Naval Rivalry Between Germany And Britain example essay topic

ACCOUNT FOR THE START OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN AUGUST OF 1914 The start of the First World War was a culmination of the conflicting aims held by the European powers. The heavy presence of nationalism further entrenched and also reflected the alliance structures which involved all major European powers. Imperialism also served as an extension to this inter-European rivalry, as did the arms race and militarism which added to heightened tensions and competition. As events intensified after the turn of the 20th century, a series of crises finally came to a head in June 1914 when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo. This spark resulted in the first outbreak of conflict as all of the major powers were involved due to the alliance structures resulting in the First World War. In the lead up to the war there were two forms of nationalism: the desire for independence from communities under national rule, and the desire for the advancement and prestige of individual countries.

Both had significant roles in the increase of international tension and competition. The first was seen most significantly in the multi-cultural conglomerates of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, especially in the Balkans. Both of these empires were comprised of numerous nationalities due to their expansion beyond traditional tribal borders. An example of this may be seen in the Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 1908. Also the fact that an equivalent modern day border of 1914 Austro-Hungarian Empire comprises over five countries shows the nature of the country's composition. As nationalist groups such as the Black Hand formed within the Slavic nations they represented the reaction against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

It was this reaction that led to the extreme tensions in the Balkan area which was coined at the time 'the powder keg' of Europe. The spark that made Austro-Hungaria declare war was the assassination of the Austrian Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand and his wife at Sarajevo. In this sense, nationalism explains the outbreak of the localized war in the Balkans, but not how it snowballed into a world war. The last quarter of the 19th century saw a period of imperialism as many of the European powers sought new colonies for a variety of reasons such as the need for resources and as a status symbol. The issues of imperialism and colonialism are heavily linked with nationalism as the possession of territory was a symbol of the prestige and power of a nation. This scramble for the decreasing unclaimed territories was most notable in the less developed areas of Africa and Asia which lead to inter-colonial tensions.

This had many effects. In Africa, all European powers except Austria and Russia had colonies which led to much conflict between France, Britain, Germany and Italy such as French rivalries with Italy over Tunis and with Germany over Morocco. Colonialism also strengthened rivalries thus further entrenching the two forming blocs of the Triple Entente and Alliance. An example may be seen when France, Britain and Russia become closer allies due to Germany's aggressive actions in the Moroccan Crises.

It also intensified the arms race by increasing the importance of the countries' navies as a bridge between Europe and the distant colonies. Finally, the tension that occurred between colonies often came close to resulting in war such as in the Moroccan Crises and the French and British dispute over the Sudan in 1898. The Moroccan Crises themselves further geared Europe for war by strengthening the Anglo-French Entente. The first crisis also resulted in British and French discussion about the coordination of their armies with the possibility of a German invasion. However, whilst there were increased tensions and competition between the European nations during the time of colonialism, these issues lost their importance in the decade preceding the war with treaties such as the Anglo-French and the Anglo-Russian Ententes returning the focus of tension and competition back into Europe.

Due to the unstable period of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1815 the Concert of Europe was developed to determine European diplomacy. Under this system, each nation was to avoid military alliances with another European power and this, coupled with the need for a stable government, intended to restore balance of power in Europe. This was effective for four decades until the unification of Germany and Italy. From here on in, alliances between the European countries grew in number and influence. Alliances which were essentially defensive and informal such as the 1873 Dreikaiserbund (Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary) shifted to signed documents and offensive alliances such as the 1879 Dual Alliance between Austria Hungary and Germany which promised aid to the other if either was attacked by Russia. These offensive alliances doubled the chances of a war.

Tensions mounted as France was further isolated deliberately by Germany firstly by Dreikaiserbund and then Germany's encouragement of France to expand into North Africa which had significant French spheres of influence. The 1894 Russo-France Alliance was the deciding factor in determining final alliance structure as England later discarded tis splendid isolation and joined to create the Triple Entente which opposed the Triple Alliance, formed in 1882 by admitting Italy to the Dual Alliance. This alliance structure had several impacts on sparking further tension in Europe. One of the initial impacts was increasing the suspicion and paranoia between nations by constructing secret alliances starting with the Dreikaiserbund.

