Structural Behavior of German in 1914 - Essay Example

Structural Behavior of German in 1914 Task: Structural Behavior of German in 1914 Introduction War is costly because the procedures demand extensive investment of time and resources. This means that any country should evaluate options before entering into a war. Indeed, the country should consider its capabilities to determine its chances of emerging victorious (Magagna, 2012). Consequently, elements like the country’s command system, political ambitions, economic and social aspects should determine whether to endorse a war or not (Magagna, 2012). Studies indicate that the onset of any war focuses on theories that are promoted by these factors. The actions of the Germany, a prominent force blamed for the onset of the World War 1 indicates their conformity to these theories. Consequently, this study examines the structural behavior of German in 1914. The country’s system and Power During the period, German had a centralized well-organized system of governance guarded by a strong military combat. Studies indicate that in the 19th century Germany’s army was the world’s best. Under Bismarck authority, German had successfully challenged France in an earlier war and expanded its command to many states. Indeed, country’s command system was capable of accessing support from Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. European powers had established considerable command in Africa and India and Germany considered checking the trend. With excellent organization and strong command, the country considered that it could constructively lobby its allies to fight a common enemy to expand its command. Capabilities of maintaining a war During the period, the prevailing situation highlighted that the force had an excellent potential of supporting a war. Extensive economic ties that included Germany and Britain as the prime protagonists characterized the period earlier to 1914. The country’s system spearheaded extensive industrial growth, superior ambitions, reputable military and terrifying conscription. The Germany observed an aggressive and expansionist oversee policies while the Britain adopted a hesitant approach. As indentified, Germany was experiencing rapid economic growth that proved to be in a position of supporting the war accordingly. Additionally, Germany had adopted an approach of annexing lands from inferior states that lead to accumulation of resources. Importantly, Germany’s potential in maintaining a war was evident in its strong military. In the 19th century, Germany expanded its armies and navies extensively doubling the size of its standing armies in the period of 1870 to 1914. The country’s aggressive naval expansion worried other powers that felt threatened by the practice. Consequently, powers like Britain increased their military forces accordingly. Britain argued that it needed a strong navy to protect its large empire, but German considered that Britain was overeating. The need of balance of power Balance of power is also an imperative factor to consider in the German’s behavior in 1914 (Magagna, 2012). German engaged in aggressive expansion of its territory the practice that other powers considered had a potential of threatening their authority. German allied with Austria-Hungary to counter threats from Russia. Additionally, Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary established a triple alliance to stop Italy it from siding with Russia. Consequently, Russia allied with the France to neutralize the authority of Germany. Indeed, Germany’s alliance behavior posed considerable threat to other forces and this promoted further alliances. For instance, in 1907 Britain, France and Russia developed a triple entente alliance to counteract the challenging threat from the Germany. Germany had plans for attacking the French army and afterwards spread to the eastern front. The idea of Institutes and Information in Germany’s Actions Effects of the bargaining power and enforceability are apparent in the Country’s behavior. German failed to honor policies or treaties that it considered would limit its authority. The country wanted to continue enforcing it terms without any restriction. German being a strong power was favored by unmonitored environment, but this was not appealing to inferior and other strong powers. Accordingly, it became apparent that war was an ideal strategy of resolving the controversies. However, Germany continued with rapid enforcement of its policies while ignoring pressures from allied forces. Furthermore, the Germany presented credible commitment tactics in its response towards the war. Particularly, it applied threat and promises to deceit its rivals whilst reducing tensions (Magagna, 2012). Germany believed it was the master of the world and inferior states are obliged to serve them. Indeed, its actions promoted these assumptions since it hardly negotiated with others states. However, practiced these actions in deceitful manner since it entered into treachery terms with other forces, which it failed to honor. However, Germany had made miscalculation by undervaluing the cost and implication of engaging in an international war. The county never believed that the war could be very intense. Indeed, analysts argue that Germany’s miscalculated planning earned them defeat. The Long Cycle of European Warfare The “Thirty Years War” was the first major warfare of the European region that occurred in 1618 to 1648. It began as a conflict with the Roman Catholic System but later fused with other wars elsewhere. There was significant resistance of the catholic structure and ideologies leading to rise of Protestantism in Europe (Fromkin, 2005). The occurrence of these was in phases with the initial phase being the Bohemian Phase (1618-1625), The Danish Phase (1625-1629), the Swedish Phase (1630-1635) and