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Example research essay topic: Anglo German Relations Prior To World War I - 1,397 words

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... of war. AJP Taylor, in The First World War, contends that British had no desire at all to be involved in war, nor did they wish to support France in a war against Germany. the British had hesitated until now, determined not to be drawn into what they called a Balkan quarrel, many of them reluctant to act even in support of France. Remak supports what Taylor says, by noting that Britain had never officially committed to aiding France in a war with Germany, and that had she only done so, Germany might not have attacked France to begin with. The British would consistently refuse a clear-cut promise to come to the assistance of France, let alone of Russia, in case of war...

If the Germans had been altogether convinced that to invade France would undoubtedly involve them in a war with England, might history not have taken a happier course. McCullough claims the opposite, maintaining that the English would be supportive of France if a war were to break out with Germany. There had been a series of unilateral declarations of support made to the French by the English service chiefs. The conversations which were initiated between the French and British general staffs in December, 1905, continued until the outbreak of war. He claims that the replacement of Lansdowne as British foreign minister by Sir Edward Grey ensured that Britain would enthusiastically support France if a war did indeed break out. He goes on to suggest that the British were also eager for a war with Germany, and he cites a letter written by Sir John Fisher, First Sea Lord, that said this was a golden opportunity for fighting Germany in alliance with the French.

He asserts that Fishers principle aim was to wipe out German commerce and he thought the British navy could easily destroy the whole German merchant navy. McCullough then accuses the British press of stirring anti-German sentiment in the British people, and of supporting a war with Germany as well. The anti-German sections of the press were eager for a war with Germany. The Times said war was so certain that the country should be alerted to the danger it faced. There were articles urging that the German fleet should be destroyed. Steiner agrees with McCullough on the subject of Sir Edward Grey and claims that when Grey entered the foreign office, he had identified Germany as the enemy.

Steiner also claims the opposite of Taylor and Remak, stating that although Grey avoided directly saying that England would support France against Germany, he did so unofficially. Both McCullough and Remak have placed some of the blame of the increasingly hostile relations between Britain and Germany on the press and on the media. Remak however, stays more neutral, simply stating with that the new mass literacy and the creation of a mass-circulation of press in the nineteenth century, the press played an influential role in the nations mood for war and in international friction as well. The conflict between Austria and Serbia (including eventually France and Russia) affected Britain and Germany to different degrees. McCullough sees for Germany, the possible defeat of Austria as a matter of life and death whereas the possible defeat of France a mere inconvenience for Britain. Another point on which historians have varying views on, is the issue of British involvement in the war due to the violation of Belgian neutrality.

Some historians, such as Taylor, have suggested that the only reason Britain became involved in the war was this violation. The German demand on Belgium removed all doubts, except among a tiny minority. Great Britain entered the war a united nation. Taylor goes on to explain Britains war aims by stating that secure behind the guns of the Grand Fleet, they were in no danger of invasion. They had gone to war for a cause the neutrality and independence of little Belgium.

The British would not be content with victory, they wanted somehow to make a better world. Remak also eludes to Britains reason for entering the war as being the German violation of Belgian neutrality. He claims that Britain considered the defense of Belgium all but a part of the defense of the realm and that the British cabinet had decided that if and only if the Germans were to violate Belgian neutrality, and the Belgians resisted, would Britain then intervene. However, Remak does note that it was possible that England would have joined Germany's enemies anyway, but that we will never know. He also points out that the violation of Belgium had not affected Britain directly in any way and that the British governments decision on a course of action was not necessarily a unanimous one. The violation of Luxembourg's neutrality had not disturbed the British unduly.

It was true that Britain was signatory to a treaty guaranteeing the neutrality of Luxembourg, but the country was very small and possessed no coast line facing the channel. The day before the British cabinet had still been divided over what course of action to take. McCullough however, claims that when Grey informed the German ambassador, Prince Lichnowsky, that the neutrality of Belgium would play an important role in England's decision to take part in the war, and Lichnowsky asked him if England would remain neutral if Germany did respect Belgian neutrality, Grey responded that he could not promise that. So it seems then, that what Grey was telling Germany that whether they attacked France through Belgium or not, the British were not likely to stay neutral.

In examining the varying views of Taylor, McCullough, Steiner and Remak, we can conclude that there are definitely opposing opinions concerning Britains relations to Germany prior to WWI and how those relations affected Britains eventual participation in it. There is the view that British German relations prior to the war were so effected by the naval race and the German industrial advancement that Britain actually wanted to go to war. Then there is the opposing view that although relations were strained, they were not strained enough to warrant war, that Britain merely entered the war to protect Belgian neutrality and in fact tried to stay out of things as long as possible. Both sides can be argued, and it is difficult to look at the situation in a neutral fashion. Remak makes an important point, in that all of the conflicts prior to the war, such as the naval / arms race for example, can falsify what took place and obscure what good will did exist between the two countries. Remak also points out that at the time, many of the issues were fairly casual matters and that it is only in retrospect that the instances of Anglo-German friction look so momentous.

Remak tends to argue a compromise between the two opposing opinions, although at times he may lean towards the British, and is careful to try and show both possible points of view. I tend to agree with most of his arguments, notably the one that the war was not inevitable, and was a result of many factors and not just particularly the state of Anglo-German relations prior to the war. However I do agree many times with McCullough, in that Britains resentment of Germany's industrial advancements was a factor in the estrangement between the two countries and in Britains participation in the war. BIBILIOGRAPHY Film -- -educational audio visual. Causes of world war I, second edition, library code v 3601 Albertini, Luigi. The Origins of the War of 1914.

London: Oxford University Press, 1957 Fischer, Fritz. Germany's aims in the First World War Germany: Dose Verlag und Druckerei GmbH, Dusseldorf, 1961 McCullough, Edward E. How the First World War Began, The Triple Entente and the Coming of the Great War of 1914 - 1918. Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1999 Members of the Oxford Faculty of Modern History. Why we are at war, Great Britains Case. London: Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1919 Remak, Joachim.

The Origins of World War I: 1871 - 1914. Illinois: Dryden Press, 1967 Schmitt, Bernadotte. The Coming of the War: 1914. volume II. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1966 (copyright? ) 1930 Steiner, Zara S.

Britain and the Origins of the First World War. New York: St. Martins Press, 1977 Taylor, AJP. The First World War: an illustrated history. Great Britain: Penguin Books, 1963


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