Causes for World War One

Causes for World War One Connor Sweeney Q1) The incitement of World War One was the result of different factors set in motion by various political situations with many believing Germany pursued war for aggressive reasons. Additionally, historians illustrate that Germany pursued war as a solution to domestic issues such as the rise of socialism. Many historians believe that Germany pursued war through aggressive means such as policies and diplomatic decisions. Between 1890-1914, Germany adopted a new aggressive foreign policy that focused on territorial expansion called Weltpolitik. The German Foreign Minister, Bernhard von Bà ¼low once said Only a successful foreign policy can help to reconcile, pacify, rally, unite. Germany, as a result of this new policy, required a new larger naval fleet in order to push their expansionist ambitions which in turn threatened Britains status as the worlds colonial power. Consequently, Germanys Navy Laws of 1898 and 1900 upset Britain and sparked the Naval Race, a race to build the largest and most advanced naval fleet which in turn deteriorated Anglo-German relations. As a result, Britain entered into alliances with France in 1904 and Russia in 1907 respectively, creating what was known as the Triple Entente, meaning war with one nation could escalate into a European conflict. Additionall y, Germany pursued foreign interest in Morocco, in what was to be known as the Moroccan Crisis, where he publicly announced Germanys backing of Moroccos independence. This was during the time France was hoping to colonise Morocco with British backing through the Anglo-French Entente and thus Germany hoped to disrupt this relationship, feeling that it posed a threat to Germanys world influence. Towards the end of the 19th century, Germany was undergoing rapid mass industrialisation with coal and steel production increasing. As a result German society was beginning to politically shift as mass urbanisation began with many flocking to cities to work, where there were greater inequalities between the growing working class in the cities and the rural aristocrats in the countryside.   Discontent spread as workers working long hours for poor pay and conditions led changes for greater democracy and rights. This led to a rise in Socialism within German society that challenged the conservative and traditional Kaiser Wilhelm and the German government. This rise in socialist views was exhibited by the rise of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who, representing the growing working class, pursued social and political change. By 1912 the SPD had 110 seats in the Reichstag as opposed to 35 seats in 1890. The German government and the Kaiser saw the SPD as a dangerous threat and would no t let them the opportunity to govern despite their majority in the Reichstag. As the SPD grew, the right-wing parties in the Reichstag on whom the Kaisers government relied were losing support.   Thus the Kaiser introduced Sammlungspolitik, a domestic motion to support Weltpolitik. This was to ensure political and domestic unity in rallying together Germanys social elites (landowners, new industrialists, and the army) and encouraging patriotism and loyalty to the Kaiser and the government whilst encouraging opposition to socialism. Q2) As Europe entered the period of June August 1914 it became a diplomatic hotbed known as the July Crisis. The July Crisis coins the political and diplomatic situations following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a close ally of Germany. The assassin, Gavrilo Princip, was a member of a Serbian terrorist organisation fighting for Slav Independence from Austria-Hungary. Thus Austria saw this as a direct attack from the Serbian government and as a result sent them an uncompromising ultimatum or war. Germany saw this as an opportunity to push their expansionists aims and gave Austria their full backing. This Blank Cheque, as it was known, became a key step into outbreak of the war as with Germanys full backing, Austria could push on into war with Serbia.   Germany with their issue of the Blank Cheque believed Austria was ready to ignite an immediate and rapid war against Serbia despite their wariness of Russias Dual-alliance with Serbia, potentially escalating the war into a European conflict with the Franco-Russian Alliance causing France to support Russia. However, Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, the German Chancellor, thought should a European war occur, that it was better to happen in 1914 than years later when Russia would be at a greater military capacity.   Although Serbia agreed to meet some of the demands of Austrias ultimatum, it did not fulfil all the terms and Austria with the blank cheque of Germany behind them, declared war on Serbia on the 28th July.   During these last few days in July, the European political situation heightened to breaking point with Tsar Nicholas signing motions for plans to both partial and general mobilise the Russian troops despite firm warnings from Germany. On the 29th July 1914 there was telegram exchanges between the Tsar and the Kaiser regarding the newly erupted war in the Balkans. Kaiser writing Of course military measures on the part of Russia would be looke d upon by Austria as a calamity we both wish to avoid[i], showing Germanys unrelenting stance. This was followed up by the Tsars reply I hope from all my heart that these measures wont in any way interfere with your part as mediator which I greatly value.[ii]. From these telegrams both the Tsar and the Kaiser conveyed an unwavering stand that illustrates an inevitability between both nations involvement in the Balkan war. As July drew to a close, events accelerated towards war with Austria-Hungary ordering general mobilisation on the 30th July 1914 with Russia doing the same. News spread to Berlin and by the 1st August Germany had declared war on Russia and started general mobilisation, activating the Franco-Russian Alliance which meant that Germany on the 3rd August declared war on France.   Part of Germanys military strategy against France was the Schlieffen Plan that involved marching through Belgium, a neutral country. In order to help protect Belgian neutrality, Britain had n o choice but to declare war on Germany on the 4th August and so Europe was plunged into war. Q3) There are many varying interpretations on who was responsible and culpable for the origins of WW1 with two of the main differing theories being from historians Fritz Fischer and Christopher Clark. Fischer takes the stance that sole responsibility for the war lies with Germany while Clark on the other hand, looks at the origin of the war as a collective responsibility where all nations must take a share of the blame. Fritz, on one hand, believes that Germanys pursuit of war was just a progression of their vast, expansionist aims. He claims that Germany, in the interest of becoming a global great power, was ready to launch WW1 and that once the war had started, its aims were precise and pre-determined especially in areas of territorial gains in Central and Southern Europe. Furthermore, Fischer believed that it was domestic factors that drove Germanys foreign policy as opposed to the orthodox view that it was external factors. At this time Socialism threatened the old, traditional empirical German society while industrialisation/urbanisation had caused growing inequalities between social classes which Fischer believed the Kaiser and the government wanted to resolve this through the pursuit of war. Fritz thought Germany was actively pursuing war to solve their domestic problems at home and fulfil their expansionist aims in one swoop. In this, he believes the blame lies solely at the step of Germany. On the other hand, Clarks thesis believes that a collective responsibility must be placed on all nations There is no smoking gun in this story; or, rather there is one in the hands of every major character[iii]. Clark states that the outbreak of the war was an accumulative result of political situations and diplomatic manoeuvres that metaphorically stumbled into a war. There is significant evidence to support this thesis such as Russias and Germanys unwavering relentlessness to get involved in the Austro-Serbian conflict as exhibited by the Willy-Nicky telegrams. Personally, the Fischer thesis provides the more convincing theory as it is supported by more significant evidence. In my opinion, Germanys adoption of Weltpolitik, an expansionist policy, forced other nations into alliances such as Britain who formed alliances with France following the Naval Race that was subsequently caused by this policy. Additionally, this aggressive foreign policy led to diplomatic manoeuvres such as the blank cheque to Austria Hungary, a promise of full support, that with its absence may have avoided the Austro- Serbian conflict that started the war. It seemed that Germany manoeuvred themselves into a position where war was inevitable in order to progress their expansionist aims and although many nations must take their share of the blame, it is in my opinion that Germany must take sole responsibility for the outbreak of World War 1. [i] The Willy-Nicky Telegrams, July-August 1914, Kaiser to Tsar (29th July 1914), History A: German Foreign Policy 1890-1914, Pg. 40. [ii] The Willy-Nicky Telegrams, July-August 1914, Tsar to Kaiser (30th July 1914) History A: German Foreign Policy 1890-1914, Pg. 40. [iii] Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914(London: Harper Collins,2012). http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kaiser-wilhelm-of-germany-and-czar-nicholas-of-russia-exchange-telegrams http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/germanys_blank_cheque_to_austria-hungary

