An Analysis of Germany's Role in the Great War: Causes and Impacts

This essay meticulously examines Germany's pivotal role in the outbreak of the First World War, providing a comprehensive analysis of the key factors and events that led to the global conflict. It begins by highlighting the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as a critical catalyst, followed by an in-depth exploration of the July Crisis, the 'Blank Check' provided by Germany to Austria-Hungary, and the Schlieffen Plan. The essay delves into the strategic considerations behind the invasion of Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as Germany's pre-emptive military planning to conquer France and Russia. It also addresses the impacts of the war on Germany. The essay argues that Germany's actions and decisions, including its unconditional support for Austria-Hungary and its strategic military planning, were major contributing factors to the commencement of the Great War, and the essay concludes that Germany bears significant responsibility for the outbreak of the First World War.

Running head: ROLE OF GERMANY IN THE GREAT WAR
Role of Germany in Great War
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
The Great War also known as the First World War was one of the most gruesome and
damaging wars in the history of mankind, in which the countries were divided into two groups,
or alliances, the war continued for 45 years from 1914 to 1918. In the following essay, the role of
Germany in the outbreak of Great War is highlighted. Specific evidence and arguments are
formed and described in the essay below to give a clear idea about the reasons or factors that led
to the happening of the Great War. The first incident which gave a spark to the war was the
assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The July Crisis has been one of the catalysts of the
War following which the great powers declared the coalition. The killing of the “Austro
Hungarian Loyal” was attributed to Serbian government and its support to the terrorist entities.
The Austro Hungarian Monarchical government did not leave any stones unturned to decide on
an invasion on Serbia in this regards. These incidents were happening throughout July, and was
known as July crisis. The Schlieffen plan devised by the German military chief was another
action that was beforehand planned against the outbreak of the War. In addition to that was the
invasion of Belgium and Luxemburg which would give a free passage to Germany in order to
proceed towards the war against France and Russia. The essay will also throw light on the
impacts of the First World War in Germany.
Discussion
Germany was one of the major reasons that had caused the First World War to take place.
The World War began in the year of 1914. However, the beginning of it was marked when the
French people announced the war on Prussia. From the beginning of the 1900’s most of the

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country started to strengthen itself and its army’s with the help of technological advances and
against their respective ally.
Argument: A simple “no” to Austria-Hungary’s plan of invasion of Serbia, would have
stopped disaster in its tracks.
The murder of the Archduke and heir to the throne of Austria, Franz Ferdinand on
28th June 1914 in Sarajevo turned out to be one of the primary reasons which catapulted the
Great Wars. It worked as a spark to the beginning of the war. Serbia was a self-ruling country.
The harsh treatment over Serbia became the cause of the assassination of Franz by the terrorist
group the Black Hand1. The assassination of the Archduke was caused by Gavrilo Princip part of
the six-member terrorist group. The assassination was aimed at detaching the South Slav
provinces of Austria-Hungarian empire. Serbia was given an ultimatum by Austria-Hungarian
monarchy which was rejected which caused the primary reason to start the war. The other
countries of Europe had been entangled in various disputes, and hence the countries were
subsequently divided into two groups which was going to go the war.
The Blank check is marked as one of the infamous episodes in history and a promotion
of war2.
1Roberts, Ivor. "The Black Hand and the Sarajevo Conspiracy." In Balkan Legacies of the Great War: The Past is
Never Dead, pp. 23-42. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2016.
2 Levy, Jack S. "THE FIRST WORLD WAR: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, AND CONTROVERSIES." (2015).

