POLI 351 Study Guide - Preventive War, July Crisis
12 Dec 2012
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Snyder: civil-military relations and the cult of the offensive 1914 and 1984. Security, not conquest was the principal criteria used by the designers of the plans, but their net effect was to reduce everyone"s security and to convince at least some states that only preventive aggression could ensure their survival. When strategy went awry, it was because a penchant for offense helped the military organization to preserve its autonomy, prestige, and traditions to simplify its institutions routines or to resolve a dispute within the organization. Schlieffen sought to capitalize on the relatively slow mobilization of the. German war planning showed a strong bias in favour of offensive schemes for decisive victory and against defensive of more limited offensive schemes. Offense is more structured with large organizations. Placed an important role in the transformation of bethmann"s strategy and in its failure to keep britain neutral in the july crisis.
