Outbreak of in War in Europe 1914

“The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 was due to an aggressive German foreign policy which had been waged since c. 1900”. How far do you agree with this opinion?

Since the end of the First World War it has been a matter of fervent controversy whether or not Germany went to war with specifically aggressive intentions. Source V is in disagreement with the statement, this is because it implies that Germany went to war solely for defensive reasons. Some of which were due to the extensive array of alliances that encircled Germany as well as diplomatic tension. On the whole, Source W seems to take the opposite approach to Source V in the sense that it deems how Germany’s aggressive actions which started at the turn of the century, eventually led to war. Source X seems to be the synthesis for both these approaches and admits how it is a matter of great controversy but points towards the fact that Germany had always wanted colonial expansion. Indeed there is an array of information that supports this. Therefore, I maintain that outbreak of war in Europe was due to an aggressive foreign policy which had been waged c.1900.

Source V states that Germany, ‘felt encircled not only by the triple entente but also by the forces of change’. Indeed an extensive alliance system did surround Germany but the question is how much of a threat were they. In 1904 Britain ended her policy of ‘splendid isolation’ creating the entente cordiale with France, Russia joined three years later resulting in the Tipple Entente. Although it could be argued that Germany felt threatened by this alliance system as it seemed to encircle her, it is essential to note that an ‘entente’ does not have the same status as an official treaty and many historians render it to be a mere ‘handshake’ or an ‘expression of good will’.

In contrast, Germany seemed to maintain more secure treaties as she was a member of the triple alliance with Austria- Hungary and Italy. These countries had officially declared their...