Britain And The Origins Of The First World War - 708 Words

Zara S. Steiner and Keith Neilson. Britain and the Origins of the First World War. Second Edition. First published 2003 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York. 341 pages. Hardcover, $65.33, ISBN 0-333-73466-I. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Britain, What Will You Do? After reading thoroughly, readers may find it is a well-made and thoroughly thought out book. This text clarifies Britain’s feelings about going into what would be known as today, as â€Å"The Great War† or â€Å"World War I†. Moreover, the text is heavily detailed, noting Britain’s internal politics and their relationship with other nations before the idea of going to war with a nation came into view. Numerous†¦show more content†¦During the chapter 9, July Crisis, on June 28th, Franz Ferdinand was shot by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian living in Servia, at Sarajevo occurs. After this occurred, Austria composed an arrangement with Germany to gain support when it came time for war. What soon followed came a number of deals that spiraled out of control creating a chain reaction of epic proportion, becoming what was known as the â€Å"July Crisis†. (233-234) Subsequently, Ideas of if there was a war it would be a ‘short, cleansing thunderstorm’ and that ‘the troops would be home by Christmas’ flourished in the minds of the chief of staffs in every nation (234). Leading to the nations fighting amongst each other. In Britain, everyone did not want to go to war; especially, their Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey. Edward Grey was in the forefront to making deals, amongst other nations. Throughout his time, he kept pushing toward no war. Grey was by no means an advocate for war, but an advocate for peace. (256) Although, came time, the inevitable occurred and had to take action. In August 1914, arose the month for the British Cabinet to make the ultimate decision. (253) When it came to the decision of wither or not one should go to war, it was not at all up to the majority, it was up to the small group of men who will chart the fate of Britain that very day. (257) On August 4th 1914, Britain went to war against Germany. Britain and the Origins of the First World War, critically depicts Britain’sShow MoreRelatedExploring the Causes of World War One Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesCauses of World War One The long-term origins to World War One start back in 1870 with the Franco-Prussian War. In the Franco-Prussian war France lost to Germany which lead to the two countries never being in an alliance with one another. Once the war was over it lead to the forming of the triple Alliance which was one of the main alliances during the first world war. 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