Cameron Killick

History 1103 002

Dr. Friedrichs
Certainly one of the most destructive events in human history,
World War One is a subject that scholars and historians have discussed
and debated since its cessation. The question of Who is responsible?
remains largely undecided. Primary documents are of little help, as
most were written by nationalistic and biased sources. None of the
major powers take responsibility for the war and instead place the
blame on each other. During the pivotal summer of 1914 a series of
statements, speeches and telegrams were delivered by the various
powers involved, each giving its nations appraisal of the situation and
explanation why they were not responsible. Strangely enough, the
documents vary little on the historical facts of the situation. No one
nation denies the fault of Serbia in assassinating archduke Franz
Ferdinand, the Russians mobilization against Austro-Hungary, or the
German declaration of War Alert. Where they differ, is their
interpretation of the others actions. Each nation had valid reasons for
taking the actions they did, but in the confusion and panic of the
moment, rational decisions led to cataclysmic results.
The initial aggressor of the Great War was obviously AustroHungary. The Austrian nation was in a state of unrest after the
assassination of their heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand, and the target
of their rage was their Balkan neighbor Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian
Government correctly assumed that the Serbian Government was

Cameron Killick
History 1103 002
Dr. Friedrichs
involved with the plot and issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which listed
impossible demands. Serbia refused a single demand in the ultimatum
and consequently Austro-Hungary declared war. While these actions
ignited the Great War, they may be, ironically, the most simple of the
entire debacle.
The confusion began with Russia. In the days that followed the
Austrian ultimatum, Russia made perhaps the most fatal mistake of the
war. Feeling that they were obligated to come to the support of their
fellow Slavs, Tsar Nicholas the Second began deploying his troops
against Austro-Hungary. There was no practical military, or economic
reason for coming to the aid of the Serbians, and thus the army was
deployed somewhat recklessly.
Next it was the Germans turn. Unlike the previous two great
powers, Germany made not one, but two fatal mistakes, both involving
the deployment of troops. The first grave miscalculation the Germans
made was their reaction to the Russian deployment. In a letter from
Tsar Nicholas to Kaiser Wilhelm in August, the Tsar made it clear that
Russias deployment was solely aimed at Austro-Hungary and they had
no aggressive intentions towards Germany. The Germans however did
not feel this way. They made the mistake of assuming that Russia
intended to deploy their forces against both them and the Hungarians
and were thus obliged to deploy their own forces. The Germans next
blunder lay in their own war strategy. Earlier in the century, the French

Cameron Killick
History 1103 002
Dr. Friedrichs
and Russians made an alliance of mutual assistance against German
aggression. The Germans thus began to draw up a war plan in case
hostilities broke out between Russia or France. Fearing war on two
fronts, the Germans developed the Schlieffen plan. The Schlieffen plan
was sublimely simple, knock out France quickly by circling through
Belgium and bypassing most of the French defences, and then transfer
troops to the east to oppose the Russians. In 1914 the Germans
assumed that the French would honor the treaty and begin deploy their
forces. Thus the Germans deployed not only against Russia, but also
against France. The French, having no hostile intentions towards
Germany were taken by surprise.
The next blunder belonged to the French. The French had
watched the situation in the east develop. But because their Russian
allies were deploying solely against Austro-Hungary rather than against
Germany, they didnt feel the need to begin arming themselves against
the Germans. Their surprise is understandable when German troop
trains began rolling west. However, they misinterpreted the German
move. The German deployment in the West was entirely a
precautionary measure on their part. The German ambassador to Paris
had asked them specifically if they wished to remain neutral. Receiving
no response from Paris, officials in Berlin decided to engage the
deployment in the East as a deterrent against French involvement, a
classic example of German Blundering Diplomacy. The French had

Cameron Killick
History 1103 002
Dr. Friedrichs
long been suspicious of Germany. Given their defeat in the FrancoPrussian war, the French mistrust of the Germans led them to the
understandable belief that the Germans were acting aggressively
against the French nation.
With the lines of war being drawn in the sand of Europe, the final
player to enter the conflict was the vast British Empire. Britain was the
last great power to become embroiled in the Great War and arguably
made no actions to cause it. Though according to some historians,
notably Niall Ferguson, Britains inaction was the final step into the
abyss of war. In 1914 the British Empire was the largest in the world,
with millions of subjects all over the globe. More importantly it
possessed a navy that was second to none, an advantage that could
give Britain and its allies an edge in any conflict. It is conceivable then,
that both sides in the conflict would be forced to factor Britains
involvement into any decisions regarding the declaration of war.
Historians such as Ferguson have argued that if Britain had made its
stance clear from the offset, the combatant nations would have
rethought their positions and peace could have been maintained.
Condemning Britain for the inaction, which David Lloyd George would
boast about in 1917.
World War One remains one of the most destructive conflicts the
world has ever seen. To prevent such conflicts from ever recurring,
understanding how and why it happened is essential. It would be

Cameron Killick
History 1103 002
Dr. Friedrichs
simple if one single nation was clearly at fault for the outbreak of war,
but unfortunately the Great War wasnt that simple. It could be difficult
to believe that a conflict as bloody and protracted as the First World
War could be caused by a series of blunders. But truth be told, the
competition of the previous century made Europe a veritable powder
keg of racial tension. A keg so volatile, that a series of rational yet
faulty decisions could set it off.