reasons why ww1 was pointless reasons why ww1 was pointless

The Causes and War Aims of World War One. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? In August 1914 The Independent magazine described the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife in June as a "deplorable but relatively insignificant" reason for which[6]. The Independent concluded that "such is the ridiculous and tragical situation resulting from the survival of the antiquated superstition of the 'balance of power,' that is, the theory that the prosperity of one nation was an injury to others":[6]. For more than a century, the northern . The Near and Middle East on the eve of war. The status of Morocco had been guaranteed by international agreement, and when France attempted a great expansion of its influence there without the assent of all other signatories, Germany opposed and prompted the Moroccan Crises: the Tangier Crisis of 1905 and the Agadir Crisis of 1911. The Versailles treaty officially declared Germanys war guilt, but Clark finds fault in every European capital. Several key factors played a part in this change of course. It was the bloodiest war in history to that point. This website will always remain free but if you enjoy its varied and controversial comment feel free to assist In fact, if you look at many British war memorials the dates for the . Some of the distant origins of World War I can be seen in the results and consequences of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and 1871 and the concurrent unification of Germany. World War I (a.k.a the First World War, the Great War, the War To End All Wars) was . We had to justify what was a senseless unfolding slaughter by any means possible. During moments of crisis, such as big offensives, the British could occasionally spend up to seven days on the front line but were far more often rotated out after just a day or two. Maybe your original goal was taken from you-a lost career, a health . Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Between battles, a unit spent perhaps 10 days a month in the trench system and, of those, rarely more than three days right up on the front line. Imperialism is the expansion of a government's power through the conquest of new territories. Among the immediate causes were the decisions made by statesmen and generals during the July Crisis, which was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by the Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip, who had been supported by a nationalist organization in Serbia. Russia initially agreed to avoid territorial changes, but later in 1912, it supported Serbia's demand for an Albanian port. Men from higher social statuses became officers. What Is Balkanization? Lloyd George's famous Mansion House speech of 21 July 1911 angered the Germans and encouraged the French. By 1897, the regular army was 545,000 strong and the reserves 3.4 million. Scholars looking at the long term seek to explain why two rival sets of powers (the German Empire and Austria-Hungary against the Russian Empire, France, the British Empire and later the United States) came into conflict by 1915. Trench warfare is a form of static, defensive warfare. During the war more than 200 generals were killed, wounded or captured. In advance, I thank you, Tom Winnifrith. There is ample evidence to suggest that statesmen and military leaders thought the war would be lengthy and terrible and have profound political consequences. While the banks had ties to arms manufacturers, it was those companies that had links to the military, not the banks, which were pacifistic and profoundly hostile to the prospect of war. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. The fact is, at 1913 Germany was on the verge of world domination. Poisonous gas filled a quarter of all the artillery shells fired on the western front in 1918. M-A-I-N. The wounded archduke begged his unconscious wife to stay alive for their children, but within the hour both were dead. reasons why ww1 was pointless "[26], The Triple Entente between Britain, France, and Russia is often compared to the Triple Alliance between Germany, AustriaHungary and Italy, but historians caution against that comparison as simplistic. After an Austrian and then an international naval demonstration in early 1912 and Russia's withdrawal of support, Serbia backed down. [15], France eventually recovered from its defeat, paid its war indemnity, and rebuilt its military strength. [72], Hamilton was more critical of the view that capitalists and business leaders drove the war. In any case, Germany never came close to catching up with Britain. Russia? For purposes of ultimate emergencies it may be found to have no substance at all. Debate over the country that "started" the war and who bears the blame still continues. 5. Most inhabitants associated the Habsburgs with the benefits of orderly government, public education, welfare, sanitation, the rule of law, and the maintenance of a sophisticated infrastructure. Rightly we remember the brave men of both sides who gave their lives for their country. From 1902 to 1910, the Royal Navy embarked on its own massive expansion to keep ahead of the Germans. It was the industrialised weaponry of World War I that made trench warfare the norm rather than an occasional strategy. 