“The Great War” On 28 June 1914, a Serbian shot an Austrian. Within six weeks, many of the countries of Europe had become involved in a war that was to cause the deaths of 10 million soldiers, but was the assassination the only cause of war? WWI wasn't just any war, it was also a new beginning and a new cause for a few of the european countries that had been involved. The end results for Germany had been the worst, which not only caused Germany to have a new purpose and have resentments, but also to make something new from that beaten Germany. WWI was caused by many factors but the ones that always come first to our attention could be one such as Militarism, which was an arms race that was capable of making countries into great allies or an enemy to fear. Not only do some people feel pride in being what they but also they can take their nationalism to a whole new level. Take hitler as an example. Believing that his race was far better than any of the others out there, but it doesn't end there. Allies was a big part of it also. If one country went to war with another then the allies would be called upon and join in as well, which led to the opposing countries allies stepping in followed by any of their allies, allies. But change played a great role also. Not everyone wanted change which could mean a loss to any power a country held. Imperialism wasn't accepted by all and there were those leaders in countries that knew what imperialism could mean to the power they
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
Even today, the causes of World War one is still being debated and the great war started 96 years ago and ended 92 years ago. Yet today after so much time the main cause of the war still remains unexposed to this day. What triggered the whole war was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie of Austria-Hungary on June 28th 1914 by The Black Hand. The assassination happened because of feelings toward the Serbians. The Archduke and his wife were on a parade route in their car during their visit to Sarajevo. Many assassins were lined up to take the kill of the Archduke but all failed, there was one young assassin named Gavrilo
The first world war was one of the most brutal and remorseless events in history; ‘the global conflict that defined a century’. Over nine million soldiers and a large amount of innocent civilians lost their lives. Empires crumbled, revolution engulfed Russia and America rose to become a dominant world power. Huge armies deployed new weapons of devastating effect from rifles and pistols to torpedoes and flame throwers. These weapons were used not only in the trenches but by tanks too. This was an advantage to those who were able to access such machinery as they could easily launch bullets and missiles at nearby enemy bases. The downfall of the tank was the fact it was unable to cross the trenches. Tanks were not the only pieces of equipment that could access this machinery but U boats and planes too. The British carried ‘bolt action rifles’ in which fired 15 rounds per minute at a minimum range of 1,400 metres away. This allowed the British to take out foes at a far greater range. By using machinery in which rules out the need for getting up close to the enemy was a great advantage during world war one. Soldiers ran from trench to trench attacking with all that they had. This resulted in a massacre as the soldiers running toward the trenches were shot down. Machinery such as machine guns and heavy artillery were the weapons used in the trenches. In modern day society, machine guns are the main weapons used by soldiers. This wasn’t the case around the 1914s. They took four
Despite being one of the largest and most detrimental wars in Europe’s history, World War I was started by the action of one single person. In June of 1914, the Archduke of Austria- Hungary was assassinated by a Serbian assassin while visiting Serbia. After this, there was tension when Serbia refused to Austria- Hungary apologize for the killing of their Archduke. This continued to escalate until Austria- Hungary declared war on Serbia. Following this, war broke out between countries all around Europe, leading to World War I. Although, the war would not have grown as large as it did if it weren’t for a few factors that allowed the spark of the assassination of the Archduke of Austria- Hungary- Hungary to ignite an entire fire. Many countries
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.
Prior to the First World War, the USA was a flourishing power in terms of having one of the largest economies and military strength, however America had few foreign policy ambitions during this period. Despite purchasing Alaska from Russia in 1867, there was no real interest in expanding America. Before The Great War, it seemed unlikely that America would become involved in war over the conflicts of other western powers. They considered themselves a ‘City on the Hill’, an example to the rest of the world of stability and democracy. The large Navy ensured security of the North American continent and the small professional army, points to the overwhelmingly defensive front they put on. Washington adopted an isolationist policy with regards
Wars have immensely contributed to human history for thousands of years, becoming highly destructive usually for the means of gain. The First World War, also known as ‘the Great War’ was a truly global war centred in Europe. The causes of one of the most destructive wars in human history are still debated to this day. Some historians have come up with a list of multiple causes of the war. However, experts have identified some of the primary causes of the war, including the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism. The causes of the truly deadly war, sending ripples of shock throughout Europe and the world, can be summarised into four points, and the start of the war pinpointed to one bullet from a young Serbians gun.
