why did the UK get involved in ww1?

Question

the UK had treatys that said if belgium(and netherlands i think) were to be invaded then the UK would step in to help them.
why would they have such a treaty?

also what would have happened if the UK stayed out of ww1, or allied themselves with germany and austria?

Answer 1

Britain entered WW1 in the defense of Belguim and in reaction to Germany's violation of The Treaty of London(1839), in which Belguim's neutrality was to be respected by all nations.

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (who was next in line for the Austrian throne) and his wife Sophie were both assasinated while on a visit to Serbia. War was declared between Serbia and Austria (because a Serb killed what was basically Austria's equivalent of Prince Charles). Anyway, Austria (also called Austro-Hungary) had signed a treaty, along with Germany and Italy (called the Triple Alliance), saying that if one of them went to war against another country, that the rest of them would go to war. On the other hand, there was another set of three countries which had signed ANOTHER treaty, called the Triple Entente. These countries were Britain, France and Russia. Russia was a supporter of tiny little Serbia, and so when the Triple Alliance delcared war on Serbia, Russia became involved, and that is the way France and Britain became involved. Britain used to own almost half of the countries in the world, so when Britain went to war, so did they -- eg: Australia, New Zealand, India etc.

Answer 2

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was only the trigger for the UK entering WWI. Tensions between Britain and Germany were at an all time high, mainly due to the actions of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser was very paranoid and believed that Germany was encompassed on all sides by enemies, due to the fact that Britain joined the Triple Entente. Also the Kaiser wanted Germany to become a great power with worldwide Empires to challenge those of even Britain. During the build up to WWI GB and Germany had an arms race, building up their navies and almost preparing for the inevitable. All of this tension created was the main reason for the declaration of war also the fact that Britain had promised to protect France and Belgium if attacked by Germany and therefore when Germany sent troops through Belgium, Britain responded with the BEF ( British Expeditionary Force) to help defend the Belgians.

Answer 3

Your question is quite inquisitive. It was at a time that all European nations large and small were forming secret alliances. The "What If" scenarios you are posing do not sound plausible, since Europe had always been at war since the days of the Romans, and the added booty of world colonies were at stake for both sides. I would think that if Britain tried to steer clear of the war, Germany eventually would drag it in because in the fight for colonies. Germany's unification in the mid 1800-s prevented it from participating in the "Imperialism Race" taking place from 1492 to 1914. Beating Britain would yield massive gains for Kaiser Wilhelm II, for as it was said in those days, "The sun never sets on the British Empire". Also as a side note, the UK at the height of its power also contemplated a war with the US, who it considered a future imperialistic rival. The year that the British felt this may happen was around 1925. Unfortunately, WW I broke out, and we know the consequences of that crisis.



In my opinion, If Germany had been allied with Germany, it would have little to gain, for it would also be allied to the Ottoman Turks, who's empire was on the decline and territory would be divided by the victors of WW I, Britain getting the greatest share.

Answer 4

Brits thought it was a good time to eliminate the rising German Empire as a challenge (only possible with assistance of France and Russia) as well as use war to distract domestic electorate from burgeoning social and political problems.



Violation of Belgian neutrality provided an excuse (decision was made before news reached London.)



Everything else (alleged naval race with Germany, belligerence of Kaiser) is bullshit.



(Your second question is absurdist, since there would not have been world war without Britain; it convinced France and Russia to commit to war while convincing Germans and Austro-Hungarians it would stay out [IOW France and Russia would not have fought if England had stayed out, while Germany/A-H would not have fought if they knew Britain would participate. Britain orchestrated this diplomatic maneuver to ensure that war would in fact break out under conditions favorable to itself [which was indeed the case in 1914]).

Answer 5

Regardless of treaties & such, the UK needed to keep up their naval superiority which was being threatened by the German navy. I think they had to go to war because of this; they would not have allied themselves to the Central Powers because of this.