West European Studies

Germany was involved in the First World War in which it was defeated in 1918. There are various similarities between the defeat of Germany in 1918 and defeat of France in 1871. The similarities of their defeat can be obtained by considering the causes of the war and the end results. There were also dissimilarities between these wars. The dissimilarities can also be ascertained by considering the participants in the war and the consequences of the war.

    The similarities can be attested from the causes of the war. The war against Germany and France was as a result of balance of power within the European nations. In the eve of 1914, the British government declared war against Germany. This was a result of the economic revival in Germany. Germany had developed rapidly. The industrial revolution in Germany created worry within the states competing for balance of power. Britain joined hands with France to fight against Germany. Germany faced defeat as a result of the strong resistance from the French and British armies.  The defeat was also attributed by the intervention of the United States army. United States took side in the war losing the position of a neutral mediator.  The war left Germany in tatters.  The consequences of the war included economy draw back, separated army, hunger and political unrest. Germany was forced to sign a treaty which considered Germany as the contributing factor to the war.

    The Franco-Prussian war left France in a stalemate as Germany defeat in 1918. France entered in to war in 1870 with Prussia due to the prevailing conflict.  France declared war against Prussia due to the conflict between the two sides. The war was aimed towards Prussia alone leaving aside the other German states.  The untargeted German states backed up Prussia.  The German and Prussia armies joined hand to defeat France.  The German Empire was formed by unifying Germany and Prussia. The war ended in a treaty. The Treat of Frankfurt served as the terminating point of the war.  The causes of the Germany war and the Franco-Prussian War were similar. The war was as a result of the balance of power within the European nations.  The Napoleonic Wars left The European states in a state of war for power.  The defeat of France in 1871 forced Napoleon I to exile. Germany gained victory in this war.   The 1871 war left Germany being united.

    There were dissimilarities between the defeat of Germany in 1918 and the defeat of the France in 1871. In 1918 Germany was left in the losing end with Britain gaining victory. Germany was forced to accept the treaty which was initiated by the United States. Germany served a blow since it was forced to bear the consequences of the war. In 1871, Germany gained victory over France. This left Germany a united nation.  The treat of Frankfurt recognized Germany as the victorious while the versatile treaty left Germany at the losing end. In 1870, France declared war against Prussia while in the 1914 war, Britain declared war against Germany.

    In conclusion, the First World War was geared against Germany. This was because of the fight for balance of power within the European nations. Britain was the first nation to be industrialized. It remained in the forefront until the American Revolution.  Germany gained momentum towards industrialization. This made British Government to declare war against Germany. In 1919, the First Germany was forced to sign a treaty in which it was not involved. This left many issues being unresolved.