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Germany and the origins of the First World War
Study Sources A-E below and then answer the questions which follow.

Source A

A lecture given in October 1913 by an Englishman, J.A. Crumb, who had lived in Germany for many years

The German answer to all our talk about the limitation of armaments is: Germany shall increase to the utmost of her power irrespective of any proposals made to her by England or by Russia or by any other State upon this earth ... I have lived among Germans and I have been impressed by the splendour of that movement which through the centuries has brought Germany to her position today. But with the best will in the world I can see no solution to the present collision of ideals but a tragic one. England desires peace and will never make war on Germany. But how can the youth in Germany, that nation great in war, accept the world-predominance of England? The outcome is certain and speedy. It is war.

Source B

The diary of Admiral von Muller, head of the Kaiser's naval cabinet, 8 December 1912 (meeting with the Kaiser and top military and naval personnel)

General von Moltke [Chief of German General Staff] said: I believe war is unavoidable; war the sooner the better. But we ought to do more through the press to prepare the popularity of a war against Russia. The Kaiser supported this. Tirpitz [Naval Minister] said that the navy would prefer to see the postponement of the great fight for one and a half years. Moltke says the navy would not be ready even then and the army would get into an increasingly unfavourable position, for the enemies were arming more strongly than we. That was the end of the conference; the result amounted to almost nothing.

Source C

Report of a conversation held in May or June 1914, written from memory by Gottlieb von Jagow, after Germany's defeat in the war. In 1914 Jagow was the German Foreign Secretary.

On 20 May and 3 June 1914 our Majesties gave lunches in honour of the birthdays of the Emperor of Russia and the King of England. On one of these occasions - I cannot remember which - Moltke said he would like to discuss some matters with me. In his opinion there was no alternative to making preventive war in order to defeat the enemy while we still had a chance of victory. I replied that I was not prepared to cause a preventive war and I pointed out that the Kaiser, who wanted to preserve peace, would always try to avoid war and would only agree to fight if our enemies forced war upon us. After my rejection, Moltke did not insist further. When war did break out, unexpectedly and not desired by us, Moltke was very nervous and obviously suffering from strong depression.

Source: Sources A, B and C are quoted in J.C.G. Röhl, From Bismarck to Hitler, Longman, 1970, extracts

Source D

Naval statistics

Relative strengths of Germany and Britain in battleships and Dreadnoughts, 1907-11

Fleet sizes, 4 August 1914 (Figures in brackets indicate ships under construction)

Source: R. Wolfson, Years of Change (Arnold, 1978)

Source E

A British cartoon from Punch, 12 August 1914

(a) How does Source A show that the writer had mixed feelings about Germany?

(b) Why do you think he had these mixed views about Germany?

(c) Does the cartoon in Source E give a good impression of Britain's attitude towards Germany? Explain your answer.

(d) In what ways and to what extent does Source D support Moltke's statement in Source B that 'the enemies were arming more strongly than we'. s