Who do you blame for the First World War?

Essay by KeirHigh School, 10th grade October 2006

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Like Henry A. Kissinger once said about war, "No country can act wisely simultaneously in every part of the globe at every moment of time." In 1914 it was Germany who didn't act wisely. I make Germany responsible for the First World War, because they started the ally system by signing the Triple Alliance in 1882. They caused the Agadir crisis. Shortly explained, the crisis was a disagreement between Germany and France which ended with Britain and France giving Germany a jungle in the Congo. And also the interfering of Germany in the July Crisis in 1914 (the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand) caused the outbreak of World War I.

When in 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy signed the Triple Alliance; Kaiser Wilhelm came his dream of having a bigger army a little bit nearer. Now that they were allies they would fight together in the case of war, which meant that they had more soldiers then any other country in Europe.

The other countries were scared so that they also signed Alliance among them. Following Germany; France and Russia sign the Dual Alliance in 1894 to have the chance to fight Germany on two fronts in the instance of a war. After Britain signed the Entente Cordiale with France (1904) and the Anglo-Russian Convention (1907), Germany was encircled by its most powerful enemies, caused by its own fault. In 1914, when the Archduke of Austria-Hungary was assassinated, Russia said they would help Serbia to fight Austria-Hungary, because they were Serbia was like an ally to Russia. Germany meddled in and promised its ally 100% support. Germany declared war Russia after they reject the ultimatum (explanation later in the essay). Germany kept its promise to help Austria-Hungary and declared war on Russia. On 4th of August, 1914 the allies of...