France’s primary goal in 1914 was to curtail Germany’s rapidly increasing economy and power. France, historically a rival to Germany, sought to level the playing fields between the two as they saw Germany as a threat to France’s status among fellow European Countries. If Germany continued growing at this rate, France would no longer be considered a strong power or ally. Therefore, all of France’s actions were based on honor and fear; France sought to preserve their legitimacy among their allies as well as their honor, both of which were threatened by Germany’s growth. Despite France’s historical enmity towards Germany and the desire to reduce German influence, France had no interest in going to war with Germany, and would prefer a peaceful route to solve to July Crisis.
The alliance systems in 1914, the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance, catalyzed the conflict between the two sides. The Triple Entente meant that France sought legitimacy with Russia and Britain, and that her actions would be an indication of her loyalty to those countries. Due to this system, France’s actions in 1914 would be influenced by her duty to respect Russia’s wishes and follow Russia’s decision in 1914. Russia’s actions would decide France’s plan of action. In addition, France’s long history with Germany would cloud her judgement, many of the French wanted revenge for the losses they faced after the Franco-Prussian War. After the war, France lost the Alsace-Lorraine territory of which Germany and France have been competing over since before they were even called Germany and France. While most living in the Alsace-Lorraine territory spoke French, the Germans still saw it as a stolen territory; thus, it established a rivalry over the area and hostility between the two countries. In addition, it fueled France’s nationalism, which stemmed from an anti-German nationalism. The rivalry would most definitely prejudice French judgement towards Germany. The rivalry was yet another incentive that fueled France’s inclination to mitigate Germany’s impending power, but did not urge the French to seek war with Germany, instead it pushed them into an alliance with Russia and Britain. The combination of French nationalism, enmity towards Germany, and the alliance system would muddle France’s judgement in 1914 making it difficult for France to step away from the escalating July Crisis and think about France’s individual interest: avoiding a war.
Nevertheless, France was not looking for a war with Germany, once gain a peaceful resolution would have been preferable to the French.
The French president, Raymond Poincare, was elected in 1913, just before the July Crisis. Poincare looked towards Germany with particular bitterness and hostility because he was born in Lorraine, which was one of the French territories taken by Germany after the Franco-Prussian war. Also contributing to the impacts of the July Crisis in France, several days after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand Jean Jaures, an important figure pushing for peace, was assassinated. Jaures was a symbol to France for both peace and unity. His death left France with a president who Germany, and a major loss for the movement towards peaceful resolution. No matter how much Raymond Poincare detested Germany and wanted revenge, he did not want to go to war with them in 1914, nor was it up to France.
The combination of structural forces and human agency left France subject to the decision of Russia in 1914, and weakened their ability to sensibly react to the July Crisis. Despite France’s history and leader, France was not looking for a war, and their decision would be subject to France’s deferential relationship with Russia. A peaceful approach to achieve France’s goals of regaining Alsace-Lorraine back, and curtailing German power would have been ideal. Russian mobilization would be the deciding factor for France, and would cause France to join a war of which they had not solicited.