Why Did Britain Become Involved In World War I

For the past five years, Europe witnessed the bloodiest and most destructive war in the history of civilization. Every country at the peace conference has suffered damages and must be repaid for their suffering. As well as ensuring that the victors are compensated for their damages, the barbarians that started the war, including the Kaiser of Germany and the leaders of Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and other countries that supported the German cause, must be punished. The victims of the oppressive regimes in those countries must be freed from their chains by allowing and enforcing self-determination in areas such as Poland. While the oppressors should be reprimanded for the destruction they have caused in the past half-decade, they must …show more content…
The British were obligated to protect Belgium from the ruthless Germans, who killed civilians and even murdered a priest as they marched through Belgium (“World War I History”). Britain also entered for different reasons. As part of the Triple Entente, Britain was obligated to join France and Russia in their war against Germany. Britain also had to fight Germany to reestablish the balance of power since Germany’s building up of armed and naval forces gave them too much power (“How Did Britain Become Involved in the War?”). Britain also played an integral role in winning the war. The blockade by the British navy during the war helped starve Germany and Austria-Hungary, leading to quicker defeat and surrender. The fact that the Central Powers were suffering from bad harvests and disorganized distribution of food made it even more important that they could not get food through trade, and they could not because of the British blockade. The blockade indirectly helped the Allied cause in another way too. The Germans responded to the blockade by using U-boats, and eventually the United States joined the Allied cause because of Germany’s policy of unrestricted submarine warfare …show more content…
For a majority of the cases, it is proper to employ a form of self-determination for the European nations in question. Self- determination will ensure that the minorities of these lands are protected and content (Lloyd George). By guaranteeing that these peoples are granted self-determination, future warfare will be more avoidable as constant oppression in the European continent is generally a cause of war. As Prime Minister David Lloyd George says, “government with the the consent of the government must be the basis of any territorial settlement” (Lloyd George). It should be the responsibility of the peacemaking conference in Versailles to ensure that these European nations are properly treated to avoid any future conflict and maintain political stability and balance of