Fatima Saavedra

Memo 1
World War I was a war that was expected to be taken care of quickly. No one expected
the war to drag on-like it would. Carol von Clauswitz described war as a trinity composed of the
policy of government, the activities of the military, and the passions of the people. These
dynamics can be applied to World War I as a whole because most actions of the war can be
grouped within these elements.
The government policy during World War I differed between the Triple Entete and the
Central Powers, but they also had some similarities. The Germans firmly believed that they were
in a defensive war. They believed that they were taking a stand against England and its need to
conquer-imperialism (England already controlled most of Europe). The Germans wanted to be a
great power in the world, and the governing officials believed that entering the war would prove
their worth as well-to secure our place under the sun as Bernhard von Bulow had put it. The
Kaiser and the German states also hoped that the war would unite them. There had been a threat
posed by the Social Democratic Party of Germany who had been a critic of the Kaiser before the
war, and some governing officials believed that the war would eliminate the threat. The
Austrians feared that their multi-racial empire might fail if they did not confront the threat of
Serb nationalism. The Austrian-Hungary Empire had many ethnic groups within its territory, and
they wanted to try to unite and keep control of their territory-which they believed the war might
aid. They were also quite alarmed by the death of the Emperor and had wanted compensation.
The Russians did not want to be seen as a weak because they were the protector of the Slavs.
They also were pulled into the war because of their alliance with the French; however their main
motivation was redemption from the Russo-Japanese war and and their alliance to the Slavs
(the Russians and the Slavs had many similar affinities and Russia didnt want to seem weak).
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Frances principle defense against the Germans was an alliance with Russia. France was on a
threat to be invaded by the Germans, so it can be inferred that they really didnt have much of a
choice in entering the war. On the other hand, the United Kingdom entered the war to defend
Belgiums neutrality, their moral commitment to France (which they had been cultivating for
years), their belief that they were protecting their lower countries, and for the long-term security
of the British Empire. All governments feared the people. Some of the governments welcomed
the war because they thought that patriotism would help untie the countries, but others feared
that the war would be a social catastrophe-destroying everything in its path. The governments
would eventually take measures to promote nationalism and propaganda around their nations-to
spur citizens to believe in their respective countries and their nationality.
The activities of the military were and continue to be harshly criticized by many. World
War I wasnt supposed to last such a long time. The war, as expected by both sides, was only
supposed to last a couple of months, yet it went on for a couple years. Militarism rise had been a
crucial event in the decades before the war. The countries were at war against one another to
have the better weapons, military, and navy (and other modes of warfare). The countries would
keep a close eye on each other during this military expansion-they all wanted to be the best. This
was certainly a factor in World War I. Each country definitely wanted to prove that they were the
best of the bunch, and with the inventions of new weapons and modes of warfare everyone
thought they had the upper hand (this happened many times during the war-though most of the
time the advantageous feelings were not simultaneous by the opposing countries.). The new
assortment of long range weapons and growing battle fields changed the way the war worked.
Battle plans at the beginning were nave to the new weapons of warfare. The refusal to abandon
the old formations and old weapons led to the death of many soldiers on both sides, and once the
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scope of the new weapons was realized it led to many stalemates. The German Schlieffen plan
was designed to attack the French quickly through Belgium. The Germans had expected Belgium
to allow their military forces to march through their country in order to get to France, but the
resistance proved to hinder the Germans from the fast advance that they had sought out. The
Belgians were overrun eventually, but there had been many casualties that were not expectedespecially on the German side. The Germans refused to give up, and they continued marching
even though their men were extremely tired. The lack of reason caused many German military
deaths. The Schlieffen plan failed. Trench warfare and a two-front war on Germany caused the
war to drag on. Trench warfare resulted in stalemates because military advancements were hard.
If anyone tried to make their way towards enemy territory, then they would be eliminated. The
heavy artillery fire of the opposing side would take them out in an instant once they were
spotted. The weather also hindered attacks especially in the winter of 1914. There was constant
rain and cold weather which caused the immobile men to become disheartened by their
advancements approaches. The weather also created an open window to sickness. They had to
constantly move through piles of mud that accumulated in the trenches, and any advancement on
the enemy was slow and most of the time unsuccessful. Sending men out in the open would
cause a clear barrage of artillery to come hurtling towards them-hence many deaths without a
positive outcome. Another mode of warfare that was introduced was the use of gas. The
Germans were the first to enforce it; however, the Triple Entete had been outraged by such an
attack. Once the gas was introduced, there was no other way around it. It was in everyones best
interests to keep developing chemical warfare even if they had opposed to it before the war.
Military activities certainly impacted the war, but the passions of the people are what
affected the war the most. Most of the governments were concerned of what the people might do
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because of the war, and they spurred military involvement and propaganda. There were multiple
posters made that promoted nationalism on a large scale. They demoted their enemies
(particularly the German and British were the ones that made many propaganda posters-that
spurned each other as the enemy), and they exhibited heroism in their posters. Multiple
professors and teachers talked to their students about the war and encouraged them all to join the
military to help their country out. The media constantly reported on the war, and they published
letters from soldiers that were published in newspapers for the world to see. The civilians were
encouraged to join the military and the glorified attraction of the war caused many men to enlist.
In the British propaganda posters they portrayed the German soldiers as beasts that barreled
through anything in their path no matter who it was-there were many posters where they
denounced them as rapists and as civilian killers. The Germans portrayed Britain as a spider that
wove its manipulative webs throughout the world. Without the civilians in the countries there
might as well have been no war. Many of the original military members perished in the war