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Were the Alliance Systems as usually made out in the cause of WW1?

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Crime Lord: Four D's (Leak) (U11034905) on Friday, 3rd October 2008

  I don't think they were. As it was all the countries with Alliances were involved in the war, but was this because of the Alliance System?
  
  When Russia went to war, Britain and France did not jump in, so this would presumably mean Britain and France only really used the Alliance System as a reason despite it not.
  
  Britain only got involved when Belgium was attacked, and France only when they were attacked.
  
  The only real sign that the Alliance System played as big as a part as made out is the Austria-Hungary/Germany Alliance. Austria only attacking Serbia as it believed it had Germany's backing.
  
  The Schlieffen Plan should take the majority of the blame for it becoming a World War.
  
  
  Thoughts?

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Saturday, 4th October 2008

  Interesting question Leak.
  
  It could well be seen that the Schlieffen Plan turned what would have been just an Eastern European war into a general European one.
  
  Prussia, however, had long sought to avoid war with Russia and had seen careful diplomacy as the best way to avoid this. On the other hand Prussia and her allies had already beaten France in 1870. Beating France, therefore, was considered 'do-able'.
  
  German strategic thinking was that as Russia was an autocratic state and as France was a republican and sometimes revolutionary state then the Russo-French alliance was essentially unholy and uneasy. German diplomacy hoped to exploit this. If France could be knocked out of the war this would strengthen the hand of the reactionary and conservative elements in Russia who could say:
  
  "Look at France. It's an unreliable state - always ready to explode in revolution at the drop of a hat. They're so weak. Germany can beat them easily. Why are we allied to them in the first place and why risk a damaging and costly war with Germany? Such a war will only threaten the stability of the Tsarist empire and provide opportunities for our own revolutionary elements.
  
  No. It would be better to distance ourselves from France an seek a peaceful co-existence with Germany and Austria."
  
  In this the German diplomatic strategists were perhaps too prescient for their own good.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by Allan D (U1791739) on Sunday, 5th October 2008

  The Franco-Russian alliance never came into effect as it was Germany who declared war on both countries on 1 August (Germany declared war on the bogus pretext that French aircraft had attacked Nuremberg when no French plane could fly that far). There was also no treaty obligation between Russia and the Slavic states of the Balkans - the ties were ones of sentiment and consanguinity only.
  
  There was no committment by Britain to support either France or Russia in the event of war, although, some years earlier, both the British and French governments had approved a military staff plan to despatch a small expeditionary force to support the French Army in the event of the outbreak of a general European war.
  
  The French President, Poincare, and the French Prime Minister, Viviani, had been on an official visit to St Petersburg at the end of July when the Balkan crisis erupted annd constantly urged caution on the Russians in responding.
  
  They were on the voyage home when the order for Russian mobilisation was given and immediately on their return telegraphed St Petersburg to avoid provoking Germany (yet this was used as the casus belli for the German declaration of war). The only declaration of war on Germany was by Britain on 4 August for violating the neutrality of Belgium.
  
  In the words of J.M.Roberts in his "History of Europe":
  
  "In the last analysis the Great War was made in Berlin."

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