Although one may argue that Germany played was not to blame for causing World War I because tensions between European nations made war inevitable, to a great extent Germany should be blamed for the war because Germany was responsible for initiating tangled alliance systems in Europe, German militarism started the European arms race by creating a large army during peacetime, and Germany was responsible for several nations, including Great Britain and the United States, entering the war. Although some may argue that Germany was not to blame for World War I because preexisting tensions between European powers made war unavoidable, Germany is responsible for World War I due to furthering these tensions by the being the first European nation
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An arms race is a competition between nations to produce the best armed forces. Each country competed to create large numbers of weapons, greater armies, and superior military technology. When Kaiser Wilhelm II came to power in 1888 in Germany, he was eager to show the strength of his country to the rest of the world. He was extremely proud of the German army, and even declared that he and the army were born for one another. Wilhelm also put a lot of effort into improving Germany’s navy in order to make it as powerful as Great Britain’s dominant navy. (page 408-408). After Germany formed their powerful army during peacetime, other nations in Europe developed massive armies as well because they felt threatened by Germany. By the year 1914, every European power had large standing armies, with the exception of Great Britain. (page 408). The Russian army, for example, had an army of more than two million soldiers. (World War - “The Great War” Lecture Notes). When Germany created a large army during peacetime, many European nations developed created strong standing armies as well, resulting in the rise of the European arms race. The arms race was a large factor in World War I, because having powerful armies made citizens feel patriotic and led to an increase in nationalism. Every nation believed that they had the …show more content…
Germany is responsible for causing several countries to enter the war, such as Great Britain. The German military created the Schlieffen Plan, which called for the German army to race west through Belgium to defeat France and then return to fight Russia in the east. Being able to pass through Belgium was vital to the Schlieffen plan because the French had troops all along their border with Germany, and breaking through the French-German border would be slow. However, Belgium, being a neutral country, refused. Germany invaded Belgium, which resulted in Great Britain entering the conflict. Great Britain had very close ties with Belgium because the two nations are neighboring countries. In response to Germany’s attack on Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany. (World History: Patterns of Interaction. pp. 747-748). In addition, The United States entered World War I when the German military engaged in unrestricted submarine warfare. Unrestricted submarine warfare is the use of submarines to sink without warning ships found in an enemy’s waters. The sunken ships included neutral ships and unarmed passenger lines. On May 7, 1915, a German submarine had sunk the British passenger ship called the Lusitania. The submarine attack killed 1,198 people, including 128 United States citizens. After the sinking of the Lusitania, the United States were furious,
An arms race is a competition between nations to produce the best armed forces. Each country competed to create large numbers of weapons, greater armies, and superior military technology. When Kaiser Wilhelm II came to power in 1888 in Germany, he was eager to show the strength of his country to the rest of the world. He was extremely proud of the German army, and even declared that he and the army were born for one another. Wilhelm also put a lot of effort into improving Germany’s navy in order to make it as powerful as Great Britain’s dominant navy. (page 408-408). After Germany formed their powerful army during peacetime, other nations in Europe developed massive armies as well because they felt threatened by Germany. By the year 1914, every European power had large standing armies, with the exception of Great Britain. (page 408). The Russian army, for example, had an army of more than two million soldiers. (World War - “The Great War” Lecture Notes). When Germany created a large army during peacetime, many European nations developed created strong standing armies as well, resulting in the rise of the European arms race. The arms race was a large factor in World War I, because having powerful armies made citizens feel patriotic and led to an increase in nationalism. Every nation believed that they had the …show more content…
Germany is responsible for causing several countries to enter the war, such as Great Britain. The German military created the Schlieffen Plan, which called for the German army to race west through Belgium to defeat France and then return to fight Russia in the east. Being able to pass through Belgium was vital to the Schlieffen plan because the French had troops all along their border with Germany, and breaking through the French-German border would be slow. However, Belgium, being a neutral country, refused. Germany invaded Belgium, which resulted in Great Britain entering the conflict. Great Britain had very close ties with Belgium because the two nations are neighboring countries. In response to Germany’s attack on Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany. (World History: Patterns of Interaction. pp. 747-748). In addition, The United States entered World War I when the German military engaged in unrestricted submarine warfare. Unrestricted submarine warfare is the use of submarines to sink without warning ships found in an enemy’s waters. The sunken ships included neutral ships and unarmed passenger lines. On May 7, 1915, a German submarine had sunk the British passenger ship called the Lusitania. The submarine attack killed 1,198 people, including 128 United States citizens. After the sinking of the Lusitania, the United States were furious,