1. War was no longer noble, even as some of the men who fought it were noble beyond compare. Christopher Clark described that change as "a very important development in the pre-war system which made the events of 1914 possible. The American historian Paul Schroeder agrees with the critics that Fisher exaggerated and misinterpreted many points. It's simplistic but provides a useful framework. The Lusitania. Austria-Hungary, although not a combatant, was weakened, as a much-enlarged Kingdom of Serbia pushed for union of all South Slavs. Conservative estimates of the dead in the 14 . Although the great majority of casualties in WW1 were from the working class, the social and political elite were hit disproportionately hard by WW1. In early 1915, Germany introduced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic. Consensus on the origins of the war remains elusive, since historians disagree on key factors and place differing emphasis on a variety of factors. [73] In Britain, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George, had been informed by the Governor of the Bank of England that business and financial interests opposed British intervention in the war. For the British there was meat every day - a rare luxury back home - cigarettes, tea and rum, part of a daily diet of more than 4,000 calories. In fact it was the chaos of the war, the wholesale slaughter that created the breeding ground for communism to take a grip in Russia. [90] Britain ignored its small army and focused on building up the Royal Navy, which was already stronger than the next two navies combined. "[24] Despite the infamous 1908 interview in The Daily Telegraph, which implied that Kaiser Wilhelm wanted war, he came to be regarded as a guardian of peace. One of the most important reasons to write articles that no one reads is that you can say whatever you want. However, this was recognised as important enough to the British that it was actively and strategically being managed through financing to share rail access, and through diplomacy not to share northern rail access to the Persian Gulf. Rather, after weeks of clumsy diplomacy, they consciously led their nations into battle. The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe in 1912 and 1913. "[53] The Conservative Party leader Ernst von Heydebrand und der Lasa suggested that "a war would strengthen patriarchal order. [71], Hamilton somewhat criticized the view that the war was launched to secure colonies, but agreed that imperialism may have been on the mind of key decision makers. Arbitration, neutrality and securityv.9. Given that . In its middle years the conflict became a triple stalemate, at once military (neither side . Cambridge University Press, 2017. More than a third of German males born between 1892 and 1895 died in the course of the war. These are 5 reasons why the United States joined World War One. Moreover, the Russian Civil War can in many ways be considered a continuation of World War I, as can various other conflicts in the direct aftermath of 1918. Although it was inevitable, the horrific loss of life was pointless. Moreover, whoever lost the war would pay an indemnity and therefore have to cede some of its interests to the victor, whether in the form of the loser's directly controlled colonies or in their financial interests in nominally independent states. Most importantly, it granted freedom of action to Britain in Egypt and to France in Morocco. Gallipoli was fought by Australians and New Zealanders, 7. [65] The impact of the Triple Entente was twofold: improving British relations with France and its ally, Russia, and showing the importance to Britain of good relations with Germany. Recent wars since 1865 had typically been short: a matter of months. Not to say that this fic was bad but it was difficult to stick around after another character was added only to show up every 50 thousand words or so for 1 line of dialogue. Kennedy says that most historians agree that American entry into World War I tipped the scales against Germany and that without the participation of the United States the Allies would have lost . Franco-Russian Alliance (1894) Both Russia and France, which had been humiliated in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, feared the rising power . The war, while it's causes juvenile, it's commanders incompetent, and it's methods brutal, was not pointless. IMPERIALISM AS A SPECIAL STAGE OF CAPITALISM", "VI. Brose, Eric. Hewitson, Mark. And the cause of the public clashes can be traced to changes in the balance of power in Europe that had been taking place since 1867.[5]. [4] The crisis escalated as the conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia was joined by their allies Russia, Germany, France, and ultimately Belgium and the United Kingdom. More than a third of German males born between 1892 and 1895 died in the course of the war. Then, Europe imploded. Although general narratives of the war tend to emphasize the importance of alliances in binding the major powers to act in the event of a crisis such as the July Crisis, historians such as Margaret MacMillan warn against the argument that alliances forced the Great Powers to act as they did: "What we tend to think of as fixed alliances before the First World War were nothing of the sort. Anglo-German tension. Versailles was not harsh but was portrayed as such by Hitler, who sought to create a tidal wave of anti-Versailles sentiment on which he could then ride into power. The Great War left more than 20 million soldiers dead and 21 million more wounded, which can be attributed to trench warfare and the number of . Germany's "New Course" in foreign