Why did Britain take the side of France during WW One when they were traditional foes..?

Question

whereas with Germany they were against the common arch enemy?

Answer 1

The fact is odd in some ways, if you consider the wider historical context. England, and then Great Britain had been intermittently at war with France for centuries, up until the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. There was still a great deal of anti-French feeling in the country (the Duke of Wellington, the victor of Waterloo, asked that his funeral train should leave from London's Waterloo Station to make the point to his French opposite number!). However, as others have said by the 1900s the French and British Governments had entered into the Entente Cordiale and were trying to put the old hatreds aside, and to provide a balance with the newly united Germany. Remember British politicians had been striving since the Congress of Vienna in 1814/1815, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, to maintain that perceived 'balance' No one country should be allowed to become stronger than others in Europe. So when Germany entered into alliances with Austro-Hungary, the UK entered into alliances with France and Russia to redress what was seen as an inbalance.

Incidentally, another answer refers to Kaiser Wilhelm and Edward VII as 'cousins'. They were not. They were nephew and uncle, Wilhelm's mother having been one of Queen Victoria's many daughters and therefore sister to Edward VII. There was an interesting book published 30 odd years ago called 'Uncle to Europe', dealing with Edward VII's time on the throne. The main argument of the book was that had the King lived a little longer (he died relatively young), then WWI might not have happened. Because he was related to many of the crowned heads of Europe he was involved in a great deal of 'back door' diplomacy during his reign. The book is well worth seeking out if you are interested in the period.

Answer 2

They were traditional foes in the 19th century but, after the French lost the Franco- Prussian War and Germany became united in 1871, Britain became increasingly worried about German power and imperial ambitions as they built up their armed forces ,particularly the navy to match the British.
Therefore at the end of the 19th century Britain began a diplomatic operation to get closer to the French and form an alliance, referred to as the Entente Cordiale.
The situation was made more personal in the 1900s by the fact that the Kaiser Wilhelm II and King Edward VII were cousins and hated each other.

Answer 3

Britain and France were no longer foes at the time of WWI. and had not been for some time. In particular refer to the "Entente Cordiale " reached between the two powers some years earlier - in your history book or on the web.

Answer 4

Germany had sided with Austria-Hungary after the murder of the Serbian leader.