This prevented effective diplomatic solutions to the pre-war crises and also resulted in nations feeling the need for greater alliance strength as a source of defence. The alliances were also always made due to the predictions of war and thus heightened general tension and also increased the momentum of the arms race. For example, after the construction of the Triple Entente in 1907 and up until the war, Germany built nine dreadnoughts and Britain reacted by building eighteen. What was also significant about the involvement of all major powers was that one small dispute between countries would result in the involvement of all of their allies and thus immediately escalated the chance of a large scale war. Finally, the formation of the Triple Entente led to the encirclement of Germany. The resulting feeling of threat caused Kaiser Wilhelm II to pursue a more aggressive foreign policy which was instrumental in the pre-war crises.

Due to the rise in European tension many of the powers began to adopt militaristic policies in preparation for possible conflict. The build-up was also increased as it was seen as a reflection of the power of a nation. This militarism was manifested in the arms-race and the formation of military plans in the decades before the war. The arms-race appeared most notably in the naval rivalry between Germany and Britain. The catalyst of the arms-race was the accession of Wilhelm II in 1888 who adopted the policy of Weltpolitik or expansionism. In order to acquire overseas footholds, however, Germany was in need of a more powerful navy.

In 1896 Wilhelm II declared: "The future of Germany is on the sea". The refusal of Britain to cede its naval and empirical dominance led to an escalating competition in the nation's navies. The appointment of Admiral von Tirpitz also escalated the race: He not only saw Britain as Germany's 'most dangerous naval enemy' but believed that this threat was to be solved by constructing a greater navy. The British responded similarly by increasing naval production which, by 1912, was targeted at doubling the German navy. This escalating rivalry was a great source of tension between Britain and Germany alongside the formation of war plans which were formulated by all countries by 1914.

The immediate cause or trigger for WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empires, and his wife in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. The Balkan area had been awash with nationalistic and pan-Slavic revolutionary activities with groups such as Young Bosnia and the Black Hand presenting Serbian uprising and the action of the Slavic sub nations. It was the Black Hand that was responsible for the death of Ferdinand and his wife on 28th of June 1914. The situation was made even more volatile by the fact that it was a military occasion, showing the dominance of Austro-Hungary, and also because it was the same day as the Feast of St Vitus, a significant Serbian religious day. Whilst not independently a justification of war, it may be said that the assassination gave Austro-Hungaria an opportunity to not only to control Serbia's expansion but to take over the country.

Austro-Hungaria was also encouraged by Germany's support in the 'blank cheque'. Therefore, unsatisfied with Serbia's generous consent to its ultimatum, Austro-Hungaria declared war on Serbia on July 28th 1914. In the ensuing weeks, the alliance systems forged over the past decades ensured the involvement of all of the European powers: Russia mobilized and threatened Germany to restrain Austro-Hungaria, France refused neutrality with the Germans and mobilized on August 1st resulting in Germany initiating the Schlieffen Plan the same day. Britain was finally involved by coming to the aid of Belgium after its invasion by France.

Due to the complexity and interwoven causes for the war, it is difficult to lay the blame on any one movement or nation. For example, Austria's attitude to Serbia was extremist and aggressive despite the risk of bringing Russia into the war. It was Austria that finally took the initiative. Much of this, however, may be attributed to unconditional support of Germany in the 'blank cheque' which exacerbated the Austrian aggressiveness. Russia may be accused of inciting the Serbian nationalism and thus intensifying the Austro-Serbian clash. It has also been criticised for a far too hasty mobilisation, especially at a time when Germany was encouraging negotiations between Austro-Hungaria and Russia.

This mobilisation more or less ascertained the approach of the war as it would result in German mobilisation. Finally, Great Britain may have left its isolation far too late leading to misconceptions on behalf of Germany. Therefore it can be said that it was the state of European society and the policies pursued by the powers in accordance with their own best short term interests that resulted in such tension and competition, which made ever more likely the result of a particular incident bringing about European conflict.