affairs, Weltpolitik ("world policy"), was adopted in the 1890s after Bismarck's dismissal. USA TODAY Network reached out to historians and foreign policy experts to determine what lessons from World War I can be applied a century . Russia ordered a partial mobilization on 25 July against Austria-Hungary only. Germany's army collapsed as a series of mighty allied blows scythed through supposedly impregnable defences. Of course that ignores the fact that World War One was not caused by those evil Hun wanting to take over Europe but by events further East. Furthermore, the wide acceptance of Social Darwinism by intellectuals justified Germany's right to acquire colonial territories as a matter of the "survival of the fittest," according to the historian Michael Schubert. In August 1914, both sides expected a quick victory. "War was compared to a tonic for a sick patient or a life-saving operation to cut out diseased flesh. The US Navy was in a period of growth, which made the German gains very ominous. Caprivi's strategy appeared to work when, during the outbreak of the Bosnian crisis of 1908, Germany successfully demanded that Russia step back and demobilize. Hugo Stinnes, a leading German industrialist, advocated peaceful economic development and believed that Germany would be able to rule Europe by economic power and that war would be a disruptive force. The German government was still dominated by the Prussian Junkers, who feared the rise of left-wing parties. Conversely, Germany had a few unprofitable colonies, and Austria-Hungary had no overseas holdings or desire to secure any. MacMillan, Margaret (2013). Thus, he argues that colonies were pursued mainly as a sign of German power and prestige, rather than for profit, which could be got through trade alone. Secondary fault lines exist between those who believe that Germany deliberately planned a European war, those who believe that the war was largely unplanned but was still caused principally by Germany and Austria-Hungary taking risks, and those who believe that some or all of the other powers (Russia, France, Serbia, United Kingdom) played a more significant role in causing the war than has been traditionally suggested. The Liberal government had passed a Home Rule bill for Ireland over the objections of the Lords, and the army was threatening revolt. He regarded colonial ambitions as a waste of money but simultaneously recommended them to other nations. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Entente, in contrast to the Triple Alliance and the Franco-Russian Alliance, was not an alliance of mutual defence, and so in 1914 Britain felt free to make its own foreign policy decisions. [41], By then, Russia had mostly recovered from its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, and the calculations of Germany and Austria were driven by a fear that Russia would eventually become too strong to be challenged. Read about our approach to external linking. Sources. Officials had meanwhile altered the published route, but the royal chauffeur was either confused or uninformed, and made the most fateful wrong turn in world history. Weltpolitik, particularly as expressed in Germany's objections to France's growing influence in Morocco in 1904 and 1907, also helped cement the Triple Entente. He thought that businessmen, bankers, and financiers were generally against the war, as they viewed it as being perilous to economic prosperity. Germany had a Parliament and a powerful King (Kaiser) as did Britain. However, Schroeder endorses Fisher's basic conclusion: From 1890 on, Germany did pursue world power. The Absence of Grand Strategy in British War Planning before 1914", Bresciani, Marco. First World War. It could be the best of times, or the worst of times. The Radical isolationists obtained an agreement for official cabinet approval of all initiatives that might lead to war. [69] Having completed the division of the world among themselves at the beginning of the century, the developed capitalist states would thereafter compete for hegemony in the form of a redivision of those territories, both in the industrialized areas (e.g., "German appetite for Belgium; French appetite for Lorraine"), and in primarily agrarian areas.[68]. Imperial rivalries between France, Britain, Russia and Germany played an important part in the creation of the Triple Entente and the relative isolation of Germany. That is important for the origins of the conflict since it suggests that since it was expected that the war would be short, statesmen tended not to take gravity of military action as seriously as they might have done so otherwise. An estimated nine million soldiers were killed and countless more civilians. In 1969, A. J. P. Taylor wrote that mobilization schedules were so rigid that once they were begun, they could not be canceled without massive disruption of the country and military disorganisation, and they could not proceed without physical invasion (of Belgium by Germany). None of Germany's colonies made more money than was required to maintain them, and they also were only 0.5% of Germany's overseas trade, and only a few thousand Germans migrated to the colonies. The start of the war renewed attention of old goals: expelling the Ottomans from Constantinople, extending Russian dominion into eastern Anatolia and Persian Azerbaijan, and annexing Galicia. The Balkan Wars strained the German alliance with Austria-Hungary. February 11, 2022. They agreed to protect each other. 