.
Baghdad Railway, the confrontations in Eastern Europe, highly-charged political rhetoric, or domestic pressure groups. Germany's reliance time and again on military aggression, while Britain increasingly appealed to moral sensibilities, also played a role, especially in portraying the invasion of neutral Belgium as (in the German view) a necessary military tactic or (in the British view) a profound moral crime. The
German invasion of Belgium was not the real cause of war with Britain, because the British decision had already been made as the British were more concerned with the fate of France (pp. 457–62).
[clarification needed ] Kennedy argues that by far the main reason was London's fear that a repeat of the war of 1870, when Prussia and the German states smashed France, would mean that a rapidly industrialising Germany, with a powerful army and navy, would control the
English Channel and northwest France. British policy-makers insisted that that would be a catastrophe for British security.
[4]
Christopher Clark points out that the British cabinet decided on 29 July 1914, that being a signatory to the 1839 treaty guaranteeing Belgium's frontiers did not oblige it to oppose a German invasion of Belgium with military force.[5]
Decision for war
In the immediate aftermath of the
Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the heir to the
Habsburg throne ) in the
Bosnian capital,
Sarajevo , the British newspapers denounced the
Serbian nationalist assassin,
Gavrilo Princip , and were generally sympathetic to the
Austro-Hungarian monarchy . The newspapers blamed the
Kingdom of Serbia for the crime, with rhetoric against "fanatics", "dangerous forces" and "reckless agitators". These responses were broadly shared across the political spectrum, with Liberal and Conservative papers expressing their shock and dismay. But by 27 July, press opinion had turned against Austria-Hungary. The national press divided along party lines, with Conservative papers stressing the obligation to support France, while Liberal papers insisted Britain had no such commitment and should remain neutral.
[6] [7]
As Germany and Russia became the central players in the crisis (respectively backing Austria-Hungary and Serbia), British leaders increasingly had a sense of commitment to defending France. First, if Germany again conquered France, as had happened in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it would become a major threat to British economic, political and cultural interests. Second, partisanship was involved. The Liberal Party was identified with internationalism and free trade , and with opposition to jingoism and warfare. By contrast, the Conservative Party was identified as the party of nationalism and patriotism ; Britons expected it "to show capacity in running a war."[8] Liberal voters initially demanded peace, but were outraged when the Germans treated Belgian neutrality as a worthless "scrap of paper" (the words of German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg in ridiculing the Treaty of London ). Germany, as part of a massive attack on France, invaded northern France through Belgium early on the morning of 4 August. The Belgians called upon Britain for military assistance under the 1839 treaty, and in response London gave Berlin an ultimatum which expired at 11 pm London time, which was ignored. King George V then declared war on Germany that evening.[9] [10]
Before war was declared, the British newspapers gave the crisis extensive coverage but varied wildly in recommended policy options, basically covering the entire spectrum from peace to war.[11] [12] C. P. Scott and the Manchester Guardian maintained an intense campaign against war. It denounced a "conspiracy to drag us into a war against England’s interests", arguing that it would amount to a "crime against Europe", and warning that it would "throw away the accumulated progress of half a century".[13] The politician David Lloyd George told Scott on Tuesday 4 August 1914, "Up until last Sunday only two members of the Cabinet had been in favour of our intervention in the war, but the violation of Belgian territory had completely altered the situation".[13] According to Isabel V. Hull:
Annika Mombauer correctly sums up the current historiography: "Few historians would still maintain that the 'rape of Belgium ' was the real motive for Britain's declaration of war on Germany." Instead, the role of Belgian neutrality is variously interpreted as an excuse used to mobilise public opinion, to provide embarrassed radicals in the cabinet with the justification for abandoning the principal of pacifism and thus staying in office, or - in the more conspiratorial versions - as cover for naked imperial interests.[14]
Once war was declared, defence of Belgium rather than France was the public reason given for the war. Propaganda posters emphasised that Britain was required to safeguard Belgium's neutrality under the 1839 Treaty of London.[15] [16]
"The Scrap of Paper - Enlist Today", 1914 British propaganda poster emphasizes German contempt for the 1839 treaty (the signature of British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston visible at the top), which guaranteed Belgian neutrality, as merely a "scrap of paper" that Germany would ignore.
