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Which European Power was Strongest in 1914?
In 1914 there were five main countries in Europe that dominated the region and controlled large areas of land. These countries were Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary. All of them had quite a large population, powerful armies and navies, a high coal and steel output each year and some countries such as Great Britain, Germany and France controlled colonies in Africa and South America. All of these countries were eventually divided into two groups; the “Triple Alliance” which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and the “Triple Entente” which consisted of Great Britain, France and Russia. Each country’s individual strengths and weaknesses were key factors in who would win the war that was to ensue.
Based on evidence collected by previous research and also due to a number of different reasons and factors, Germany appeared to be the most powerful country/empire. None of the European powers wanted a world war, but they all feared Germany - outnumbering them in population and industry, and aggressively self-assertive - as a dangerous rival.
Firstly, Germany had the second largest population out of all the European countries, outnumbered only by Russia due to its size. As might be an indication from the photograph of Kaiser Wilhelm II the Germans were very proud of their country and would defend it ferociously in the event of a war or an attack.
Germany did not have as many colonies as Britain or France as it was late in the race for the colonies but Britain feared Germany’s increasing colonial expansion. They had ten colonies scattered around Africa such as Togo and the Cameroons which made up around 2.5 million square kilometres of land and consisted of around 15 million people. These colonies served as trade routes and were an important source of income for the Germans. Colonies were also used as docking bays were ships could refuel on long voyages. Therefore, the colonies were an important economic factor.
What Germany lost in power abroad, it made up for in its army. It had the strongest and largest army in all of Europe at that time and its pride was in its army which consisted of over 4 million soldiers. They had already proven themselves once before when they took Alsace and Lorraine from France. With the advanced war machinery and technology it possessed, Germany could easily outnumber the other European countries. The Germans were also well trained and disciplined. Germany was strategically placed from a geographical point of view as it was in the centre of Europe and an attack did not have to waste too much time and energy in transportation as all the other countries surrounded it. The German army was also strong due to the extremely high steel and coal output rates compared to the other European countries. Those helped build the weaponry, ammunition, ships and tanks used in the war.
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