1930): 1:290-93. With the formation of the informal Triple Entente, Germany began to feel encircled. And the royal houses of Europe were almost all linked by blood. In trenches that stretched an unbroken 475 miles from the North Sea to the Swiss border, the Germans constructed walls using corpses, so that French troops who captured a trench hung canteens from protruding ankles. Their sons provided the junior officers whose job it was to lead the way over the top and expose themselves to the greatest danger as an example to their men. But once again many endeavour to rewrite history and pretend that World War One was not utterly pointless.Some folks say that our gallant Tommies died fighting for Democracy. Moltke, Joffre, Conrad, and other military commanders held that seizing the initiative was extremely important. front was almost equal to the number of italian casualities.the fact that the the great majority of assaults was pointless and that many brave soldiers died this way is . ", Williamson Jr, Samuel R., and Ernest R. May. Like any war, it all comes down to luck. 10. After WW2 Germany was occupied, split up, its factory machinery smashed or stolen and millions of prisoners forced to stay with their captors and work as slave labourers. In October 1913, the council of ministers decided to send Serbia a warning followed by an ultimatum for Germany and Italy to be notified of some action and asked for support and for spies to be sent to report if there was an actual withdrawal. ", Ulrich Trumpener, "Liman von Sanders and the German-Ottoman alliance.". Cambridge University Press, 2004, p.76. Even arms manufacturers, the so-called "Merchants of Death," would not necessarily benefit since they could make money selling weapons at home, but they could lose access to foreign markets. Germany was tied by treaty to Austria, France to Russia and Britain to France. The First World War (WWI) was fought from 1914 to 1918 and the Second World War (or WWII) was fought from 1939 to 1945. Although the Haldane Mission of February 1912 failed to halt the Anglo-German naval arms race, the race suddenly paused in late 1912 as Germany cut its naval budget. As he realized his mistake and stopped the car, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb member of the assassination squad, stepped forward and fired two shots. One of the strongest sources of opposition to the war was from major banks, whose financial bourgeoisie regarded the army as the reserve of the aristocracy and utterly foreign to the banking universe. Answer (1 of 5): The war was not pointless and many were patriotic about their cause. [citation needed]. Equally, the French insisted that the Russians should not use the alliance to provoke Austria-Hungary or Germany in the Balkans and that France did not recognize in the Balkans a vital strategic interest for France or Russia. 79-80, Hamilton, Richard F., and Holger H. Herwig. Ferguson argues, "So decisive was the British victory in the naval arms race that it is hard to regard it as in any meaningful sense a cause of the First World War. Others, such as Clark, believe that German isolation was the unintended consequence of a dtente between Britain, France, and Russia. Jules Cambon, the French ambassador to Berlin (19071914), worked hard to secure a dtente, but French leaders decided that Berlin was trying to weaken the Triple Entente and was not sincere in seeking peace. The return to seventh-century standards of thought and behavior incited by the Iranian revolution of 1979 and practiced by jihadists across the Middle East. The short-term cause was the fact that Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Perhaps some of our soldiers really believed our propaganda about the wicked ways of the evil Bosch? with our running costs and to show your appreciation with a one off or regular donation. "The First World War was a tragic and unnecessary conflict.". In the end, France established a protectorate over Morocco that increased European tensions. [10] Lacking the capacity for Bismarck's strategic ambiguity, Caprivi pursued a policy that was oriented towards "getting Russia to accept Berlin's promises on good faith and to encourage St. Petersburg to engage in a direct understanding with Vienna, without a written accord. Russia tended to support Serbia as a fellow Slavic state, considered Serbia its "client," and encouraged Serbia to focus its irredentism against Austria-Hungary because it would discourage conflict between Serbia and Bulgaria, another prospective Russian ally, in Macedonia. Save. Was WW1 a futile waste? [77] It gave an impetus to German assertiveness as a world economic and military power, aimed at competing with France and Britain for world power. Key markers were the 1894 Franco-Russian Alliance, the 1904 Entente Cordiale with Britain, and the 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention, which led to the Triple Entente. Jean-Marie Mayeur, and Madeleine Rebirioux, Samuel R. Williamson Jr., "German Perceptions of the Triple Entente after 1911: Their Mounting Apprehensions Reconsidered,". Both sets became, by August 1914, Germany and Austria-Hungary on one side and Russia, France, and Britain on the other side. This was not, as some suggest , a battle between a democracy and a dictatorship but between two countries both crawling towards democracy.A chap on twitter lambasted me for queerying his assertion that there was a link between the sacrifice our young men made and Britain not suffering communism and fascism.