Unraveling the Causes of World War I: Assessing the Fischer Thesis and Long-Term Factors

World War I, which began in central Europe in July 1914, was a conflict which involved all of the world’s great powers and was the second deadliest conflict in Western history. However, its origins remain extremely controversial and have been debated ceaselessly. There have been numerous arguments for conflict, but this essay will only focus on the Fischer thesis in evaluating and assessing the long and short term causes.

However, we must first examine the background in which conflict arose between the two alliance blocs. In 1871, the Franco-Prussian War saw the well-equipped Prussian army not only defeating, but also humiliating France. The unification of Germany meant a shift in balance of power in Europe, and its victory over France showed its potential to be dominant. Following the war, Germany continued to grow in military and industrial strength, becoming the strongest industrial power in Europe by 1900. The sudden rise of Germany and the destabilizing of power caused much anxiety among other European countries.

To make matters worse, a young and ambitious Wilhelm II came to the German throne in 1888, drastically modifying German’s foreign policy such that France was free from isolation, and alliance between Russia lapsed, allowing France to ally with Russia. In addition, the new German government embarked on a new foreign policy, known as Weltpolitik, which aimed to secure colonies overseas and expand the empire. This brought it into conflict with more established colonial powers, namely Britain and France over the Jameson Raid as well as the subsequent Moroccan crisis.