Essay on origins of World War I
The thesis in the article 'The origins of the World War', by Sidney B. Fay, can clearly be stated as the explanation for World War I. Fay states that no one country is responsible for the creation of the war. Furthermore, he goes on to explain that each of the European country's leaders did, or failed to do 'certain' things to provoke the other countries into a war. Fay states, "One must abandon the dictum of the Versailles Treaty that Germany and her allies were solely responsible. It was a dictum exacted by victors from vanquished, under the influence of the blindness, ignorance, hatred, and the propagandist misconceptions to which war had given rise." (Fay, The Origins of the World War). His main arguments are his explanations of how each country was responsible for the creation of the war. His first explanation is that of how Serbia was partly responsible. Fay explains that Serbia knew that by not co-operating with the Austrian government over the implications of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassination they were indirectly preparing for a war they would fight but did not want. Fay says that Austria was more responsible for the war than any other power but not in military attack, but more in the form of self-defe
The thesis of the article, Germany's Aims in the First World War, can be clearly stated as Germany's objective and claim to world power. Fischer can be quoted as saying, "Germany found herself, as Moltke put it, 'in a condition of hopeless isolation which was growing ever more hopeless." (Fischer, Germany's Aims in the First World War). Fischer's first explanation for this statement is that of Germany's rapid increase in population over the late 1800's and early 1900's, while France's population remained roughly the same. He believes that Germany's youth in population gave the 'national consciousness' a feeling, which reinforced the demand for market and industrial expansion. Furthermore, the life expectancy of the Germans was on an incline, and the infancy death rate was on the decline. Fischer was making the point that Germany was developing into a highly industrialized country and " ... the problem of finding markets and raw materials to support her population was growing increasingly urgent". (Fischer, Germany's Aims in the First World War) Fischer was quick to point out that at the time economic expansion was the 'basis of Germany's political world diplomacy'. This need and want for economic expansion brought forth Germany's 'ultimate objective', which was to claim world power. Fischer then explains how Germany's confidence was greatly depleting in their military strength as the French and Russians were quickly improving theirs. He also states that although Germany found themselves in a 'risky situation', they were confident they could win. Moltke was quoted as saying, "We are ready, and the sooner it comes, the better for us." Fischer was quick to defend the statement that much of the German propaganda after the war had 'maintained that the war was forced upon them, or at least that they all stumbled into the war'. Furthermore, shortly after the war broke out during the crises on the Marne and in Galicia, the Austrian allies asked the Germans for help against the Russian armies and were refused. Fischer defended this statement buy quoting the message by Berchtold. He said, 'the Austrians originally decided to go to war mainly on the fact that they were ensured by the German Emperor, and of the German Imperial Chancellor, that they regarded the situation as suitable, and would be glad if Austria showed themselves in
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Approximate Word count = 1589
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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