[Imagination rules the world-N.B]

Britain declared war on Germany on 4,8,1914 because Germany invaded Belgium and so break the treaty of London in 1839 in which the Eoropean countries promised each other not to invade Belgium.But why did they promised not to invade Belgium?Was it because of Belgiums locationand if so what is so important about its location?

[Mrs Faithorn]

I have spilt your message off from the older thread about WWI where you had posted it as really you are asking a completely different question and thus a new topic.

You can find out more about the Treaty of London - the background to it and it's significance here:
http://en.wikipedia....of_London,_1839

Careful reading of that page answers your questions really. As you will see Belgium's importance (in the context you are asking about) was not really to do with its location.

However, I do think Britain's desire to defend Belgium's neutrality may have had something to do with that country's location. Belgium - and it seaports- are only just across the English Channel from Britain and if Belgium were to be occupied by the Germans then this could be seen as a threat to British merchant shipping in the English Channel. I don't think anyone was really afraid of a German invasion of Britain by the Germans in WWI though.

If you still don't understand, though, (having read that page) do post again.

[MrJohnDClare]

Mrs Faithorn, on Jun 20 2006, 11:30 PM, said:

I don't think anyone was really afraid of a German invasion of Britain by the Germans in WWI though.

There was no serious danger of a German invasion during most of WWI because the British blockaded the German fleet in port after the battle of Jutland.

Before the Battle of Jutland, however, there was every danger of a German invasion, and before the battle Jellicoe (I think) commented that he was the only person in Britain that could lose the war in an afternoon. If the British fleet had been wiped out at Jutland, it would have left Britain completely vulnerable to a sea-borne attack.

And before the war there was a veritable panic in Britain about a possible German invasion - novels were written and lectures were given imagining what would happen if the German's invaded, which was also a constant theme of children comics. Note that the plot of the very fanous John Buchan novel The 39 Steps (1915) is that Britain is in danger of invasion by Germany.

So THIS was why Belgium was so important - the fear that the River Scheldt was a superb mounting-point for a German naval invasion.
If Germany had conquered Belgium unopposed, Britain's security would definitely have been under threat.

Which makes the German look a bit silly when they were sp surprised when the British declared war for what they had only considered 'a scrap of paper'. It tells you something about the insight of German diplomacy when they were so blind to Britain's REAL fears and aims.