Discuss why the different types of German expansionism in the Wilhelmine period helped force Germany and Europe down the path toward war in 1914.
The Wilhelmine period was the era where William II became emperor of Germany. He became emperor because his father, William I had died in 1888 and his brother Fredrick II passed on a few months after his father’s death after succumbing to throat cancer. He did not want to delegate political reigns over to Bismarck. He had ideas and policies that he thought Germany should follow.
The Wilhelmine period was the time when Germany was at the peak of its power. It had an extensive growth of political, economic and military growth. It was a European power to be reckoned with. These achievements are what steered the country and Europe down to the war of 1914.
Germany enjoyed a strong military presence. Under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck before this era, Prussia, the most powerful of the German states had enjoyed great military victory over Denmark, Austria, and France. Such military strength was seen as a threat by the neighboring countries such as France and England. The defeat of France and the capture of their 100,000 soldiers showed Germany’s great military strength, making it a potent threat to the world order and raising tension among the countries (Fulbrook, 2004).
Germany had also enjoyed great economic prosperity. During the wars, their economy boomed, and people amassed a lot of wealth. They had even started undertaking banking activities and had overcome the food shortage problem. The fast growth of the economy led to a speedy process in industrialization. Germany was suddenly among the top most evolved European powers in a very short span of time. They were a competitor to Great Britain in the trade and industrialization progress. This great progress was seen as a threat by the other European powers, as it threatened to dim their spot in the world powers.
There was a great political growth in the Wilhelmina period. Germany had grown from a bunch of scattered autonomous states into a united empire under a monarch leadership. The spirit of nationalism among its citizens ran deep, as they considered it the best country in the world. The German leaders struggled to carve a name for them in the world arena. William II was very aggressive about securing Germany’s status as a world power with overseas colonies and went as far as unraveling the complex network of international treaties established by Bismarck. This led to heightened international tensions as Germany became increasingly at odds with the European countries.
What other factors also played a role in this context?
There was an increasing distrust among the European powers. The European powers were weary of each other’s intentions. This led to an arms race, where each country amassed weapons and military force. They had shown their military prowess and their great technological advancement to the other powers. The international tensions escalated which eventually led to the event of the World War I.
The primary factor that resulted in the war was the response to the assassination of the Austrian Crown Prince and his wife. The lack of proper diplomacy between Serbia and Austria resulted in the declarations of war. The activities of Germany instigated the European involvement in the crisis. It declared war on various countries such as France and Russia for their support of Serbia. It later did not follow the British directive of ensuring that Belgium remained a neutral state. Rather, she insisted on ferrying their troops through Belgium to attack France which led to the involvement of Britain in the war.
Do you agree with the historians who say that Germany was responsible for the outbreak of World War I?
Yes, I do. Germany instigated the involvement of many of the countries in the war. First of all, its burning desire and aggressive methods of creating its state as a world power instigated international tensions between the different countries (Kaes, Jay & Dimendberg, 1994). They had undertaken military action against some of the countries such as France. Their great national development and their growing sense of nationalism were perceived as a threat to the world powers. They intentionally caused the heightened tensions in the international scene. This led to the distrust among the states.
The country’s actions were geared to instigate war among the countries. It is argued that they had planned for a war among the European powers, but they did not get the war they had hoped for. They wished to crush France and Russia and instigate themselves as a superior power. The blatant disregard for respecting Belgium’s neutral position by Germany led to Britain’s involvement in the war. They also declared war on France, and yet it had nothing to do with the crisis. They manipulated Austria’s crisis to pursue their individualistic motives.
References
Fulbrook, M. (2004). A concise history of Germany. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kaes, A., Jay, M. & Dimendberg, E. (1994). The Weimar Republic sourcebook. Berkeley: University of California Press.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pex86kegr9r9rut/germanhistory_lesson1.rar?dl=0
