Downfall Of The Austro Hungarian Empire

The crushing defeat and ultimate failure of the Axis Powers was caused by significant events that had a great impact on the war. The Allies were victorious in 1945 due to the sheer military power of the United States, the infamous Soviet Transformation and the ‘Battle of Moscow’, the crushing fall of Japan and the vast resource differences between the Axis Powers and the Allies. These major events that took place during World War 2 helped shape the victorious outcome for the Allies, by not only weakening the German’s military force, but also its confidence.

Throughout history, many powerful nations interfered with nations that were weaker than they were. This form of sabotaging a nation is economic, political or cultural life is called as imperialism. Imperialism is often separated into two sects. The first one is old imperialism, which was the period from the 1500s to the 1800s, where European nation started to colonize many areas such as the Americas, and parts of Southeast Asia. On the other hand, the new imperialism was the period between the years “1870-1914”, where Europe became more focused on expanding their land into Asia and Africa. Imperialism had many pros and cons. In addition, it also had many causes led by the feeling of nationalism.

The Differences Between 16th and 19th Century Imperialism and their Effects on the World Today.

Germany’s loss of territory was a major cause of the war. In document A the map referencing German territorial losses depicts the land lost after World War I. The Germans were forced to return Alsace-Lorraine back to France, the Polish Corridor was given to Poland and Danzig became a free city. Germany lost their territory along with the resources within the area such as coal and iron. Because of their loss in resources, their economy continued to decline as their reparations remained unpaid. In addition, in document A, Adolf

The process of decolonization proved to have its own struggles within those who were seeking their independence from imperialist powers. Evidently, these nationalist movements were different in many regions, but they generally shared the sentiment that “Westernization” had taken something away from them. This proved to be the case in Africa and Asia, where the colonization movement from imperialist powers was of strong presence, and that had trouble weakening during and after the Cold War. Part of this struggle was due to the forms of government that were imposed, and because many of these colonies had been in this position for such long time that they were not able to predict upcoming conflicts after their independence. However, in many cases, the problems were more complicated and often implied a combination of reaction to westernization and internal conflicts. Undoubtedly,

These countries wanted their most worthy citizens to be part of their imperial desires, which lead to a philosophy of their ideals, religion and morals being developed. They meant that they could justify the colonies and labor based on the superiority of their culture, and the need to spread it to other cultures. When doing this, local cultures often destroyed, and people lost a sense of their identity. (Doc

They wanted to see a more organized countries as well as trying to gain more control so that they could continue to be a world power and compete

By the year 1901, the United States possessed one of the largest navy’s in the world, a growing empire, and the respect of the world as a growing power. It gained these achievements by being involved in the growing imperialism of this era along with Britain, France, Germany, and Japan. However America did not gain its power spontaneously. During the Gilded Age and prior America established policies and precedents that would lead America into the discussion as a world power. Although the United States expansionism in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries was a continuation of the social and cultural continuation of the past, it was also resulting from the departure from the methods of the past in the government’s pursuit of new economic and political endeavors.

Before the late 19th century the U.S Foreign Policy consisted of neutrality set by George Washington, the Monroe Doctrine set to stop colonization,and Manifest Destiny a idea that cause the expansion westward to spread American ideal. The second industrial revolution during the late 19th century caused for a want in expenditure in markets this led President Mckinley annexing Hawaii, but expansion did not fully set its course until Theodore Roosevelt who took office after the assassination of Mckinley, Theodore Roosevelt pursued an expansionist foreign policy through his “Big Stick Policy”. The late 19th and early 20th century was a continuation of previous expansionism through efforts by the U.S to justify expansion and imperialism the U.S will continue to establish its dominance over other countries, it was a departure in the sense of the magnitude in which the U.S dramatically expanded its role as a Empire over countries.

Imperialism has been one of the most powerful forces in human history, serving to set the foundation of our modern world. While this has led to the formation of a global society where cultures, ideas, and innovations are spread across countries, imperialism has also left a history of exploitation, racism, and violence that is still affecting the world today. Imperial relationships are always imbalanced when it comes to power and influence; that is, one group (known as the metropole) maintains authority and control over another group (known as the periphery) with economic, political, and cultural dominance (Spiegel 2012). There are many reasons why one group chooses to dominate the other, such as expanding territory, extracting raw resources to fuel economic development, or to spread their beliefs (i.e. religion) (Spiegel 2012). In spite of these varied reasons, one of the main motivators for imperialism began with competition between empires.

Historians argue that the 1917 Russian Revolution represents a major turning point in world history. Two specific pieces of evidence that support this argument is that the Revolution led to the spread of communism with the formation of the USSR and the emergence of Russia as a world power. Both of the pieces support the argument. The Revolution led to the formation of the USSR, otherwise known as the world’s first nation to base its government on the teachings and writings of Karl Marx. This event would not only be groundbreaking for Russia, but the entire globe. The formation of a communist nation meant a new battle was about to start -- the battle between communism and capitalism. The formation of the USSR would directly lead to the Cold

From the 17th to the 20th centuries, imperialism served a mode of global exploration and expansion of economic, political and religious influence. Glory was at stake; the opportunity to expound upon their influence on the balance of power galvanized most of Europe to explore and colonize Central Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In the period of European imperialism, imperialism served as conveyer of status and power in world affairs; the more imperialist territory, a more powerful nation state. Arbitrary boundaries and imperialist expansion into the unknown earth continued until the end of World War II. This disintegration of imperial empires came to be because of the mission of World War II and the weakness of the imperial power post-war. As John Green says, “In part, the Allies were fighting to stop Nazi imperialism. The Allied defeat of the Nazis discredited the whole of an empire for the future”(Crash Course). The Allies could not reasonably defeat a permutation of an imperialist empire and then expect its colonies to return to a system of imperialist empires. As well, the power of the major imperial states (Britain, France, Japan) diminished after World War II, so their ability to upkeep their territorial control lessened. Therefore, Central Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East broke off from direct territorial control into independent states. What this means for modern day policy is that imperialist empires are no longer a goal of nation states.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1896. He was a threat to the Black Hand Terrorist group, a group of radical Serbian nationalists. They pledged “to destabilize the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire in order to incorporate their Serb population into a greater Serbia” (CITE) However the Archduke’s goals were “strengthening the Austro-Hungarian Empire” (CITE) which was contrary to the Serbs' desires. They feared that if he came into power, he would continue to persecute the Serbs, henceforth the decision to assassinate him.

The New Imperialism during the 19th century throughout Africa and Asia was an influential prompt to the rise of colonialism and powerful European empires. Consisting of raw materials, markets for European business, and provided resources made the African and Asian colonies extremely ingenious for European empires. However, as the 20th century emerged, imperialism suddenly faded and became a sentiment of the past. Surely even one of the most influential empires at a certain point in time – Britain, gradually came at ease with dropping its imperial rule over some colonies. Likewise, following gory and extensive battles, a parallel approach was taken by France. Nevertheless, the utmost spark to the 20th century decolonization was primarily

Many strategies have been devised by empires over centuries, these strategies and decisions have helped shape the world as it is in its present state. The author explains how strategic decisions made in the past were the wrong decisions in his opinion, as John Perkins had seen first hand the devastation that could be caused by the American government in its pursuit for a “global empire”.