The armies of the United States of America varied greatly from the beginning of America 's independence in 1775 to the end of the War of 1812 in 1815. Different presidents holding office during this period brought different political views towards managing the army. These views affected the size and capability of the army in war and peace, with varying effectiveness. Effective in this case refers to the ability of the army to perform tasks given to them by the government. Opinions differing from the actions performed by the government provide insight into alternative ideas for the military, which had varying degrees of viability.
Every year, one million immigrants settle in the United States hoping for a new beginning, new opportunities, and a new life; however, they are welcomed by animosity, injustice, and discrimination. Even the president of the United States finds these immigrants to be troublesome despite their dedication to work hard to sustain themselves in their new home. Race related crimes continue to increase and the government is clearly making efforts to prevent more immigrants from seeking refuge in America as evidenced by the recent Muslim ban put into place by the Trump administration. Individuals fleeing from discrimination in their homelands are welcomed to a new form of discrimination here in the land of the free. Muslim
The First World War was a devastating calamity in which 10 million soldiers lost their lives fighting for their countries. This figure is ridiculous, but when one realizes that, that does not include the civilians who lost their lives during the fighting, the number seems even more ominous. This terrible event happened, and America tried to stay neutral for a while; however, we eventually found ourselves entangled in its web of destruction and for the a little more than the last six months of the war America was part of the fighting. The Germans were no fools, when America and its “dough boys” joined in the fighting they knew it was a big deal, it even lead to a strike by the Germans. “We must strike,” General Erich Ludendorff told his fellow commanders, “before America can throw strong forces into the scale.” But what was the final act that pushed America past the point of no return? What effect did America actually have while fighting? Why was it such a big deal that this one country joined in the fighting? What was going on in America, while its soldiers were out fighting on another continent somewhere in the world? The purpose of this paper is to examine those questions and discuss the influence that America had while fighting in Europe in the Great War as well as the politics that occurred internationally after the war ended.
The war had been going on for over a 3 years now, and it seemed as if it had only just begun. It also seemed like the U.S. was inevitably going to lose. Their wasn’t really much on their side other than a history record. China on the other hand had 4 times the army size, and an extra billion people that could be forced to fight if need be. The only hope the U.S. had was to think faster, fight harder, and have some really magnificent, ingenious idea.
America endured several events that launched it into becoming known as the world’s policeman. From the Spanish-American War to the two world wars to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has positioned itself to be the world’s superpower. The ability of “Big Brother” United States to maneuver through land, sea, air, or virtual space makes the U.S. virtually unstoppable.
The Civil War of the United States, a war that stretched on for a period of four years, was among the worst events ever to occur in American history. The casualties marked by far, the bloodiest in America’s involvement in wars at six-hundred twenty-thousand military soldiers dead. To this day, it is known as one of the most memorable wars in our history. But is that why this war is so well remembered? The strikings of terror and death hold a heavy grip throughout the course of history worldwide, and in fact is one of the key elements that make drama, mystery, suspense, and horror so fascinating in literature. Indeed, there are many incidents in history that are well marked mostly for their count on how many were found dead. However, death
Meanwhile, one of the most difficult issues with Vietnam was that the American public was against the war because it was not a just war; so, upon their return home soldiers were treated not with a hero’s welcome but with hate-filled shouts of “baby killer” (Newman 6). As a result, it was hard for a soldier to find peace with the acts of war he/she had committed, whether morally right or wrong, when the public viewed the war as totally meaningless. General Westmoreland makes the same observation, “I recognized that it was not the job of the military to defend American commitment and policy. Yet it was difficult to differentiate between pursuit of a military task and such related matters as public and congressional support and the morale of the fighting man, who must be convinced that he is risking death for a worthy cause. The military thus was caught in between” (Summers 29). Vietnam was also the first time television crews were allowed access to all aspects of war leading to the loss of innocence with a nation itself.
Throughout history there has been competition for resources and domination. This competition has led to conflicts that have caused destruction, social disruptions and death. World War I was no exception to this competition. World War I was known as the war to end all wars and was caused by a combination of factors. Some causes of World War I was nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the main cause which was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip of Serbia. While the United States attempted to remain neutral and stay out of the war, Germany choose actions that gave the U.S. no choice but to enter and help their Allies defeat the other powers.