When a case of war was real in 1914, the German army wished to take advantage of their enemies using the Schlieffen-Moltke Plan and chose to seize the opportunity for conflict. “Moltke and his military colleagues were ready and eager to seize the opportunity. A few weeks later, the crisis in the Balkans following Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination would provide just that opportunity.” A European scale war was almost inevitable after the events that occurred in Serbia. “Austria’s willingness to go to war with Serbia following the 28 June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand caused Germany consciously to accept extreme risk in order to achieve a diplomatic victory.” Germany felt confident and ready, as they had a plan for a …show more content…
“Both chiefs of staff considered Germany to be encircled by potential enemies, but both also knew that the German armies were not strong enough to wage a war against France and Russia simultaneously.” Moltke knew a war on two fronts would be nearly impossible. So, like Schlieffen, he wished to defeat France as quickly as possible then focus on Russia and Britain. Thought Moltke thought about France’s plans critically, he was going to use the Schlieffen-Moltke plan no matter what their choice was. “Whether defensively or offensively, they operate in Lorraine against the northern sector of the border position, serving both to protect the left flank of the main German army and to prevent the enemy from sending more troops to oppose the main German attack.” A reason he did not care about France’s military plans was due to his belief that his soldiers could defeat them no matter what.
The German commander believed that France was the best immediate option since Russia was in a tough position politically and financially. “With Russia temporarily weakened by the Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905 and slow to mobilize, a chance presented itself to concentrate on France.” However, this was not entirely the case, as Russia showed that they were willing to fight. With an understanding of a German offensive, Russia fortified their bases and stacked them with soldiers along the Niemen and Narew rivers. This led to a German doubt about a successful attack against
Before World War I, all of Europe in 1914, was tense and like a bomb or a fire was waiting to erupt. Europe had not seen a major war in years, but due to Militarism, Imperialism, Alliances, and Nationalism tensions grew high. Each country was competing to be the best by gaining more territory and growing in their military size and successful economies. World War 1 was waiting to happen and the assassination of the Archduke was the spark that lit Europe up. In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque we see the effects of the assassination.
Aug. 1st, 1914, war was declared by Austria on Serbia, Germany declaring war shortly after, against France and Russia. Many facets can be attributed to the German “withdraw/surrender” from World War I, many say it was the war that was inevitable, others say it was an unnecessary evil, but it happened regardless. The author believed that the Germans deciding to use reserve units on the front line, eventually fighting a two front battle, underestimating the Belgium resistance, and most of all, the godlessness thought process by the OHL, are just some of the few examples of the outcome of the war and why such atrocities played out like they did. A lack of sheer will and faith, as one must understand what he is fighting for; a higher purpose? Nov. 8th, 1918, Germany surrenders, after the last Commander in Chief of the German Army, General Von Kluck, urges the high command to surrender.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Europe seemed to enjoy a period of peace and progress. Yet below the surface, several forces were at work that would lead Europe into the “Great War.” One of these forces was nationalism, and it had an explosive effect in the Balkans. But, nationalism was only one of the many causes of World War I. Historians and eyewitnesses have described the causes of World War I and have tried to assess the responsibility for it. Militarism, Nationalism, and Alliance were some of the main cause for WWI and Grate Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Austria- Hungary and Italy Had a Grate Part to Play in It.
The French had Plan XVII, a bombardment of attacks against their enemies. The Schlieffen plan, created by Germany, aimed to
During the 20th century in European nations, countries fought amongst each other in the First World War. The causes of this war and disputed upon to this day, but three of the causes are definitely: The concept of the countries already prepared for war, the strong sense of nationalism, and the prominent amount of national power. All throughout Europe, even in the days of peace before the war, the countries were prepared to fight each other. Individuals saw war as a necessity for life itself (Doc 1). Most nations talked about fighting, but never really acted.
When Germany found out about the mobilization they warned them to back off and when they did not, Germany declared war on Russia. The Germans also had a military plan called the Schlieffen Plan,
Seen most in Germany, the new country became extremely aggressive due to its late arrival in European powers. As Bernhard Von Bulow stated in Document D, “in the coming century, the German people will be a hammer or an anvil,” and they were going to be the hammer in Europe. Direct evidence of all European powers putting a higher emphasis on their armies is then shown in Document C. From the years 1890-1914, the European powers spent millions of pounds, with Germany spending nearly three times their budget in 1914 than in 1890. Germany, now the most powerful military in Europe and next to no competition, had the option to take on anyone. With all these countries beginning to build their armies, the increase in tension builds, and when combined with the fear caused by a looming German army, once the spark happens in Austria-Hungary, war breaks out.
They felt vulnerable to everyone. France is right next to Germany, and refuse to let them have any military forces at the border. (Doc A) Germany is even more defenseless and they have to obey by what France tells them. Since
This plan worked by taking the troops from the French border and moving them across the Belgian frontier to for a wall blocking the german troops from taking over the Belgian capital and forming a clear front between Germany and the western countries. Slide 3 France’s plan to prevent a German invasion included vast complex system of tunnels, forts, and ground artillery along the border between france and Germany in the region of
Due to unfortunate circumstances, one of the assassins had the opportunity to shoot the Archduke since the driver had turned on the wrong road. Due to these nationalistic feelings between certain countries, World War I occurred since the collective consciousness among a nation’s people deeply impacted the rest of the world with its rebellion against a country. World War I was inevitable to occur since these people had seriously rebelled against a more powerful country and remained obstinate to continue their fight until they had achieved their desires. Eventually, other countries joined the conflict to side with either Austria-Hungary or the
Serbian nationalism was the most significant contributing factor in the Balkans to the outbreak of the First World War. Nationalist Serbs wanted the unity of Serbdom and to create a Greater Serbia that included the provinces Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered the First World War and was prompted by the nationalism of the Serbs against Hapsburg control. If this trigger did not take place it would have been another event. But it is not surprising that it occurred in the Balkans; a volatile region, as Bismarck had predicted decades before; “ If there is ever another war in Europe, it will come out of some damned silly thin in the Balkans”.
Germany, who would be unable to sustain the resources to fight to the desired outcome, would gain a better position through negotiation than it could through ongoing battle. This proved to be
125000 of well trained and equipped members of BEF (British Expeditionary Force) helped to resist the assault. A crucial element of failure of the Schlieffen Plan was the fact, that Russia organised it 's army earlier than Germany suspected, what forced it to send soldiers away to Western Front and fight off the Russian troops invasion. Another reason for the
World War 1 was the first global conflict as it was a struggle between the leading world powers in Europe that had colonised the 19th century. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Bosnia, heir to the Austrian-Hungary throne was a major trigger factor that led to the World War breaking out. It initially began as a European quarrel caused by the rivalry between nations which led to a series of mobilisations. In addition, there were many other vital factors to consider and these include Imperialism, Nationalism, Alliances and Militarism. This essay will explain how the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 triggered a number of events that led to the outbreak of World War 1.
Therefore, in 1912, Germany began preparations to enact major war that could (hopefully) be blamed on Russia. Considering Russia would have completed its military armament and railroads by 1917, Germany realized they needed to strike sooner rather than later – they needed to maximize their own