Drinks that Influenced History and Civilization Essay

The author describes the origin of six drinks that greatly influenced history and civilization around the world: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. He explains how each drink was the defining drink during a historical period from antiquity to present day. The fluids are vital because each had a role of shaping the modern world. They have been used as currencies, in religious rites, as a political symbol, sources of philosophical and artistic inspiration. Some have served to highlight the power of the elite, and appease the downtrodden. They connected world cultures by impacting trade, economy, religion, and politics. Beer was discovered through different methods of cooking and storing cereal grains. When the ice age ended, lands such as the Fertile Crescent provided abundant cereal grains. Such grains provided a reliable source of food, and the ability to store cereal grains began to encourage people to stay in one place. This resulted in permanent settlements as societies transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming. Although the residents of such villages continued to hunt, skeletal evidence suggests that they subsisted mostly on plant-based diets. Beer was shared, and it was symbol of hospitality and friendship. To Neolithic drinkers, beer’s ability to intoxicate and ferment seemed magical, and it was concluded that it was a gift from the gods. Beer-drinking cultures tell stories and myths of how it was discovered. Mesopotamians and Egyptians saw beer as an ancient, god-given drink that supported their existence, formed part of their cultural and religious identity, and had great social importance. It was consumed by anyone regardless of status, age, or gender. Beer impacted the growth and diffusion of the earliest civilizations greatly. The emergence of complex societies, the need to keep written records, and the popularity of beer all followed from the surplus of grain. It was also used as a form of currency and payment. Beer also had a direct link to health. Mesopotamians and Egyptians used it medicinally. The Egyptians used bread and beer in funerals. Without the discovery of beer, the earliest civilizations of Southwest Asia and Egypt would not have been as prosperous.