As late as 1 August 1914, the great majority of Liberals—both voters and cabinet members—strongly opposed going to war.[17] The German invasion of Belgium was such an outrageous violation of international rights that the Liberal Party agreed for war on 4 August. Historian Zara Steiner says:
The public mood did change. Belgium proved to be a catalyst which unleashed the many emotions, rationalizations, and glorifications of war which had long been part of the British climate of opinion. Having a moral cause, all the latent anti-German feelings , fueled by years of naval rivalry and assumed enmity, rose to the surface. The 'scrap of paper' proved decisive both in maintaining the unity of the government and then in providing a focal point for public feeling.[18]
The Liberals succeeded in mending their deep divisions over military action. Unless the Liberal government acted decisively against the German invasion of France, its top leaders including Prime Minister H. H. Asquith , Foreign Minister Edward Grey , First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and others would resign, leading to a risk that the much more pro-war Conservative Party might form a government. Mistreatment of Belgium was not itself a fundamental cause of British entry into the war, but it was used extensively as a justification in wartime propaganda to motivate the British people.[19]
The German high command was aware that entering Belgium could trigger British intervention but decided the risk was acceptable; they expected it to be a short war, and their ambassador in London claimed civil war in Ireland would prevent Britain from assisting France.[20]
Historians looking at the July Crisis typically conclude that Grey:
was not a great Foreign Secretary but an honest, reticent, punctilious English gentleman... He exhibited a judicious understanding of European affairs, a firm control of his staff, and a suppleness and tact in diplomacy, but he had no boldness, no imagination, no ability to command men and events. [Regarding the war] He pursued a cautious, moderate policy, one that not only fitted his temperament, but also reflected the deep split in the Cabinet, in the Liberal party, and in public opinion.[21]
The majority of the Labour Party , which as a member of the Second International had opposed the war, also shifted to support after the German invasion of Belgium with the exception of some members such as its secretary Ramsay MacDonald . The rest of the Labour Party leadership under Arthur Henderson calculated that the war would be brief and that opposing it would cost the party at the next general election.[22]
Canada automatically joined the war, and vigorously recruited volunteers.
Irish crisis on hold
Until late July,
Conservative and Unionist Party
supported them.
On 25 July the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia became known, and the cabinet realized that war with Germany was increasingly likely. The Government of Ireland Act 1914 was enacted into law, but was suspended for the duration of hostilities, with the issue of Ulster still unresolved.[23] Grey told the British Parliament on 3 August, "The one bright spot in the whole of this terrible situation is Ireland. [Prolonged cheers.] The general feeling throughout Ireland, and I would like this to be clearly understood abroad, does not make that a consideration that we feel we have to take into account. [Cheers.]"[24]
Empire at war
The king's declaration of war automatically involved all dominions , colonies , and protectorates of the British Empire , many of whom made significant contributions to the Allied war effort, both in the provision of troops and civilian labourers.
See also
Notes
^ Avner Cohen , "Joseph Chamberlain, Lord Lansdowne and British foreign policy 1901–1903: From collaboration to confrontation." Australian Journal of Politics & History 43#2 (1997): 122-134.
.
.
.
^ Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers (2012) p. 539.
^ Meilyr Powel, "The Welsh press and the July Crisis of 1914." First World War Studies 8.2-3 (2017): 133-152.online [dead link ]
^ Adam James Bones, "British National Dailies and the Outbreak of War in 1914." International History Review 35.5 (2013): 975-992.
^ Trevor Wilson, The Downfall of the Liberal Party 1914-1935 (1966) p 51.
.
^ Adrian Gregory, "A Clash of Cultures: The British Press and the Opening of the Great War," in A Call to Arms: Propaganda, Public Opinion, and Newspapers in the Great War , edited by Troy R. E. Paddock, (Praeger, 2004) pp 15–49.
