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Deterrence In World War I Essay

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Deterrence is essentially convincing the opposing nation or party not to do something (Magana 4/19/17). In the case of World War I, deterrence was being used to prevent either side from attaching or too badly damaging the nation or alliance. Deterrence can be used in many ways, be that through threats of violence, compromise, agreement, or alliances. In 1914, the major players, Austria-Hungary and Serbia each attempted, through forming alliances with other powerful world actors, to deter attacks or damages. This effort was a failure on both ends. In World War I, the point of the Anglo-Russo-French alliance was to keep Germany from attacking any of the three, and Russian support of Serbia was intended to prevent anyone from attacking it. Although …show more content…

The Austro-Hungarians did their best to manipulate the situation to result in a war that would allow them to cause loss like the loss they felt. Although provocation on the part of Austro-Hungarians was intentional, countries should and usually will do all they can to prevent war, as the cost (loss of life, damage both physical and economic) almost always outweighs the benefits of any war. The Austro-Hungarians and the Serbians, along with the major powers that joined in the conflict following the initial spark of war, absolutely failed at discouraging aggressive military action and armed conflict. This failure to deter surely contributed to the crisis of 1914 and subsequently World War I. Additionally, the Austro-Hungarians also believed that they would make a quick, decisive victory over Serbia and that the war would be short. This “short war illusion” on the part of the Austro Hungarians most certainly led to a, longer, less organized, and more devastating conflict for none of the involved parties were adequately prepared to fight a longer battle. These failures in combination are what facilitated a full-blown war and widespread devastation throughout Europe and

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