The Effect Of Trade On Poverty - 1377 Words

1. INTRODUCTION Foreign trade has been a widely debated issue across the developing world. In the last 30 years, a number of developing countries increased their openness to foreign trade. World trade as a percentage of world output has increased 1.46 times between 1980 and 2003.These years witnessed an integration of individual economies into a globalized economy, which has been beneficial for the participating countries in many ways. This integration includes the flow of capital across countries in addition to the traditional trade in goods and services. In this piece, we focus on trade in goods and services between nations. We study the effects of trade on poverty. While the many advantages of trade liberalization have been widely†¦show more content†¦It opens new markets for domestic products and introduces new products in the domestic market. This is beneficial to both consumers and producers and in turn leads to an increase in national income. However, there are gains as well as losse s. As developing countries have sizable populations that live in poverty and access to basic necessities is not a given, the impact of foreign trade on poverty becomes an important issue. Even if the national income increases, the impact on poverty cannot be overlooked. Theoretical as well as empirical evidence says that trade liberalization is poverty alleviating although it is not the strongest tool for poverty reduction, though it is the cheapest and most accessible (Winters et al 2004). Winters et al (2004) decompose the link between poverty and trade liberalization using a framework developed by Winters (2000, 2002). They say that liberalization has distributional effects for which four routes have been outlined: macroeconomic aspects, households and markets, wages and employment and government revenue and spending. But the ambiguity remains because poverty is heterogeneous. A lot of differences are noted among individual households. The macroeconomic aspect deals with economic growth. Liberalization invariably leads to growth. The second route identified is through markets. Poor in most countries are mostly self-employed and have multiple sources of income like

The Meaning Of Life In Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises

Who am I? Where am I going? What is the meaning of life? These three questions are simple, yet when asked, many people are at a loss for words. We live life wandering the plateau, searching for meaning. In fact, we are all walking this Earth oblivious of our fate or place in the world. Ernest Hemingway’s, The Sun Also Rises, offers a glimpse into the lives of the lost generation by displaying the cruelties of love, the differences between France and Spain in Jakes life, and a sense of wandering despite being at either end of the food chain. Love plays a major role within this novel, often never finding itself maintained between two characters. Many characters in this novel, fail at love; they have either lost it, or know nothing of it.†¦show more content†¦In fact, Paris is a city where one must be able to take a break from, or they’ll catch themselves slowing drifting away. While in Paris, Jake has difficulties sleeping often times filled with the deep aching imagery of Brett, â€Å"I lay awake thinking and my mind jumping around†¦I was thinking about Brett and my mind stopped jumping around and started to go in a sort of smooth waves. Then all of a sudden I started to cry.† (Hemingway, p. 39) Jake is a character that most individuals can relate to one time or another in their lives. We search for another often never realizing we are lost ourselves. We lay in bed at night wondering why we lost our love. However, when Jake is in Spain his spells of sadness before bed are nonexistent. â€Å"After supper we went up-stairs and smoked and read in bed to keep warm. Once in the nigh I woke and heard the wind blowing. It felt good to be warm and in bed.† (Hemingway, p. 116) While in Spain, Jake and Bill embark on an adventure to fish and enjoy the outdoors. Hemingway describes Spain’s scenery with an eloquence that cannot be seen in Paris. This feeling is also portrayed during the nights, where Jake is able to sleep sou ndly. It is also important to note that Jake feels serene in a time when Robert Cohn, Brett, and Mike are not in town. There is a certain atmosphere Jake feels while in Spain that heShow MoreRelatedErnest Hemingway s The Lost Generation885 Words   |  4 PagesErnest Hemingway was a famous modernist writer during the 20th century. Hemingway was part of what was known as â€Å"The Lost Generation† this name arose post-World War 1. The modernist movement was a drastic change in numerous things such as art and literature. Ernest contributed much to this movement with his literary works. World War 1 played a major role in not only modernism, but also Hemingway’s writing. 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