^ Hale, Publicity and Diplomacy: With Special Reference to England and Germany, 1890-1914 (1940) pp 446-70.
^ Scott, Five Weeks: The Surge of Public Opinion on the Eve of the Great War (1927) pp 99–153
^ a b Travis, Alan (2 August 2014). "First world war: how the Manchester Guardian fought to keep Britain out of conflict" . The Guardian . Retrieved 2 April 2020 .
^ Isabel V. Hull, A Scrap of Paper: Breaking and Making International Law during the Great War (Cornell UP, 2014) p, 33
^ Bentley B. Gilbert, "Pacifist to interventionist: David Lloyd George in 1911 and 1914. Was Belgium an issue?." Historical Journal 28.4 (1985): 863-885.
^ Zara S. Steiner, Britain and the origins of the First World War (1977) pp 235-237.
.
^ Zara S. Steiner, Britain and the Origins of the First World War (1977) p 233.
.
.
^ Clayton Roberts and David F. Roberts, A History of England, Volume 2: 1688 to the present. Vol. 2 (3rd edition, 1991) p. 722.
, retrieved 16 June 2022
Cyril Asquith
. Life of Herbert Henry Asquith, Lord Oxford and Asquith (1932 ) vol 2 p 55.
^ "Statement by Sir Edward Grey 03 August 1914" . Hansard . Retrieved 2 April 2020 .
Further reading
Albertini, Luigi. The Origins of the War of 1914 (3 vol 1952).
Anderson, Frank Maloy, and Amos Shartle Hershey, eds. Handbook For The Diplomatic History Of Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1870-1914 (1918) online
Bartlett, Christopher John. Defence and diplomacy: Britain and the Great Powers, 1815-1914 (Manchester UP, 1993).
Bartlett, C. J. British Foreign Policy in the Twentieth Century (1989).
Brandenburg, Erich. (1927) From Bismarck to the World War: A History of German Foreign Policy 1870–1914 (1927) online .
Bridge, F. R. "The British Declaration of War on Austria-Hungary in 1914." Slavonic and East European Review 47#109 (1969), pp. 401–422. online
Charmley, John. Splendid Isolation?: Britain, the Balance of Power and the Origins of the First World War (1999), highly critical of Grey.
Clark, Christopher.
The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 (2013)
excerpt
Sleepwalkers lecture by Clark. online
Ensor, R. C. K. England, 1870–1914 (1936) online
Evans, R. J. W.; von Strandmann, Hartmut Pogge, eds. (1988). The Coming of the First World War . Clarendon Press. . essays by scholars from both sides
Fay, Sidney B. The Origins of the World War (2 vols in one. 2nd ed. 1930). online , passim
French, David. British Economic and Strategic Planning 1905-15 (1982).
Goodlad, Graham D. British Foreign and Imperial Policy 1865–1919 (1999).
Hale, Oron James. Publicity and Diplomacy: With Special Reference to England and Germany, 1890-1914 (1940) online Archived 2020-12-04 at the Wayback Machine
Hamilton, Richard F. and Holger H. Herwig, eds. War Planning 1914 (2014) pp 48–79
Hamilton, Richard F. and Holger H. Herwig, eds. The Origins of World War I (2003) pp 266–299.
Hamilton, Richard F.. and Holger H. Herwig. Decisions for War, 1914-1917 (2004).
Hinsley, F. H. ed. British Foreign Policy under Sir Edward Grey (1977) 31 major scholarly essays
Howard, Christopher. "MacDonald, Henderson, and the Outbreak of War, 1914." Historical Journal 20.4 (1977): 871-891. online
.
Kennedy, Paul. The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (1987), pp 194–260. online free to borrow
Kennedy, Paul. The Rise and Fall of British Naval mastery (1976) pp 205–38.