finally the French- Swedish Phase, which ended in 1948. Defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 According to Fromkin (2005), in the year 1808, France wielded considerable power since it was dominating a great majority of Europe. It had successfully neutralized the position of Prussia, Russia and Austria as potential military rivals. It was only Britain, which withstood the military might of France and it was eager to avert this situation. Napoleons defeat majorly came since he was fighting numerous battles on many fronts with several countries. This technique was limiting his effective takeover of critical areas within Europe. In 1813, European countries including Britain, Russia, Austria and Prussia to terminate the Napoleon control over Europe, they were the Allied forces (Fromkin, 2005). The French Army has a difficult time in sourcing for food and other essential resources. In addition, the harsh winter conditions while undergoing continual attacks from the Allied armies made Napoleon incur irreplaceable losses in the war. His defense of 600,000 men was cut to 30,000 men by the adverse effects of war. During the Battle of Lepizig, Napoleon was overwhelmed and sought exile in a small island of Elba. His future attempts to reclaim Frances supremacy were unsuccessful. The Franco Prussian war (1870-1871) This was equally a significant war of the 1870’s, which arose from the growing tensions between France and Prussia (Fromkin, 2005). At the time, Prussia’s leader was Otto von Bismarck and he was victorious at the end of this war. Bismarck was using alliance with the German States to outnumber France. Moreover, Prussia has a technological advantage over French; therefore, they could carry out the war effectively (Magagna, 2012). The success of this war led to the unification of Germany making it the new dominant European power. Otto von Bismarck’s strong leadership skill made him the first Chancellor of the Unified Germany (Fromkin, 2005). This alliance was changing the balance of power in the Europe. Germany now held considerable influence in the formulation of policies among European Nations. Hegemonic Power of Germany (Alliances) After the unification of Germany, Otto von Bismarck carefully built a system of military alliances to ensure Germany’s dominance over Europe. Secondly, he sought to isolate France in order to frustrate its efforts of reclaiming its once dominant position (Fromkin, 2005). Thirdly, he wanted to safeguard Austria Hungary as a future power. However, Bismarck saw Russia as a potential threat to the elevation of Austria in the European rankings. His efforts to include Russia into his formation were unsuccessful also making Austria weary of Bismarck’s intentions. Germany made a pact with Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire (currently Turkey) to fight as a one army in the eventuality of war. Attack on either of the states would require the intervention of all partners of the hegemony (Fromkin, 2005). The alliance structure of Germany before 1914 comprised of Austria Hungary, Ottoman and Italy (Magagna, 2012). The primary power of the German nation was its alliance with Austria. Although Bismarck’s initial alliance was to include Russia and Austria into the German alliance, the subsequent leader Kaiser Wilhelm II saw Russia as an unlikely ally and let the treaty with Russia to lapse (Fromkin, 2005). Rather than foster a friendly alliance with Russia, he was opting for Austria and Italy. Before the war, Germany would form a Triple Alliance consisting of Austria Hungary and Italy. Anticipating Ottomans hostility towards the Russians, it convinced them to unite with the Central powers in 1914. However, Italy was a docile participant of the war and would later defect to the Allied forces. The opposing front of the Central Powers was consisting of Russia, France, Britain and later on the US (Fromkin, 2005). The French and Russia were unlikely allies but they knew to topple the German regime was requiring a substantial effort from Germany’s rivals. Furthermore, from the experiences of the Franco Prussian war it was evident France could not face Germany without allies. Since Britain saw the German dominance as a threat to their industrial revolution and was eager to neutralize the German influence in Europe. The major powers were Germany, Russia, Britain and France and used to determine the trade policies and global trends. Moreover, they had the military muscle to undertake warfare of large proportions. However, all these powers saw it advantageous to participate in war as alliances rather than single countries. They were fearful of undergoing isolation and enduring the humiliation of France. Austria-Hungary was also a formidable force among the European nations and was the first to highlight its intentions to attack Serbia. It was aware that Germany would second its military pursuits since tensions were prevalent Europe and they had a pact (Fromkin, 2005). Additionally, Germany was eager to reestablish their dominance through military confrontation. Conclusion Warfare has been the optimal measure of ensuring the dominance of a nation. Before 1914, the nations were forming strategic alliances to ensure they remained worthy players in Europe (Fromkin, 2005). After the demise of the Napoleonic era there was a power vacuum in the European community with no visible “world power”. Therefore, this war was necessary to eliminate the growing tensions in the European nations regarding their future prospects. Germany, France, Russia and Britain became the main participants of this war that borough about a paradigm shift in the global power at the end of the war. References Fromkin, D. (2005). Europes last summer: Who started the Great War in 1914?. New York: Vintage Books. Magagna, (2012). POLI 142K. Retrieved from http://podcast.ucsd.edu po Read More