Causes of WWI Position Paper
In the late 1800s there was a rise of militarism as well as nationalism in Europe. This had an effect on surrounding countries. Most European countries were training troops and military tactics even when there was no war. This put not only its own country on high alert it put surrounding countries on high alert as well. Another country noticing that Britain was redding an army made others think they were ready to attack someone.
The correct definition of nationalism is “ loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.” It is a feeling of dominance and honer of one's country. How this makes people go to was is if something happens within the country people want to retaliate or defend their country like 9/11 and The United States. We “retaliated.”
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Germany felt attacked and they “retaliated.” Austria was allied with Germany at the time so they had their backs no matter what. Sideria was the one blamed for the assassination so they were in it. Russia joined into WWI because they just lost to japan and they needed to bounce back from their loss.
WWI was caused by nationalism and militarism. A country being attacked will cause its citizens to want to fight back and go to war. Now once you've been training for and you are pushed over the edge you strike fast and hard to teach them who is boss. Nationalism was the main cause of war in the late
The first underlying cause of WWI was Alliances. The Triple Alliance was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy; while the Triple Entente was made up of U.K., France, and Russia. (Document A) The Triple Alliance is surrounded be the Triple Entente, and The Triple Alliance may have felt threatened and also become suspicious. (Document A) When small battles started breaking out, each country was blaming some other country for disrupting the peace. (Document B). This proves that Alliances were a cause of WWI because The Triple Alliance was surrounded by the
World War I, also known as the first World War, or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe the began on the 28th of July 1914 and lasted until the 11th of November 1918. World War I was a war that was fought between two sides with a few of the World’s greatest Nations of that time. The two sides were Triple Entente which included Britain, France, and Russia, and the Triple Alliance which was consisted of the countries Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. World War I left a mark on history as we know it, what could have possibly led to that war?, What were the underlying causes of World War I?. The major causes of “The Great War” or WWI consist of four long-term causes and one short-term cause. The common acronym that’s used for the four long-term causes to help students remember the causes of WWI is M.A.I.N; the acronym stands for Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism,and the short-term cause The Assassination of the ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on the 28th of June 1914. To put all of this in a simpler way the five major causes of WWI was Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism, and the assassination of the ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand. Each of topics played a significant role in the reasons why WWI would begin.
World War I was the result of leaders' aggression towards other countries which was supported by the rising nationalism of the European nations. Economic and imperial competition and fear of war prompted military alliances and an arms race, which further escalated the tension contributing to the outbreak of war. One cause of the World War was militarism, which is a policy in which military preparedness is of primary significance to a situation. Another cause of the World War was nationalism. Nationalism is the pride and devotion form one towards his/her country. It played a great part in the causes of World War 1 because citizens wanted to stand up for their country, and fight for them. The third
Another debated cause is imperialism, which is the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations. This contributed to WWI because of the rivalry it caused in Europe between Great Britain, Germany, and France. They needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. Great Britain, Germany, and France competed for economic expansion in Africa. Even though Great Britain and France came to an agreement several problems before the war had to do with the dislike of Germany against Great Britain and France in North Africa. Also the crumbling of the Ottoman-Empire in the Middle East was a big factor for Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia. So the competition for colonies brought great powers into conflict and fueled the ideas of war and added to the present tension that already existed, and that tension keeps on building up.
Germany had stockpiled quite an arsenal and increased their navy for advanced combat. Great Britain also strengthened her navy. Militarism was another cause of the war. Countries like Germany and Russia had policies in place to build a strong military in readiness for war. Between 1910 and 1914, Germany had a 73% increase in military spending while Russia had 39%, Britain had 13%, and France had 10%. This increase in defense spending led to countries building stronger militaries which thrust the world deeper into the war. Lastly, nationalistic movements were going on all over the world. People were getting more aware of their ethnicities and the oppression that they had endured from people who were not like them. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria came from the nationalistic views of the Bosnians who did not want to be under the rule of Austria-Hungary and wanted their own state. Strong nationalistic movements were going on everywhere and the unification of Italy and Germany was a product of it. France had to give up some land to Germany and wanted it back. Nationalism played a big role in the start of the war as it fueled existing fires and was probably one of the direct causes of the war. Not only did nationalism start the war it extended it longer than it should have gone. This, as each nation tried to prove its power and dominance over the
Another main cause of World War I was Militarism. For each country there was a big increase in military and naval forces. For each country there was a big increase in military and navel forces. The policies and government created a big influence on the military men and because of this, force was a alternative as solutions to problems. This is what made militarism one of the main causes of World War I. There was a rise in military influence on policy making after 1907, in countries such as Germany and Russia. During this period of time the German Army was known as a “state within a state”. Everybody in the government such as the parliament and politicians were required to follow the General staff. The war atmosphere was endangered. It was because of the secret alliances and that triggered a armaments race among all the powers. During 1900-1914 the race became very serious and the international situation became much worse then ever before. During these years there was a rise in army and navel estimates. There was so much military rivalry within countries competing for the
During the start of the 20th century, Europe was in a good place. It controlled many empires and colonies, and technology was advancing at a rapid pace after the Industrial Revolution (1840-1870). However this peace did not last; 1914 started a brutal four year war known as WWI. The immediate cause of this war is known to be the assassination of the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, in June of 1914. However, there are many more elementary causes of this complicated war. Some of the main underlying causes of WWI was the strong militarism and imperialism felt in the European countries, and the alliances put in place to uphold these powerful militaries and colonies.