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On the date of July 5, 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II, the ruler of Germany assures his
country’s unconditional and complete support for whatever action Austria-Hungary decides to
take in the conflict and dispute with Serbia. This was known as the blank check that Germany
provided to Austria-Hungary. Therefore, this further escalated the tensions. This blank check by
Germany was one of the causes of the great war and therefore Germany has been held as
responsible for the massacre.
Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the officials of Vienna decided to
punish Serbia and take over the Dual Monarchy. However, the Austria-Hungary needed the
support of Germany which was clear when they stated Hoyos’ two documents to the Kaiser.
Austria-Hungary was not in a strong position to fight with Serbia as the army was in the worst
state and many problems were going on in the empire which was mainly a cause of the
nationalism of the Balkan area3. The murder of Franz Ferdinand was a personal loss to Wilhelm.
the day when the Kaiser’s took the pledge which was termed as carte blanche or blank check by
the historians, marked the crucial moment in the various reasons of the outbreak of the First
World War in Europe in 1914. The conflict would not have been possible without the
unconditional support of Germany’s promise or assurance towards any of the punitive action on
Serbia.
The July crisis of 1914 formed a chain reaction of events firing the Great War. The
chain started with the murder of Austro-Hungarian royal in Bosnia. This incident was followed
by the decision of “teaching a lesson” tyo Serbia by Austria-Hungary which was supported
whole heartedly by Germany, in the form of the “Blank Check”. Germany also pledged to sign
3 Todman, Dan. The Great War: myth and memory. A&C Black, 2014.

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any documents that was required to ensure that Germany was a part of the coalition of Austria-
Hungary, and the support of Germany would continue, even if Russia would turn for war, to
accomplish the attack on Serbia4. Therefore, the month following the assassination came to be
known as the July Crisis5. It can be added that the German’s believed that they were much more
prepared than the Russians and the French and finally they wanted the war to begin sooner.
Finally, on 23rd which was one month later after the assassination, Austria-Hungary sent an
ultimatum to the Serbian government consisting of ten worded demands and a requirement to
respond in agreement within 48 hours. The Russians were not in the best prepared situation, the
German’s had better preparations in terms of military might, and weaponry. The situation was
chaotic and the political dimensions of the continent was changing fast, however the Great War
started by the end of the July and early August 1914.
It can be stated by analyzing the present political situation of that time, German’s
intervention in the crisis between Austria-Hungary acted as a catalyst in the first Word War.
German was one of the militarily powerful countries of Europe, the support of Germany had
made the Austria-Hungary monarch more confident about their attack on Serbia. If Germany had
not assured its support, and Russia came up as a support to Serbia, Austria-Hungary would not
possibly attack the Serbian nation. This can be related to the desire of Kaiser Wilhelm II who
wanted to lead Germany and its power to its greatness. Germany already had a perception that if
4Muthukrishnan, Moksha. "What Caused the First World War?: A dyadic approach to explaining the outbreak of the
war in light of the rivalry between Austria-Hungary and Russia." (2015).
5 Myburgh, John. "Without Prejudice." (2014).

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it would support Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia, then Russia would involve defending Serbia.
These would help Germany to break the Russia-France ally, which was expected by Germany6.
Argument: Germany already had a plan in place for the attack of France and Russia
Germany had a different strategy to conquer and win over France and Russia both at
the same time by breaking the alliance. France was in a period of economic modernization and
was growing into national unity. It was transforming from a nation of peasants to modern and
diverse economy. France has conducted negotiations and foreign visits to strengthen its existing
alliances with Russia and Britain. The early 20th century informally began the plan by the
German’s to fight and launch the Great War. Schlieffen’s Plan was created way before the
assassination of Austria-Hungary royal Franz Ferdinand and even before there was any residue
of the happening of the Great War. The Schlieffen Plan was initiated to plan for the war
against France and Russia, created or designed by the German Chief Count Von Schlieffen7.
It was a sort of battle plan which was drawn up by the Germans to safeguard the victory
beforehand against France and Russia.
When Germany had been strategizing to launch offensive on France, and possibly Russia
was a part of their strategy as well, Russia was engaged in a war with Japan in its eastern front.
The Russo-Japanese war developed out of the rivalry between Russia and Japan regarding the
dominance of Korea and Manchuria. Russia was drawn in the War because of its power and
ability and the error of judgments like military overconfidence and enough of trust in the
6 Herwig, Holger H. The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918. A&C Black, 2014.
7 Hewitson, Mark. Germany and the causes of the First World War. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014.

