which factor most directly resulted in great britain entering world war i
Belgium had won the war for its independence and at the Treaty of London in 1839 Britain with other major powers guaranteed the independence of this nation. On the 4th of August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium and thus Britain stepped in to honor its promise from 1839.
History of the United Kingdom during the First World War
, the large antiwar element among Liberals would support the war to honour the 1839 treaty regarding guarantees of Belgian neutrality, so that rather than France was the public reason given. Therefore, the public reason given out by the government. and used in posters, was that Britain was required to safeguard Belgium's neutrality under the 1839 Treaty of London.
wiki:17961768
History of the United Kingdom during the First World War [SEP] Asquith as prime minister
Britain's duty to her Entente partners, both France and Russia, were paramount factors. The Foreign Secretary Edward Grey argued that the secret naval agreements with France created a moral obligation 'to save France from defeat by Germany. British national interest rejected German control of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Grey warned that to abandon its allies would be a permanent disaster: if Germany won the war, or the Entente won without British support, then, either way, Britain would be left without any friends. This would have left both Britain and her Empire vulnerable to isolation. Eyre Crowe, a senior Foreign office expert said: Should the war come, and England stand aside, one of two things must happen.