Kennedy, Paul M. "Idealists and realists: British views of Germany, 1864–1939." Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 25 (1975): 137-156. online
McMeekin, Sean. July 1914: Countdown to War (2014) scholarly account, day-by-day
MacMillan, Margaret (2013). The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 . Random House. . ; major scholarly overview
Massie, Robert K. Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the coming of the Great War (Random House, 1991) excerpt see Dreadnought (book) , popular history
Matzke, Rebecca Berens. . Deterrence through Strength: British Naval Power and Foreign Policy under Pax Britannica (2011) online
Mowat, R. B. "Great Britain and Germany in the Early Twentieth Century" English Historical Review (1931) 46#183 pp. 423–441 online
Murray, Michelle. "Identity, insecurity, and great power politics: the tragedy of German naval ambition before the First World War." Security Studies 19.4 (2010): 656-688. online [dead link ]
Neilson, Keith. Britain and the Last Tsar: British Policy and Russia, 1894-1917 (1995) online
Otte, T. G. July Crisis: The World's Descent into War, Summer 1914 (Cambridge UP, 2014). online review
Paddock, Troy R. E. A Call to Arms: Propaganda, Public Opinion, and Newspapers in the Great War (2004) online Archived 2019-07-21 at the Wayback Machine
Padfield, Peter . The Great Naval Race: Anglo-German Naval Rivalry 1900-1914 (2005)
Papayoanou, Paul A. "Interdependence, institutions, and the balance of power: Britain, Germany, and World War I." International Security 20.4 (1996): 42-76.
Rich, Norman. Great Power Diplomacy: 1814-1914 (1991), comprehensive survey
Ritter, Gerhard. The Sword and the Sceptre, Vol. 2-The European Powers and the Wilhelmenian Empire 1890-1914 (1970) Covers military policy in Germany and also France, Britain, Russia and Austria.
Schmitt, Bernadotte E. "Triple Alliance and Triple Entente, 1902-1914." American Historical Review 29.3 (1924): 449-473. in JSTOR
Schmitt, Bernadotte Everly. England and Germany, 1740-1914 (1916). online
Scott, Jonathan French. Five Weeks: The Surge of Public Opinion on the Eve of the Great War (1927) pp 99–153 online Archived 2019-07-21 at the Wayback Machine .
Seligmann, Matthew S. "A Service Ready for Total War? The State of the Royal Navy in July 1914." English Historical Review 133.560 (2018): 98-122 online .
Seton-Watson, R. W. Britain in Europe, 1789–1914, a survey of foreign policy (1937) useful overview online
Steiner, Zara S. Britain and the origins of the First World War (1977), a major scholarly survey. online
Stowell, Ellery Cory. The Diplomacy of the War of 1914 (1915) 728 pages online free
.
Tucker, Spencer C., ed. The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia (1996) 816pp.
Vyvyan, J. M. K. "The Approach of the War of 1914." in C. L. Mowat , ed. The New Cambridge Modern History: Vol. XII: The Shifting Balance of World Forces 1898-1945 (2nd ed. 1968) online pp 140–70.
Ward A.W., ed. The Cambridge History Of British Foreign Policy 1783-1919 Vol III 1866-1919 (1923) v3 online
Williamson Jr., Samuel R. "German Perceptions of the Triple Entente after 1911: Their Mounting Apprehensions Reconsidered" Foreign Policy Analysis 7.2 (2011): 205-214.
Williamson, Samuel R. The politics of grand strategy: Britain and France prepare for war, 1904-1914 (1990).
Wilson, Keith M. "The British Cabinet's decision for war, 2 August 1914." Review of International Studies 1.2 (1975): 148-159.
Wood, Harry. "Sharpening the Mind: The German Menace and Edwardian National Identity." Edwardian Culture (2017). 115-132. public fears of German invasion.
