attempts to shore up the flailing position with successful annexations and war similar to what Bismarck had done in the 1860s during the besieging by the liberal opposition of the authoritarian Prussia.  During the first days of WWI, the majority of the Germans felt a sense of bonding that had escaped them from the time the empire was formed. The difference in politics, religion, and class seemed to fade away as the Germans flocked to the streets to show their support for the upcoming conflict (Liulevicius, 2000). However, this euphoria blinded Germany to their dangerous situation, which eventually was the cause of their defeat.

Do you agree with those historians who argue that Germany was responsible for the outbreak of World War I? Why or why not?

I do not think Germany was to blame for WWI. It is important to remember that in 1914, Austria was the wronged party with the assassination of the heir to the throne by Serbian-sponsored terrorists. If the same thing happened today and the Vice President of the US was assassinated by an Iranian-supported terrorist, the US would wage retaliation. Thus, Germany’s position in 1914 was not unreasonable; the country offered Austria a blank check regarding their military support in attacking Serbia. Russia considered Serbia its protectorate and was not going to watch as Austria attacked. France and Britain joined in as part of the Entente. The French saw this as an opportunity to recover from the disgrace they faced from Germany, a chance to reclaim Alsace and Lorraine. The question, therefore, is, why would the Entente support terrorism? Why would Germany’s move to help Austria be seen as an unethical move? So, no, Germany did not start WWI. The Austrians were the offended party and had every right to fight back, and anyone, including Germany, who lined up to help them was fighting against terrorism.

References

Bönker, D. (2012). Militarism in a Global Age: Naval Ambitions in Germany and the United States before World War I. Cornell University Press.

Liulevicius, V. G. (2000). War Land on the Eastern Front: Culture, National Identity, and German Occupation in World War I (Vol. 9). Cambridge University Press.

Smith, W. D. (2012). The German colonial empire. UNC Press Books.

Weitz, E. D. (1997). Creating German Communism, 1890-1990: From Popular Protests to Socialist State. Princeton University Press.

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Discuss why the different types of German expansionism (military, colonial, industrial) in the Wilhelmine period helped force Germany and Europe down the path toward war in 1914. What other factors (cultural, socio-political) also played a role in this context? Do you agree with those historians who argue that Germany was responsible for the outbreak of World War I? Why or why not?