“No single nation or alliance could be held responsible for the outbreak of war” How far do you agree with this opinion?
“No single nation or alliance could be held responsible for the outbreak of war” How far do you agree with this opinion?
The question of whether no single alliance or nation could be held responsible for the outbreak of war is a hotly debated topic. Source 2 strongly agrees with the statement giving the view that no one nation could be held responsible. However, source 1 gives the opposite view that German aggression was primarily responsible, which is supported, to a large extent by source 3, which highlights German imperialistic aims as being a key aggravator. However, it does also suggest that other great powers were also aggressive to some extent. This essay will focus on the idea that, primarily, German aggression was to blame.
In source 1, JCG Rohl and Keith Wilson undoubtedly present Germany as being solely to blame, supporting the ideas of Fritz Fischer. Indeed, they highlight, “Far from being willing to accept British proposals for international mediation in the looming conflict, Bethmann Hollweg and Jagow advised the Austrians strongly against accepting them”. Therefore suggesting that Germany encouraged Austria throughout the July crisis to be aggressive and favored war over peace. Evidence to support this lies strongly with the blank cheque Germany issued Austria on July 5th, which pledged unconditional support for their allies in whatever action they decided to take against the Serbs. Therefore, by offering their full backing, they were knowingly giving Austria the option of war, thus it can therefore be argued that Germany pushed for the outbreak of world war one. This view is also supported in source 3, in which C Lee states, “methods of violence became the national vices of pre-war Germany, making the country an object of alarm to every leading nation”, thus suggesting that Germany was the main aggravator in the events leading up to war. Indeed, in the second Moroccan crisis, Germany attempted to bully France into giving her the French
The question of whether no single alliance or nation could be held responsible for the outbreak of war is a hotly debated topic. Source 2 strongly agrees with the statement giving the view that no one nation could be held responsible. However, source 1 gives the opposite view that German aggression was primarily responsible, which is supported, to a large extent by source 3, which highlights German imperialistic aims as being a key aggravator. However, it does also suggest that other great powers were also aggressive to some extent. This essay will focus on the idea that, primarily, German aggression was to blame.
In source 1, JCG Rohl and Keith Wilson undoubtedly present Germany as being solely to blame, supporting the ideas of Fritz Fischer. Indeed, they highlight, “Far from being willing to accept British proposals for international mediation in the looming conflict, Bethmann Hollweg and Jagow advised the Austrians strongly against accepting them”. Therefore suggesting that Germany encouraged Austria throughout the July crisis to be aggressive and favored war over peace. Evidence to support this lies strongly with the blank cheque Germany issued Austria on July 5th, which pledged unconditional support for their allies in whatever action they decided to take against the Serbs. Therefore, by offering their full backing, they were knowingly giving Austria the option of war, thus it can therefore be argued that Germany pushed for the outbreak of world war one. This view is also supported in source 3, in which C Lee states, “methods of violence became the national vices of pre-war Germany, making the country an object of alarm to every leading nation”, thus suggesting that Germany was the main aggravator in the events leading up to war. Indeed, in the second Moroccan crisis, Germany attempted to bully France into giving her the French