In August 1914 the Great Powers in Europe went to war. Four years later over 10 million people had been killed. Who was responsible for this disastrous war? In 1919 the winning powers met at Versailles and decided that Germany had been responsible for the First World War. Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles declared that Germany was guilty of causing World War One.
These claims were echoed in the 1960s when the German historian Fritz Fischer asserted that German had planned a 'lunge for world power'.His research into German government archives led him the following conclusion; "The official documents afford ample proofs that during July 1914 the emperor (Kaiser Wilhelm II, the German military leaders and the foreign ministry were pressing Austria-Hungary to strike against Serbia without delay, or alternatively agreed to the despatch of an ultimatum to serbia couched in such terms as to amke war between the two countries more than probable, and in doing so they deliberately took the risk of a continental war against Russia and France." This so called 'blank cheque' given by Germany to Austria-Hungary was confirmed by the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Berlin when he reported a conversation between himself and Kaiser Wilhelm II; "The Kaiser told me we might rely upon Germany's full support. It was the Kaiser Wilhelm's opinion that action must not be delayed. Should war break out between Austria-Hungary and Russia, Germany would stand at our side. Kaiser Wilhelm would regret it if we don not make use of the present situation which is all in our favour."
Other historians suggest the war was an accident, that it was not planned at all. The British historian AJP Taylor stated; "Nowhere was there a conscious determination to provoke a war. Statesman miscalculated. They used the instruments of bluff and threat which had proved effective on previous occasions. This time things went wrong. The deterrent on which they relied failed to deter; the statesmen became the prisoners of their own weapons. The great arm,ies, accumulated to provide security and preserve peace, carried the nations to war by their own weight."
Other people were prepared to point the finger at Great Britain and at the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey. The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Sazonov, claimed that Britain could have prevented the war if they had taken a a firm stand; "In 1914 Sir Edward Grey should have made a clear statement that Britain would stand by France and Russia. I insistently asked him to do this but he refused. He could have saved humanity from that terrible catastrophe."
Who was to blame for the outbreak of World War One?
Have a look at the debate on School HistoryForum http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/studentforum/index.php?showtopic=3439
Listen to this podcast on the causes of the First World War Read this account of the start of WW1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/audio/history/ From the menu choose International relations; Causes of WW1
Look at this website
Watch this video clip
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/underlyingcauses_video.shtml
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