WW1 Centenary - Historical Revision In British Government Circles

German Annexation Plans 1914

News articles over the last few days have been talking about the WW1 centenary, and the British government's attitude towards it.

It seems plenty of MPs have bought the German propaganda line revising the fact that WW1 was a war Germany wanted as an act of expansion. Apparently, official British comments and teachings of WW1 for the centenary will not lay the blame on the poor misunderstood Germans, who are now officially victims of WW1 - which itself has been renamed along with WW2 by the EU, as the European Civil War.

So, just to counter these ludicrous assertions of Germany's innocent intentions during WW1, we will let German Chancellor (1914) Bethmann-Hollweg tell us in his own words.

This is a direct translation of Bethman-Hollweg's internal memo on Germany's war aims, from September 1914;


"France. The military to decide whether we should demand cession of Belfort and western slopes of the Vosges, razing of fortresses and cession of coastal strip from Dunkirk to Boulogne. The ore-field of Briey, which is necessary for the supply of ore for our industry, to be ceded in any case. Further, a war indemnity, to be paid in instalments; it must be high enough to prevent France from spending any considerable sums on armaments in the next 15–20 years. Further, a commercial treaty which makes France economically dependent on Germany, secures the French market for our exports, and makes it possible to exclude British commerce from France. This treaty must secure for us financial and industrial freedom of movement in France in such a fashion that German enterprises can no longer receive different treatment from French.

Belgium. Liège and Verviers to be attached to Prussia, a frontier strip of the province of Luxembourg. The question of whether Antwerp, with a corridor to Liège, should also be annexed remains open. At any rate Belgium, even if allowed to continue to exist as a state, must be reduced to a vassal state, must allow us to occupy any militarily important ports, must place her coast at our disposal in military respects, must become economically a German province…

Luxembourg. Will become a German federal state and will receive a strip of the present Belgian province of Luxembourg and perhaps the corner of Longwy. We must create a central European economic association through common customs treaties, to include France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Austria-Hungary, Poland and perhaps Italy, Sweden and Norway. This association will not have any common constitutional supreme authority and all its members will be formally equal, but in practice will be under German leadership and must stabilize Germany’s economic dominance over ‘Middle Europe’

Colonies. The question of colonial acquisitions, where the first aim is the creation of a continuous Central African colonial empire, will be considered later, as will that of the aims to be realized vis-à-vis Russia.

Holland. It will have to be considered by what means and methods Holland can be brought into closer relationship with the German Empire. In view of the Dutch character, this closer relationship must leave them free of any feeling of compulsion, must alter nothing in the Dutch way of life, and must also subject them to no new military obligations. Holland, then, must be left independent in externals, but be made internally dependent on us. Possibly one might consider an offensive and defensive alliance, to cover the colonies; in any case a close customs association, perhaps the cession of Antwerp to Holland in return for the right to keep a German garrison in the fortress of Antwerp and at the mouth of the Scheldt."


Much of this has been achieved via German control of the EU.