Why Did Britain Get Involved In WW1?

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Why Did Britain Get Involved In WW1?

4 Answers

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Answer 1

There were a number of reasons why Britain got involved in World War One:

The neutrality of Belgium- Britain was committed to a neutral Belgium state. When Britain's ultimatum to Germany was rejected and the German empire invaded Belgium, Britain declared war. Belgium had been created to act as a buffer state between France and Germany, and so keeping the country intact and neutral was paramount to achieving a stable peace on the continent.

The Triple Entente - Britain was part of a system of alliances known as the Triple Entente. This alliance was a collective defence pact between France, Russia and Britain, intended to counter the threat posed by the Central Powers (The German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and The Ottoman Empire). When the central powers declared war on France and Russia, this caused Britain to act.

The balance of power in Europe - For hundreds of years Britain maintained the same policy towards the European powers. This involved keeping a stable balance of power on the continent so that, if one country attempted to dominate the continent (such as Napoleonic France), then Britain would intervene. Germany's new industrial, economic and military strength made it a threat to Britain's and Europe's security.

The Great War Allied (Entente) powers- 22,477,500 killed, missing or wounded in action:

France
British Empire
Russia
Italy
United States
Romania
Japan
Serbia
Belgium
Greece

Central powers- 16,403,000 Killed missing or wounded in action:

Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
Bulgaria

Answer 2

Britain was first hesitant of entering the war. Keep in mind that they had the largest empire in the world at this time. However they were obligated to protect France having been part of the Triple Entente which included France, Britain and Russia. When Germany went into Belgium to attack France they were violating the neutrality of Belgium. This ticked off Britain and sent them over the edge. Britain was pulled into the war as they had to protect France. Additionally they were afraid of the increasing military power of Germany. There as an industrial rivalry between countries and Germany was very industrialized! They had created very advanced weaponry like smoke bombs and tanks. Britain was afraid they would knock them off and gain domination of Europe.

Answer 3

They entered the war because they had alliance with France because when Austria declared war on Serbia that brought Russia into the war then Germany attacked Belgium because Russia had alliance with them then France had an alliance with them so France was next to be attacked and the Britain had no choice but to enter

Answer 4

Britain had vowed to protect Belgium (their nearest neighbor) from invaders. When Germany crossed through Belgium to get to France, Britain sent troops to fight Germany. And remember, Britain had large colonial holdings throughout the world. Germany was colonizing as well, in Africa, etc. It was clear that Germany was to be tough competition in the world stage for the older Empires. Some Empires made deals with each other to aid and defend, like Russian and France. With industrialization came the inevitable arms race. 40 years of threatening to fight each other came down to one moment. The Heir to the Austrian throne was assassinated in Serbia, Austria vowed to crack down on Serbs. Russian had vowed to aid Serbia. Germany was obligated to help Austria-Hungary, and France was obligated to help Russia. Germany was surrounded and believed a quick strike through Belgium would be the best way to stop the French from invading Germany. It was one big mess.