Introduction

Germany took full blame for the war by the Treaty of Versailles. I write this document as a German Representative of the treaty of Versailles, to prove that Germany should not pay the full price of the Great War.

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles stated that "the Allied and Association Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nations have been subjected as a consequency of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies".

The Great War was caused by a series of events throughout countries all over the world. The war went on for 4 years. It is impossible that Germany could have alone caused the war. It was not Germany’s intention to cause the Great War. The majority of the blame was made up of false accusations.

Part I: The Schlieffen Plan

In many false accusations, the Schlieffen Plan has been blamed for the outbreak of the war. The proposition of the Schlieffen Plan was not to prepare or plan for a war, but for sole protection. At the time, tension between many countries was great. Germany was a target, it seemed necessary to have a form of protection for herself. Germany was surrounded by many angered countries and felt unsafe. According to the Government Agency Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the plan was “defensive,” not reactive.

Part II: The Alliance System

Some blame Germany’s initiation of the alliance system. On the contrary, according to the Government Agency Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, “the main purpose to set the alliance system was to prevent wars from other powers' war-like action. That means if anyone wants to start a war, it will be stopped by the power of an alliance system.” The alliance system was also put into action sixty years before the outbreak of the war. If the alliance system was created to cause a war, it would have most likely happened almost immediately. Not only this, but Germany was not the only country involved in this system. Austria-Hungary and Italy were also involved in the creation of this system. The system was also built as a defensive strategy, not a reactive strategy.

Part III: The Assassination

Most indicate the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as the first event of the Great War. This was entirely the actions of Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Germany even attempted to keep Austria-Hungary from acting on the event, according to the Government Agency Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Another point that the makes is “[i]f other powers do not want the wars, they should also stop Austria-Hungary's action by themselves... not blame Germany for the failure to restrain Austria's expansion.”

Closing

Therefore, Germany should not pay the full price of the Great War. Germany’s blame was made up of false accusations including the events of the Schlieffen Plan, the alliance system, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. While Germany did indeed play a significant role in the Great War, it was not a one-man show. Many other countries were involved in the war. It takes more than one country to start a war, more than one country to keep it going, and more than one country to end a war. Germany could not possibly have caused the war entirely, but it was simply easier for all other countries to put the responsibility on one country, for the cost of the war was great. In conclusion, Germany was not the only country that was involved in the outbreak of the war.

Sources

http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/SBA/HKDSE/SampleTask-HIST-Issue-based-07-E.pdf

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 18.05.2014

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