hat Caused WWI, and Who was to Blame?

A: Alliance System
The American Diplomat and historian George Kennan believed that one the 1894 alliance had been signed between France and Russia. The fat or Europe was sealed. Suspicion mounted between the two opposing camps, russia, austria-hungary, and germany got themselves into situations which they could not escape from without suffering further humiliation; war seemed to be the only war for them to save face.

B: Colonial Rivalry
In early July 1914 Anglo-German relations were good: and agreement favorable to German had just been reached over a possible partition of Portuguese colonies in Africa. However, there was one side-effect of colonial rivalry which did cause dangerous friction- this was naval rivalry.

C: Naval Race
Germany government believed in Alfred Mahan who believed the way to a great empire was through great navy. Therefore Germany needed to create a much larger navy capable of challenging the world's greatest sea power-Britain. The rapid growth of the german fleet probably did not worry the British too much at first because they had an enormous lead. But then the powerful british created the "dreadnought" battleship which changed all this because it made all other battleships obsolete. This meant the germans could begin building "dreadnoughts" on equal terms with Britain. The resulting naval race was the main bone of contention between the two right up to 1914. British people thought that this meant germany was going to declare war on Britain because it was certain that the british could not be overtaken as far as capital ships were concerned and this caused tension.


D: Economic Rivalry
The desire for economic mastery of the worlds caused german business men and capitalists to want war with Britain, which still owned about half the worlds tonnage of merchant ships. This put the blame for the war on the capitalist system.

E: Russia Supported Serbia
Russian backing probably made Serbia more reckless in her Anti-austrain policy that she might otherwise have been. The russians were worried about the situation in the balkans, where both Bulgaria and Turkey were under german influence. This could enable germany and austria to control the dardanelles, the outlet from the black sea. Thus russia felt threatened and once austria declared war on servia, saw its struggle for survival. the russians must also have felt that their pretige as lead of the slavs would suffer if they failed to support serbia.

F: Germany Backing Austria at Crucial
It is significant that germany restrained the austrians from declaring war on serbia in 1913, but in 1914 encouraged them to go ahead. The kaiser sent them a telegram urging them to attack serbia and promising german help without any conditions attached. This was like giving the austrians a blank cheque to do whatever they wanted.

G: Mobilization Plans
Known as the Schlieffen Plan.
This made it seem as thought germany was being ruled by a band of unscupulous militarists. This plan assumed that France would automatically join russia, the bulk of german forces were to be sent by train to the belgian frontier, and through belgium to attack france, which would be knocked out in six weeks.


H: A "Tragedy of Miscalculation"
LCF turner suggested that the germans may not have deliberately provoked war but was caused by "tradegy of miscalulations"

The austrians miscalculated by thinking russia would not support serbia
Germany making a crucial mistake by promising to support austria with no conditions attacked
politicians in russia and germany miscalcluating by assuming that mobilizing would not necessarily mean war