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alliances which was not mandatory. The War started when Russia put pressure on China to grant
a lease for the strategically important port of Port Arthur, in southern Manchuria, in the year of
1898. During These process, Russia had concluded an alliance with China against Japan, which
led to winning the rights to extend the Trans-Siberian railroad across China and Manchuria to the
Russian seaport. After building the Trans-Siberian railroad still, they lacked in the
transportation facilities which became necessary to reinforce the armed forces in Manchuria.
This was the time when Japan decided to launch an offensive against Russia, as the alliance with
China had resulted in its security concern. There were multiple attacks on various occasions, and
the Russian army was in the back foot, as its military preparedness was not up to the mark. This
was one of the causes which weakened Russia economically and militarily, and Germany got an
upper hand in its endeavor in the Western front of Russia to do as it wanted with France and
Serbia. The German’s strategized that if an offensive was launched just then on the western
frontier of Russia, then the Russians would take considerable time to mobilize its army from the
eastern frontier, and till that time France will be captured and the German army can march
further towards Russia. Military disasters at Tannenburg had majorly weakened Russian army
in the initial stage of the War. The lack of leadership and army equipment was a drawback to
Russia which was not in favor for the Great War against Austria-Hungary and Germany alliance.
Germany wanted a large European war which was only possible after the involvement of
the great powers in the Great War. At first, the war was simply initiated to break Russia-France
alliance which was a prepared plan by the Germans much before the assassination had taken
place8.
8 Silberstein, Gerard E. The Troubled Alliance: German-Austrian Relations, 1914--1917. University Press of
Kentucky, 2015.

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Argument: Invasion of neutral Belgium was a calling for war
The Treaty of London was signed in the year of 1839, in which Britain promised to
safeguard the neutrality of Belgium after the recent invasions. It was designed by the allies to
guarantee Belgium its impartiality and independence.
Belgium was a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1815. However, in
1830 the Catholic Belgians went apart and established their own independent Kingdom of
Belgium. The co-signatories of the treaty of London were- Great Britain, Austria, France, the
German Confederation, Russia and the Netherlands had officially accepted the independence and
Britain agreed to protect the neutrality9. The major powers agreed to the treaty and signed it. The
treaty is believed to catalyze the World War. On the other hand, Britain, Germany and France
had all committed to respecting the independence of Belgium, but Germany stepped back with
the commitment, and decided to divert energy just to fight against Russia and France.
Britain was one of the powerful empires which only focused on ruling its empire
effectively. The difficulties and the treaty signed to safeguard Belgium neutrality became the
reason for forwarding the ultimatum to Germany. The people of Britain were not at all interested
in the activities that were taking place in parts of Europe. Great Britain with its empire was the
most powerful among the major allies. It was politically and socially stable with a great naval,
financial and its strength were critical in the victory10. Regarding military Britain was the
substantial winner of the war as compared to Germany.
9 Vogt, Roland. "Belgium: A Nation-State without a National Identity?." In European National Identities, pp. 25-42.
Routledge, 2017.
10 Woodward, Llewellyn. Great Britain and the War of 1914-1918 (RLE The First World War). Routledge, 2017.

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Germany has an effective strategy in capturing Belgium and henceforth protect itself
from its rivals encircling its territory. Its rivals were France and Russia11. The plan was to acquire
France, but first Belgium had to be brought under control to achieve that, and they knew that
Russia would be busy meanwhile in mobilizing the Army from East to West. On 1st August
1914, when Germany declared free passage from Belgium, then it applied its Schlieffen plan
over the dual alliance of France and Russia12. The plan was set as such Germany would
anticipate the declaration of war to the Russian’s closest ally which was France by bringing the
Schlieffen plan into action. France was a country with very poor defense. Therefore, Germany
was very confident in bringing the country on its knees. Then Germany would encircle the region
of Paris and force France to surrender. It would help Germany to pay full attention towards the
Eastern front. However, when Britain sent an ultimatum to Germany to take back their forces
from Belgium to protect the neutrality of Belgium but Germany refused to it straightforward13.
These reason led to the final declaration of war between the groups led by Britain and Germany
respectively.
Germany aimed to have a massive empire with more substantial power including army
and navy. Germany took a risk which if not made would have given out some other consequence
11 Phelps, Nicole M. "Maartje Abbenhuis. An Age of Neutrals: Great Power Politics, 1815–1914." (2015): 1547-
1548.
12 Ahlstrom, David. "The hidden reason why the First World War matters today: The development and spread of
modern management." Brown J. World Aff. 21 (2014): 201.
13 Newton, Douglas. "Lost opportunities for a negotiated peace, 1914-1918." Teaching History 49, no. 2 (2015): 52.

