The Origins of World War one

The origins of World War One

The Fritz Fisher thesis

Fritz Fisher focuses on the Kaiser, Gottlieb von Jagow, Bethmann Hollweg and Helmut von Moltke. These four were the German leading figures at that time; Fischer is convinced that these people were responsible for the outbreak of World War One. Fischer's three main claims were:

1. Germany was prepared to launch the First World War in order to become a great power.

2. Germany encouraged Austria-Hungary to start a war with Serbia, and continued to do so, even when it seemed clear that such a war could not be localized.

3. Once the war began, Germany developed a clear set of aims, already discussed before the war, to gain large territorial gains in central and eastern Europe, very similar to Hitler's later craving for Lebensraum (Ð''living space') in eastern Europe

Fischer believes that the First World War was not a preventative war, but that it was planned

and launched by Germany aggressively in order to dominate whole Europe. Furthermore Fischer sees Bethmann Hollweg in the role of the main constructor of the German policy during the July Crisis in 1914, and also as a central figure in the development of Germany's expansionist goals once the war started.

The Egmont Zechlin thesis

Egmont Zechlin thinks that Bethmann Hollweg took a "calculated risk in July 1914 to gain diplomatic victory, or if it failed, to fight a "defensive preventive war" with nearly no objectives. This explains that Germany did not prepare a huge plan for expansion. Zechlin's three main claims were:

1. Germany support for a preventative war grew after the Balkan wars had produced vast gains for Serbia.

2. Bethmann Hollweg lacked the patience to settle matters by negotiation, believed that the Entente powers were paralyzing Germany, and realized that Russia was growing stronger in the Balkans, and Austria-Hungary weaker.

3. When he gave Austria-Hungary the Ð''blank cheque', Bethmann Hollweg realized that the crisis might escalate into a European war.

It appeared like Germany hoped that the Austro-Serb crisis might divide the big Entente