History H/W Help - WW1/Treaty of westminster?

Question

Hi, im stuck on my history homework. I need to answer this question in detail explaining the treaty of westminster and relate it to the question.

Q. Did germany expect britain to get involved when Germany invaded belgium to attack france. (germans attack/ schlieffen plan) and what was germanys impression of the british army at that time.

I have wrote about that they thought they wouldnt get involved etc but I am really stuck on this treaty of west minster. =S

Any help is highly valued, thanks! =)

Answer 1

There were  several treaties of Westminster - two in the 1600s, the last in 1674, both resolving Anglo-Dutch Wars.  I see little connection to the events of 1914.  There was a Treaty of Westminster in 1756, at the outset of the Seven Years War, in which Britain and Prussia pledged neutrality between themselves and Britain pledged to assist in preventing any other foreign power's passage through Prussia.  This was what the Germans now proposed to do to Belgium - to invade and pass through on the way to France.  In 1756 they thought such things a bad idea; now they wanted to do it themselves.

The Treaty of London in 1839 was between Great Britain, Prussia, Austria-Hungary and France on one hand and the Belgians on the other.  All four of the great powers pledged to mutually respect and guarantee Belgian neutrality.

Germany fully expected that Great Britain would honor her obligations under the Treaty of London and enter any war in which Germany invaded Belgium, and had accepted this possibility and discounted the effect during the two generations upon which the German general staff labored over the plans generally referred to as the Schlieffen Plan.  In 1914 the Germans asked the British to disregard the Treaty of London, which they now referred to as "a scrap of paper".  The British Army was relatively small, and their plans called for sending eight divisions in the event of war.  The Kaiser referred to the British Expeditionary Force as a "contemptible little army", which the soldiers proudly appropriated as their nickname, the "old contemptibles".

http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/lond...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_W...

Answer 2

you could have a problem because you are about 234 years off in your History.That's because the Treaty of Westminster ended the Dutch--War.Which was signed in 1674. World War 1 ended in 1918.

a. The statue of Westminister signed in the1920's granted

   the Irish Independence, except for those Northern provinces

   in Ulster. It created the Commonwealth of Nations.

  The Germans were hoping to get the war over with by the time the British were to become fully involved. The English

Army was extremely small, under 100,000 men, but very professional and very good. it was the navy that Britain depended on to protect their vital interests and the English only very very reluctantly committed themselves to the war.

belgium was a convient excuse. If not Belgium the importance of what would happen if Germany won the war, they would dominant the continent and England was NOT going to let that happen, would have forced England to enter the war. Check your treaty name again.

    Hope that helps.  Packers.

PS The guy above me need to check his History the Maginot

      Line was World War 2 not 1.

Answer 3

Are you sure that it is the Treaty of Westminster? I think that might be the name given to two treaties to do with the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th Century. Are you getting mixed up with the Treaty of Versailles and others associated with WWI which were negotiated at various French palaces?

My own view is that Germany was unsure whether Britain would get involved, but thought that Britain might think twice after a quick victory for the Germans in France - hence the plan to go around the Maginot Line - speed was of the essence. They thought that the British army was not as strong as the navy and bear in mind that, altho there were treaties between France and GB, France had been the traditional enemy of GB for centuries and Germany for its entire short history. Also, the Kaiser was closely related to the British Royal family.

Hope that assists. Good luck