WWI+-+Role+of+Government

By Kyle

Government Involvement in WWI World War One began 1914 with the assassination of an Austrian heir to the throne. So it was the assassination of a government official that set off the entire war in the first place. The government played vital roles in world war one. They provided funding for it and ultimately decided the tides of the war. They made alliances which could give one side a better chance than the enemy. Also, they could escalate the type of warfare. The war was supposed to be a limited warfare between Siberia and Austria-Hungary. The two governments had tension between them before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was a government official. He was assassinated by a radical group called The Black Hand, who Austria-Hungary accused to be supported by Siberia. To make an example of them and to show their power over Serbia they crushed the nationalist’s movement in Serbia, as well they were able to show their influence over the Balkans. Afterwards they provided an ultimatum Serbia with steep terms. Their plan was that Serbia would decline their ultimatum and give them probable cause to begin a limited war. In their idea, eventually they would defeat Siberia and take their land and resources. Serbia accepted their terms except for #6 which demanded that the accused be brought to trial in Austria. They believed they had the upper hand in the war therefore Austria-Hungary acted a bit more arrogantly. However they didn’t know that Russia was on the side of Serbia, giving them a big boost over Austria-Hungary. The Joining of War On July 28th Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and by August 12th they had crossed the borders and began to invade with their first three of six armies. Thanks to the Russians however, their second army was redirected east to the Galacian theatre. The fifth and sixth army was mobilized outside of Serbia still though. At this point the Russians begin to mobilize as well. The Germans warn the Russians to stop mobilizing but the Russians continue to mobilize against Austria-Hungary. Germany declares war on Russia and France which later will involve many other countries joining the war as well. To outflank the French the Germans invaded Belgium and Luxemburg. However, Belgium was supposed to be neutral in this war due to a previous treaty, therefore Great Britain waged war on Germany while Montenegro wages war on Austria-Hungary and all associated allies (for reasons unknown to me). Later, Britain and France will declare war on Austria-Hungary as well. Later in the war Japan and America would join the war as well. This is evidence that this small scale limited warfare was escalated to total warfare because foreign governments formed alliances that they thought would help to boost their economy and status. They used Serbia and Austria’s war as a means to do this. German Domestic Politics In Germany Prussian Junkers (landed nobility of Prussia) feared the rise of left wing parties such as Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who made large gains in the 1912 elections. Famous historian Fritz Fischer would argue that the Prussian Junkers who dominated Germany politically joined the war in order to distract the population and raise German morale and patriotism. However, there were the chances that if they lost they would lose support. If they won a long and difficult war they could be alienated by foreign countries. The SPD was concerned about this however they weren’t completely in control yet and could not veto the vote to go to war with Russia. The Prussians knew that the Russians were in the midst of a reform. However, they failed to acknowledge the fact that they were also building up a large scale army. Trying to make a gain out of war Germany declared war on Russia and its ally France on August 1st 1914. French Domestic Politics There was a similar situation in France as there was in Germany. A century after the French revolution, there was still controversy between the left wing politicians and the right wing politicians. The left wing politicians wanted to introduce tax reform while the right wing politicians were more concerned with war. The left wing was actually in favor of going to war with the right wing as well. They both saw a civil war as being a simple solution to end this crisis. Below is an image of all the alliances formed during WWI: -Allied by the Triple Alliance -Allied by the Treaty Entente -Balkans However, before their war could properly break out they allied themselves with Russia in the war in order to have a large foreign support source. They saw Russia and the war as their answer to their controversy and used it to gain foreign support mainly. Also, the war could help them economically if won which would destroy the need for a tax reform. Ultimately they thought that they could also raise the support of their own people, while also proving that they would be a valuable asset in war. USA Motivation for Joining the War It is said that USA joined the war in 1917 partly because of guilt. They had stronger ties to Britain and France then they did to Austria and Germany, and they could see that their troops were exhausted. Intent on helping their traditional allies they joined them in war. By supplying them with quick reinforcement and resources the USA was able to give the allies a massive boost. America was able to provide reinforcements in France quickly supplying hundreds of thousands of troops in one wave. By August 1918, there were nearly 1,500,000 American troops in France, while Germany could only recruit 300,000 youthful soldiers with energy. Also, they helped provide resources like weaponry and food supplies mainly to Russia for their many troops. They also provided air support for them as well. However, the main way in which they helped was by providing funds for more supplies. They supplied the allies with a lot of money. It is said that over a billion dollars was contributed to the war from America. Another reason for America’s entry was for their trading rights as well. The British put up a naval blockade preventing German exchange but also it affected America’s trading route as well. To do this they used a neutral country like Sweden to use for trade. They figured that the blockade didn’t affect a neutral country like Sweden. However, the British and French responded by extending the blockade to include the Baltic neutrals as well which angered America. The only way to avoid the blockade and not have to destroy the allies in a war would be to join with them as well. Conclusion This has all been evidence that the government plays a vital role in the declaration of war. They all have their own reasons for going to war whether it is economically or morally. Without the government countries would not go to war.