How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of…

Question

How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of balance of power?

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

The claim is only partly correct: balance-of-power alliances explain how the Sarajevo crisis became a general war, but hegemony, nationalism and imperial rivalry drove it. Fritz Fischer read Germany's September Programme of 1914 as a bid to dominate Europe, which overturns a balance.

**Introduction**

From 1815 to 1914 Europe kept peace by ensuring no single power dominated the continent. By 1914 that balance had hardened into two armed camps, raising the question of whether the war preserved it or hid other aims.

**How Far Balance of Power Drove the War**

SKETCH: timeline | Europe splits into two camps
- 1882 :: Triple Alliance
- 1894 :: Franco-Russian pact
- 1904 :: Entente Cordiale
- 1907 :: Triple Entente
- 1908 :: Bosnia annexed
- 1914 :: Sarajevo

1. **Britain's motive**: Britain entered to stop German mastery of the continent and the Channel coast, with Belgium's invasion as the trigger.
2. **Russia and Austria**: Russia backed Serbia to stop Austrian dominance of the Balkans, while Vienna saw crushing Serbia as the key to its great-power survival.
3. **German encirclement fear**: Facing France and a rearming Russia, Berlin judged war in 1914 better than war later.

**What the Balance-of-Power View Misses**

1. **Hegemony, not balance**: Fritz Fischer read Germany's September Programme (1914) as a bid for domination of Europe.
2. **Nationalism**: Serbian irredentism and French revanche for Alsace-Lorraine stirred the masses more than equilibrium did.
3. **Imperial rivalry**: The Moroccan crises (1905, 1911) and the naval race reflected a contest for colonies, Lenin's "imperialist war".
4. **Militarism and opportunism**: Mobilisation timetables drove events, and Italy (1915) and the US (1917) joined for territory and over submarine warfare.

**Way Forward**

1. **Lesson**: Balance needs crisis diplomacy, which is why the League and the UN sought collective security over rigid blocs.

**Conclusion**

The claim is only partly correct: alliances explain how Sarajevo became a general war, but hegemony, nationalism and imperial rivalry made war acceptable. It was fought within a balance-of-power system rather than essentially for it.

How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of balance of power?

Model answer

Practise this question

World Wars4 questions

Ghissu