AQA A LEVEL HISTORY, international relations 2023 Q3 essay
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International Relations and Global Conflict, C1890-1941
- AQA A LEVEL HISTORY, component 2K international relations
- 2023 Q3 essay: In the years 1911 to 1914, it was the actions of Austria-Hungary that were responsible for the outbreak of war
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2023 Q3.‘In the years 1911 to 1914, it was the actions of Austria-Hungary that were
responsible for the outbreak of war in Europe.’ Assess the validity of this view.
Austria-Hungary’s aggressive actions towards Serbia played a crucial role in the outbreak of the
war in Europe. Austria-Hungary’s foreign policy had been aggressive towards Serbia since
1900, with fears of the nationalistic sentiments of Serbia potentially encouraging nations within
the Habsburg empire to seek independence. Furthermore, the growing strength of Serbia over
the years and Serbia’s main goal of a united Yugoslav empire provided a challenge to
Austria-Hungary’s ambitions in the Balkans. Austria became increasingly aggressive towards
Serbia after facing a major loss in the Balkan wars of 1913, where Hotzendorf advocated for a
pre-emptive strike on Serbia, arguing for Austrian intervention. After the assassination of Franz
Ferdinand by the Black Hand gang in Bosnia, Austria issued an incredibly harsh and demanding
ultimatum to Serbia. The ultimatum was intended to be declined as an excuse to wage war on
Serbia, with Austrian military officers being convinced that they were justified in their actions due
to the assassination of the archduke, which was seen as essentially a declaration of war. The
ultimatum was supposed to provoke Serbia and Russia into a war because Austria-Hungary had
the support of Germany, with Germany’s “blank cheque”. When Sebia responded to the
ultimatum, accepting every term except the one where Austrian military officers and lawyers
would be involved in Serbia, Austria was thrown off guard and rejected Serbia’s response
anyways, even though every other European power, including Germany, expected Serbia’s
response to be accepted. Austria-Hungary’s following bombardment of Belgrade signaled their
intentions of an immediate invasion of Serbia, and that they were unafraid of Russian
involvement. Austria-Hungary’s aggressive actions towards Serbia despite potential involvement
of Russia was partially responsible for the outbreak of war in Europe.
The actions of Germany contributed to the outbreak of war in Europe to a great extent.
Germany saw the assassination at Sarajevo as a useful excuse to push forward their own
ambitions. German generals were concerned about the growing strength of Russia’s army , and
believed that the odds were more in their favor in 1914 than it would ever be again. The element
of surprise was essential for the carrying out of the Schlieffen plan, which depended on the army
maintaining initiative, with any delay being fatal. With Austria-Hungary already on the alert due
to the assassination, it seemed like the perfect time to carry out their agenda. Germany’s blank
cheque implied that Germany would back Austria-Hungary in whatever decisions the empire
chose to take, no stipulations or provisos were made. This firm declaration of support reassured
Austria-hungary, allowing it to continue with its plans for war. Previously, Austria was unwilling to
act alone while Russian support for Serbia was likely, if Germany had not implied that it would
support Austria-Hungary in a war, they would not have taken a firm stand and carried out its
aggressive actions against Serbia. Unlimited and unnecessary German backing for Austrian
aggression was a wider reason for the outbreak of War.
Furthermore, the failure of great power diplomacy to find a peaceful solution contributed to the
outbreak of war. Grey was indecisive and failed to commit to supporting Russia or opposing
German or Austrian actions despite being involved with Russia in the Triple Entente. He took no
concrete actions and instead stalled for time due to fear of political consequences of
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