Woodrow Wilson coined the phrase and described WWI as “The war to end all wars”.

The first world war was a battle originating from a century of expansion that caused immerging

tension throughout the regions. Although the immense amount of expansion in Germany

during the Wilhelmine period greatly influenced and slowly pushed the German Nations, as well

as the Triple Entente, towards war, in no way was Germany to blame.

The vast military expansion brought on by Bismarck and his “Iron Hand” played a large

role in what sparked the power of the German nation. He was determined to “squelch any

serious political opposition with relentless oppression"(Lesson 1, p.24). Known as the Blood and

Iron chancellor, he fought and dominated against every opponent. This eventually led to unity

in Germany. To gain this, his last opponent was none other than France, a member of the Triple

Entente, who he masterfully fought and defeated. This beginning spark against France would be

seen as a start to the tension that led to the War.

Industrial expansion throughout all of Germany, excluding the Austro-Hungarian empire,

was a large factor in what had led to World War I. With Germany developing quickly into an

industrial society, they became an even larger threat to their Entente neighbors. A large player

in their expansion was the formation of the Customs Union in the 1830s. This provided a

“regulatory body that oversaw the tariffs levied by the various German states” (Lesson 1, p.13).

In regard to this newly growing and exciting industrial expansion, Germany was able to respond

further by becoming a stronger and more unified authority. This development of economic

expansion and a more unified nation led to them becoming an enormous threat to their rivals.

The colonial expansion of the German empire was another aiding factor to the

increasing tension between them and their neighbors. With vast help from their military power,
the Second Reich managed to bring unity to Germany and finally, albeit forcefully, answer the

“German Question”. Starting with the congress of Vienna and ending with Bismarck, it took

almost one hundred years for Germany to finally become the more unified nation that they

were by the first World War. Conversely, with Bismarck dominating and unionizing each of the

states that made up Lesser and Greater Germany, he brought a sense of unity and immense

pride to the German nation. The pride and union of this rapidly growing nation created a fear

amongst their neighbors that led to an eventual worldwide arms race. This arm race, as well as

other factors, were what sparked the flames of the First World War.

Some of the other factors that helped lead to the first world war were social, political

and territorial tension brought on by the German Nation. Mostly brought on during the

Bismarck period, his authoritative rule dominating during a time when those around him were

leading with a more democratic approach, bringing about tension. Another large entity that

brought on the first World War was the territorial disputes between France and Prussia. This

dispute, along with the masterful way in which Bismarck planned his attack, is what led to the

Prussian domination of France in the battle of Sedan. This event can be seen as one of the final

pushing points before the war.

Whether or not the factors and immense expansion discussed made the German nation

responsible for the first world war is a difficult question. It could be argued that, since Bosnian

nationalists made the first move by killing the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife,

they are then responsible for starting the war. Although the German nation was an anarchy

that some could say was “rich with power” and had an inkling to fight for more power, it seems

like they didn’t really take the first step with this war. At this point in time the German nation
was run by Prussia and this War began with an Austria vs. Russia conflict. Could it not be argued

that since Prussia and Germany more or less distanced itself from Austria over the years, this

conflict that started the war didn’t have much to do with Germany? They were simply brought

in to this war as an ally just like the Third Entente was brought in by Russia. It seems as if the

Triple Entente was encompassed with hatred over the German nations’ power and immense

patriotism, which forced them to search for a way to easily start this war after they finalized

their alliance in 1907. They didn’t agree with how Germany was being run and were intimidated

by their ever-growing anarchy, so they waged war against Austria which would bring in

Germany as Austria’s Ally. Whether Germany should have been named responsible for the

outbreak of the first world war depends on what is meant by responsibility. The first world war

occurred due to the fears and intimidation brought by Germanys expansion in power over the

years leading to it. However, it was the Third Entente who had a problem with this

overwhelming growth in power and joined together to defeat the German nation all together. If

the question is who began the war, then the answer is the Third Entente. However, if the

question is whose actions led to the war, then the answer is Germany. I believe that it was not

fair for the entire world to put the weight of blame of this war entirely on Germany. They might

have influenced the first world war, but that does not make them culpable for its start.

The first World War was an immense burden on many countries through its span of four

years. Throughout these years there “were an estimated 37.5 million casualties directly caused

by the war. Approximately 7 million combatants were maimed for life. Germany lost the most

men with a total of over 2 million killed and missing. 57.6% of all combatants became

casualties” (Browne,2018). With all these heart wrenching stats from a terrible war, it is in no
way acceptable to put all of that burden on one nation. Are not all parties involved guilty for

letting their citizens become part of such a troubling statistic?

References:

Browne, Alex. “11 Facts About World War One Casualties.” HistoryHit, 2 Aug. 2018,

www.historyhit.com/facts-about-world-war-one-casualties/.

Lesson 1: the 1848 Revolution, the second Reich, and the First World War, the commentary.