Germany before World War I

Germany had emerged as a major European power since 1870. With the appointment of Otto von Bismarck as Chancellor in 1871, Germany's diplomatic horizons began to brighten. Germany, being geographically located in the center of Europe, was becoming the center of attention of the whole of Europe. It did not have the freedom to move without being noticed by other European countries to fulfill its expansionist ambitions. The countries on all sides would be shocked by its increase in power and would unite to try to weaken it.

Carefully assessing these circumstances, Bismarck took two (2) important diplomatic and policy-making steps.

First, he concluded a defense agreement with Austria-Hungary and Italy through the Triple Alliance. Thus, only France and Russia remained among Germany's enemies, while Britain was its opponent in naval rivalry.

 Second, he completely abandoned the expansionist strategy and convinced other European countries that he wanted to develop Germany as a powerful state that supported the peaceful existence and development of others.

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In 1890, Germany had become the central power of Europe due to its successful diplomacy and excellent strategy. Unlike its contemporaries, Germany had achieved stability in the old central state system, while other countries were progressing as independent democracies. This was worrying for the democratic world. In the same year, Bismarck and German Kaiser Wilhelm II had differences over German strategy, and Bismarck was forced to retire. However, Germany had overcome the initial difficult stages and was on the road to development.

 In 1891, Germany, showing the Russian delegation that had come to renew the defense pact a secret document of the Triple Alliance, apologized for the renewal of the pact, saying that the defense pact with Russia and the Triple Alliance were contradictory and could not be implemented simultaneously. This was the great diplomatic mistake that the new German government committed. Now Russia turned to France. Both countries were dissatisfied with the growing power of Germany and were suspicious of its intentions, so in 1894 a dual alliance was formed between the two.

Unlike Bismarck, William II had expansionist thinking. It cannot be said that Bismarck did not have expansionist thinking at all, but it is a proven fact that he, keeping in mind the world scenario, realized the danger that Germany's expansionist policy could pose serious threats to its development and even its existence. That is why he neither expressed expansionist intentions nor adopted any practical strategy.

 There were two (2) reasons for the acceleration of Germany's expansionist ambitions.

The first was that William II realized that in order to break the power of the existing world powers, it was necessary to gain enough power to change the balance of power, and for this it was necessary to have the resources.

The second reason was that the pace of development of Germany was amazingly fast not only throughout Europe but also throughout the world. Population growth, industrial, chemical and electrical development convinced William II that Germany had become a world power and could subdue its enemies in the blink of an eye.

Under the influence of the spirit of expansion, Germany began to increase its naval fleet enormously in 1898. Under the leadership of Admiral Tirpitz, the German navy rose from sixth in the world to second only to Britain. Russia and France were already dissatisfied with Germany, now the growing naval power also made Britain seriously concerned, as a result of which it put all its differences with France behind and signed an agreement against Germany. 

One of the reasons for the increase in naval power was that Germany wanted to balance its navy by reducing its dependence on the land army under its specific political circumstances. In the course of events, the number of enemies around Germany was increasing, while diplomatic relations with friends Italy and Romania had become cold, which made the status of these countries doubtful.

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Political and social conditions

In 1914, Germany was ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II, while the affairs of the empire were being carried out under the leadership of German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg. The chief of the Army High Command was Helmut von Moltke. Representatives from the German states and cities were elected to the German upper house (Bundesrat), while the lower house (Reichstag) was formed by popular vote. The Chancellor was appointed by the Kaiser and had the authority to distribute ministries.

Due to Germany's rapid industrial development, the emigration rate decreased significantly.  In the 1880s, about 130,000 people emigrated annually, which decreased to only 20,000 in 1890. Agricultural production was also increasing steadily due to the agrarian reform. In 1914, 20% of the country's total population lived in cities with a population of more than 100,000.

In 1914, Germany's population was 67 million. Industrial, chemical and electrical developments played a major role in overall prosperity. Patriotism was strong among the people, and a united Germany was a symbol of national pride.

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Economic and financial situation

In 1914, Germany's economic situation was two to three times more stable than in 1890. It was the only old-style state to have reached the highest level of industrial stability. By 1914, Germany's steel production had reached 17.6 million tons, double that of Britain.  In 1913, 60 percent of the gross national product came from industry.

Geographical and Military Situation

Germany was geographically located in the center of Europe and was surrounded by powerful countries on all sides. In 1914, the regular German army consisted of 25 corps, which included about 700,000 soldiers, while the total number including reserves reached 4,500,000.

The German Army Air Service was established in 1912. In 1914, Germany had 246 aircraft and 11 airships.

In 1914, the German Navy was the second largest navy in the world, with 17 modern battleships (Dreadnoughts), 5 battlecruisers, 30 submarines and several cruisers.