Woodward, E.L. Great Britain And The German Navy (1935) 535pp; scholarly history online
Young, John W. "Ambassador George Buchanan and the July Crisis." International History Review 40.1 (2018): 206-224. online Archived 2019-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
Young, John W. "Emotions and the British Government’s Decision for War in 1914." Diplomacy & Statecraft 29.4 (2018): 543-564. online
"British Entry into World War I: Did the Germans Have Reason to Doubt that the British Would Declare War in 1914?" in Paul du Quenoy ed., History in Dispute Vol. 16: Twentieth-Century European Social and Political Movements: First Series (St. James Press 2000; Gale E-Books) 10pp summary of debate
Historiography
Cornelissen, Christoph, and Arndt Weinrich, eds. Writing the Great War - The Historiography of World War I from 1918 to the Present (2020) free download ; full coverage for major countries.
Herwig, Holger H. ed., The Outbreak of World War I: Causes and Responsibilities (1990) excerpts from primary and secondary sources
Horne, John, ed. A Companion to World War I (2012) 38 topics essays by scholars
Kramer, Alan. "Recent Historiography of the First World War – Part I", Journal of Modern European History (Feb. 2014) 12#1 pp 5–27; "Recent Historiography of the First World War (Part II)", (May 2014) 12#2 pp 155–174.
Langdon, John W. "Emerging from Fischer's shadow: recent examinations of the crisis of July 1914." History Teacher 20.1 (1986): 63-86, historiography in JSTOR
Mombauer, Annika. "Guilt or Responsibility? The Hundred-Year Debate on the Origins of World War I." Central European History 48.4 (2015): 541-564.
Mulligan, William. "The Trial Continues: New Directions in the Study of the Origins of the First World War." English Historical Review (2014) 129#538 pp: 639–666.
Winter, Jay . and Antoine Prost eds. The Great War in History: Debates and Controversies, 1914 to the Present (2005)
Primary sources
Barker. Ernest, et al. eds. Why we are at war; Great Britain's case (3rd ed. 1914), the official British case against Germany. online
Gooch, G.P. Recent revelations of European diplomacy (1928) pp 3-101. online
Major 1914 documents from BYU
Gooch, G.P. and Harold Temperley, eds. British documents on the origins of the war, 1898-1914 (11 vol.) online
v. i The end of British isolation -- v.2. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance and the Franco-British Entente -- v.3. The testing of the Entente, 1904-6 -- v.4. The Anglo-Russian rapprochment, 1903-7 -- v.5. The Near East, 1903-9 -- v.6. Anglo-German tension. Armaments and negotiation, 1907-12 -- v.7. The Agadir crisis -- v.8. Arbitration, neutrality and security -- v.9. The Balkan wars, pt.1-2 -- v.10, pt.1. The Near and Middle East on the eve of war. pt.2. The last years of peace -- v.11. The outbreak of war V.3. The testing of the Entente, 1904-6 -- v.4. The Anglo-Russian rapprochment, 1903-7 -- v.5. The Near East, 1903-9 -- v.6. Anglo-German tension. Armaments and negotiation, 1907-12 -- v.7. The Agadir crisis -- v.8. Arbitration, neutrality and security -- v.9. The Balkan wars, pt.1-2 -- v.10, pt.1. The Near and Middle East on the eve of war. pt.2. The last years of peace -- v.11. The outbreak of war.
Joll, James, ed. Britain and Europe 1793-1940 (1967); 390pp of documents; online
Jones, Edgar Rees, ed. Selected speeches on British foreign policy, 1738-1914 (1914). online free
Lowe, C.J. and Michael L. Dockrill, eds. Mirage of Power: The Documents v. 3: British Foreign Policy (1972); vol 3 = primary sources 1902-1922
Scott, James Brown, ed., Diplomatic Documents Relating To The Outbreak Of The European War (1916) online
United States. War Dept. General Staff. Strength and organization of the armies of France, Germany, Austria, Russia, England, Italy, Mexico and Japan (showing conditions in July, 1914) (1916) online
Wilson, K.M. "The British Cabinet's Decision for War, 2 August 1914" British Journal of International Studies 1#3 (1975), pp. 148–159 online
Young, John W. "Lewis Harcourt's Journal of the 1914 War Crisis." International History Review 40.2 (2018): 436-455. Diary of UK cabinet discussions 26 July to 4 Aug. 1914.