Germany was a new power in Europe; the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership in January 1871 was the result of the brilliant diplomacy of Otto von Bismarck who by skilful use of war, and his excellent methods of convincing others of his good intentions created the new empire. However, the emergence of the German empire had upset the balance of Central Europe maintained for centuries by the Holy Roman Empire and temporarily sustained by the German Confederation. Many people believe that the invoking of hatred within France by the creation of this new empire and the mistrust of the other surrounding empires over Prussian expansionist tendencies led inevitably to a European war. The fact that war was averted for nearly forty years was due to Bismarck's brilliant diplomacy. He managed to convince the other European powers that

France and Germany had become enemies through a series of wars during the 19th century. During the Napoleonic wars, Napoleon had not only beaten Prussia on several occasions, but Prussia had been humiliated. The result of this humiliation was that Prussia sought to get even, and the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 resulted in not only a humiliating defeat for France, but also the unification of Germany. France had been looking for revenge ever since, and the prospect of an alliance against Germany appealed to the nationalist feelings within France.

So, to what extent was Germany responsible for the war of 1914? If one considers that the Alliance system rendered war inevitable, then it can be said that Germany was entirely to blame. It was Germany's Triple Alliance with Austria and Italy that began the system of Alliances under Bismarck. Germany can also be held responsible for the lapse of the Reinsurance treaty with the result of a Franco-Russian alliance followed closely by a Triple Entente between Russia, Britain and France. Therefore, the defensive alliances, which were certainly conducive to a hostile atmosphere, could certainly be blamed no Germany and indeed these were vital in the eventual European war. However, these alliances cannot be entirely blamed for the war.

However, Germany cannot be exemplified from blame, it was the promise of unconditional support that allowed Austria to act. It is difficult to comprehend why Germany did this, but it is reasonable to assume that either Germany wanted war or that she trusted Austria not to go to war. Either way it is reasonable to say that as a consequence of Germany's non-committal 'Blank Cheque', Austria was able to go to war with the full support of its powerful ally.

Prussia's only ambition was to consolidate its gains and not to expand further. He also made a series of complex treaties with Russia, Austria and Italy. The basic outcome of this web of agreements was that Germany had a neutrality pact with Russia in the event of an Austro-Russian war, whilst promising support to Austria and Italy in the event of a war with another country. These treaties succeeded in isolating France a kept the peace for a considerable time, in this way what Bismarck achieved was momentous. Whether, had Bismarck continued as German Chancellor after 1890 on the accession of Wilhelm II, war may have been averted we will never know. It is unlikely that Bismarck's delay could have been sustained indefinitely even had Bismarck remained as Chancellor. However, war, if inevitable, would have come about in a different way under Bismarck as he would have never allowed the alliance system of 1914 exist had he been in power.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Wilhelm II, Franz Ferdinand, Austria Austria, Stefano Treaty, Austria Italy, France Belgium, Cheque' Austrians, Britain December, Germany Russia, German Confederation, european war, outbreak war, wilhelm ii, austria italy, led war, 'blank cheque', war averted, reinsurance treaty, archduke franz ferdinand, archduke franz, franz ferdinand, kaiser wilhelm ii, san stefano treaty, tsar nicholas ii, war russia's mobilisation,
Approximate Word count = 2745
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)