French Delegation

Andrew Nau

Dr. Longenecker

Central History

[Date]

French Delegation

Introduction

History has seen a number of ups and downs. There have been a number of conflicts, battles and wars in different regions of the world. Sometimes, these conflicts or wars were small in nature, for example between two states or within a country. However, in some cases, the political situation between the two countries that they had to take military action. Even in some instances, the nature of war became so serious that many countries participated in it, from both sides. Although it has only happened twice in history, however, the results were devastating. The first time this happened was during World War I. Also known as “the Great War”, this war started in 1914 and ended in 1918.

Every war has a reason or a catalyst behind it. History has not seen any war that had been initiated without any reason or cause. Same was the case with World War I. Although there were many small incidents and causes behind the instigation of such a huge war, one of the main incidents that proved to be fuel to fire was the Sarajevo Incident that took place in 1914.

Discussion

Sarajevo Incident (1914)

The Sarajevo Incident is also commonly known as the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was an heir to the Astro-Hungarian Throne and his better half, Archduchess Sophie. The tragic incident happened when the royal couple was on a state visit of Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. The incident got much fame and is traditionally regarded as the immediate catalyst for the initiation of World War I. The history of this incident is complex and deeply rooted in the occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina by the Austria-Hungary government. The killer was a Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip and the motive behind this assassination was to break off the Austria-Hungary's South Slav provinces so that they can be re-combined in Yugoslavia.

Diplomatic History of France before the Initiation of World War I (1914)

World War I was basically a huge military conflict between two strong groups of the world. Both these groups consisted of very powerful nations and participated in the war with their full force and complete military power. The first group or bloc was the Triple Alliance, which consisted of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy, whereas the second bloc, called Triple Entente, consisted of France, Russia and Great Britain. Before 1914, France tried its level best to isolate Germany in the global circle, which it did very successfully. France formed three major alliances in its diplomatic history, Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894, Entente Cordiale in with Great Britain in 1904 and finally the Anglo-Russian Entente that was formed in1907, which later became the Triple Entente.

How the Sarajevo Incident Impacted France

The Sarajevo Incident of 1914 had a great impact on almost all the countries included in World War I. Not only was France impacted as a result of this incident but Great Britain, Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary were also deeply affected. As discussed earlier, it became a major cause of the Great War and as a result, Germany invaded France through the route of Belgium on 3rd August 1914. Although France won the war with a great majority, it had to bear huge losses in terms of industrial and military losses.

Foreign Policy Goals and Concerns of France In 1914

France was one of the major participants in the “Great War” as it was the main country that was under attack. One of the major Goals of France during World War I was to defend Paris at any cost. One of the major goals of France regarding foreign policy was to strengthen the bonding between Russia and develop a formal bond between Franc and Great Britain. However, nobody, even France, expected the crisis of 1914. Germany mobilized its forces as a result of Russian mobilization. In such a situation, France had to mobilize its forces which caused further tension in the region and World War I started.

After 4 long years, 1918 marked to be as a year of ending of World War I. However, these 4 years caused much bloodshed. Almost 9 million people got killed in these wars and much more were maimed, grief-stricken, crippled or psychologically scarred.

Conclusion

Hence. It can be clearly seen through the facts and figures presented in the essay that France played a very positive, in fact, a very mitigating role during the World War I. The major cause or the catalyst of this “Great War” was the Sarajevo Incident that took place on 28 June 1914. France was one of the major participants in World War I, in fact, it was the main country or region whose land was used as the battlefield. France, along with the alliance of Russia and Great Britain, won the Great War and captured many of the areas of Germany.