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of the Great War. The other countries did not have an idea about the plans of Germany, and its
strategies of waging a war in both the eastern and western fronts. Therefore, this made the
process of comprehension of the other countries about the war slow. The alliance which was
against Germany did not know much about the strengths of Germany either. Germany was at war
with French and British in the Western Front, and fighting with Russians on the Eastern Front.
The German had an idea to overrun Belgium and then attack Paris. However, one of the critical
factors that can be considered is the invasion of Luxemburg and Belgium. France and Germany
were in the odds since the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. By invading Belgium, Germany could
have bypassed one of its threats of being encircled by its rivals. Germany’s Schlieffen plan was
initiated and a strategy to conquer France and Russia, but it became a failure at one certain point
where with the same plan to fight with two front war against major powers was impossible.
Germany further made improvements in the plan with the help of Von Moltke.
However, the outbreak of the world war would not have succeeded if Germany would have
resisted from testing its power against of France, Russia and Britain. Germany was aware that it
is prepared for the upcoming war as compared to other powers. It sourced and headed towards
the Great War expecting that if Germany violated Belgium’s international treaty, it would lead
Britain to declare war. Germany wanted a war knowing the risk, but it wished to acquire larger
European war.
The period of World War I became the final significant and affecting moment of time for
the Germany people. After the world war or while in the middle of the war it was an inevitable
change for Germany. The German people had shown a complex reaction to the World War
outbreak. Many German people out of over enthusiasm had been over supportive about the war.
The German Government had a perception that the War was a way to establish German

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supremacy over Britain, Russia, and other German enemies. Therefore, it was very much
interested in making this war a reality. They were very much confident about their preparedness
of military might. The war was presented as the chance for Germany to secure "our place under
the sun," as Foreign Minister Bernhard von Bülow presented it. Apart from that the political
situation within Germany was creating this perception among the monarchy that the war and
success in the war was necessary to unite the German public behind the monarchy, otherwise if
the rise of the Social Democratic Party of Germany had been left unabated. This party was one of
the most audible opposition of the German Monarchy and the Keiser in the Reichstag. As the
war was inevitable the Social Democratic Party of Germany had ended its stark opposition to the
German Monarchy and had offered its support to the war efforts by the establishment. Therefore,
Germany intentionally became a cause for the first world war. To establish its supremacy in
Europe, and to establish the supremacy of German monarchy within the country. However, the
fact was, Germany authorities who had designed the strategy for the war did not put enough
attention to the intricate details. After the starting of the war as British Royal Navy blockaded the
supply of food to Germany there was a scarcity of food that started throughout the country.
Conclusion
Germany had been the primary factors which played a crucial role in shaping the World
War 1 or the Great War. It had its own ambitions and objectives to make this war happen, which
have been discussed in the above paragraphs. The death of the Austria-Hungarian royal was just
the immediate cause of the War. The background was being prepared since long, and Germany
had the most important role to play to make sure the war takes place. The Blank Check that was
provided by the Germans to Austria-Hungary to support them even if Russia declares war was
one of the incidents which if would not have happened, the war may not have taken place. In the

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pursuit of expanding its own territory, and establishing its supremacy all over Europe, Germany
became the prime cause of such a drastic war. The war had an immense impact over the political,
economic and social environment all over the world. However, it can be justified to say that not
only Germany but all the countries had their own roles to play in causing the war and it could
have been averted if all the countries would have been responsible on their parts.