One cause was nationalism. Nationalism is where you show pride in your country. An example of Nationalism is when it comes time every 4 years when the olympics are taking place. Everyone is cheering on their countries and showing off their pride. Nationalism played a role in causing WWI by countries thinking that a certain country is showing off too much pride.
During world war one there were many things the came to the start of it. Countries allied together, leaders were blamed for pushing their people to war. Armies went to action starting the wars and everyone blamed each other for it.The way people thought that war was good at the time. All these causes that could have lead to it. Many can argue that nationalism was the cause or alliances etc. However, Militarism was the underlying cause in World War 1.
World War I, the pointless war. World War I was a war that started with the assassination of an Austria-hungary prince by a Serbian man. Austria-Hungary ended up declaring war on Serbia, a Slavic country. After Russia declared war on Austria to help Serbia many countries joined in after with their alliances. What was the main cause of WWI?
Though most historians consider the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary the most immediate cause of WWI, or the rise of Germany to be the main cause since they signed the Versailles Treaty (Doc 4), many agree that the war was not caused by just one thing. Instead, it was caused by a concept instead of specific people or countries. It seemed that everyone, during this time period, had started to increase their military power and defense systems. Therefore, World War I was caused by two things: the fear these countries had of losing their power, and the big toll that European Imperialism took international relations.
WWI happened due to an escalation of events that from July till August 1914. It all started when Serbia was unable to comply with the demands that Austria-Hungary had demanded because of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that happened on the 28th June (Stevenson, n.d.). Since Serbia was unable to comply with the demands, Austria-Hungary eventually declared to go to war. On the 5th of July, Germany pledged a ‘blank cheque’ where they would support Austria-Hungary during the war in the event that Russians assist the Serbians (history.com, 2009).
Before World War I occurred, friction was building up in Europe and it was only a matter of time before conflicts finally erupted. One of the reasons that WWI was so grand was because the nations did not put limitations on how aggressive or violent war may be. There had never been a war so drastic before, causing Europeans to fight even if they were being demolished. Backing down was thought of as weak and unhonorable. Competition between nations was magnified by Europe’s desire to fight leading to WWI.
WWI began in in 1914 but there were many things leading up to the start of the war that were major factors. About 10 years before the war Imperialism was a major player. Imperialism is the expansion of a country overseas to gain useful resources. This moved U.S. power overseas along with other countries. It was a fight for unclaimed land and the need of resources from these lands. Nationalism is the love and respect of your country. Nationalism was a big part leading up to the war. Nationalism is good but there becomes a point when it’s too extreme and has a negative affect. Nation were becoming too self absorbed and not considering how their actions would affect other nations. Also nationalism within certain countries was an issue with different groups wanting to form their own nations. The expansion of militaries worldwide was a big factor because bigger militaries made it easier for any country to got into a major war like WWI. The advancement and purchase of weaponry and preparation were thing that were involved in military expansion. As the year 1914 approached there were some other factors that lead to the major conflict. A big one was the formation of
There are many different causes that led up to WWI, but there were a handful of root causes that accelerated the development of hostility between nations. One of the main reasons was the shifting of the balance of power. The balance of power between nations is a delicate equilibrium that can be easily thrown off if one nation shows a bit of hostility, or if there is an emergence that threatens the sanctity of this balance. For a power to emerge or change, it directly affects all other nations involved through a butterfly effect of events. In WWI specifically, the unification of Germany threw off all alliances and the control of powers, as it was overwhelming for such a strong power to step up. Structurally and emotionally, this was a dramatic change to the stability of the balance of powers, and such a quick change disrupted the peace between the nations so greatly that WWI occurred. Apart from the breakdown of the balance of powers and emergence of hegemonic threats, other institutional and structural theories can explain the events that caused WWI. Some of these events include social conflicts within the countries, shifting alliances, power rankings, and the struggles to negotiate different resources between countries.