In the years leading up to WWI, there was an extremely tense atmosphere in whichwhere nations were all but fighting. A number of factors led to this atmosphere of tension, and ultimately, to World War Onehe war. MThese factors were militarism combined with the glorification of war, and a resulting sense of fear that created an atmosphere where war felt inevitable and drove nations to make alliances.
The combination of militarism and the glorification of war was particularly dangerous, as theyit created a Europe in which all wanted and prepared for a devastating war. Previously, in Europe, war had consisted of small conflicts between nations that undoubtedly ended in glory and rewards for the victor, which led to an atmosphere in which ads
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This exemplifies the mindset in Europe and in western culture in the 19th to 20th centuries, as it shows that even though all countries strive for peace and prosperity, there is nothing equal to winning a war. No matter how great or how profitable a peace is, it would never be as great as triumph in war. This degree of nationalism that Theodore Roosevelt shows can only be achieved in war, combined with the fact that Europeans associated war with religion and as a necessary part of life, led to a very tense atmosphere where war felt inevitable. With all this international tension, militarism became an increasingly important part of each nation’s ideals, and with it, the military leaders gained power. One example of this is the beginning of Germany’s involvement in WWI, “The Kaiser learnt that Britain would remain neutral so long as Germany refrained from attacking France. (...) He said, ‘We must halt the march to the west.’(...)’It is impossible,’ said General Moltke(...). As in Russia, so in Germany, the military men triumphed.” (Roberts, 51). Much of WWI could have been avoided if the Germans had simply turned back, and if the
The German Command, in planning for a short and swift war, found themselves in a bind when the war started to prolong itself. From the very beginning, their plan started to fall apart, as Belgium, who they assumed would just let them march through to France, took up arms in resisting their approaches (Hull, 2005). The war would get longer and longer and seemed farther away from its conclusion as the months grew colder. As a result of this as well as their Prussian roots, they resorted to dangerously risky and destructive tactics, trying to bring the war to a quicker end while putting more of their resources in jeopardy, a move that eventually did not pay off and ended up leading to the German Empire’s demise (Hull, 2005).
As stated by Roosevelt, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Fear and paranoia were only one force adding pressure to Europe before it burst into full out war. Anyone with extensive knowledge on The Great War could probably give a list of copious causations, among those being nationalistic tendencies, the alliance system, paranoia, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. World War I was primarily sparked through the assassination, with underlying tones of nationalism, alliances, and paranoia fueling the fire.
Through the book ‘Europe’s Last Summer’ David Fromkin tackles the issues of pre WWI Europe, and the surrounding political, economic, social, debacles that led paranoid countries to go to arms after nearly a full century of relative peace within the European continent. While Fromkin certainly points his fingers to all the nations of Europe his primary focus lies with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Though he continues to stress throughout much of the book that Kaiser Wilhelm II and Archduke Ferdinand were fervent keepers of the peace within their nations, the fault of the war ultimately could be laid at the feet of their two nations and their constant attempts at war-mongering. He claims the war could have been avoided for the moment, had all the nations of Europe wanted peace, but the two bad eggs of Europe drew them all into an unavoidable general war.
“ War is the school of discipline, sacrifice, and courage” (DBQ Project Doc 1). This belief of Militarism led to homes and families being torn apart. Some troops would not want to go to war because they do not want to leave their families, so they tell each other, “You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the tree” (DBQ Project Doc 2). On December eleventh 1899 Prince Bernhard von Bulow gave a speech about Germany's plan to join the war. His inspiring speech convinced the people of Germany that war is the most important thing at hand.
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.
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism played a huge part in the led up to World War 1. With the threat of war hanging over the heads of many countries, the Arms Race began. Germany, France, and Russia started to recruit a large portion of their male population. This gave the men a taste of war and the military experience. The Arms Race caused every European state have access to a huge army, but these armies ere ruining their economics. The citizens knew that they needed to rid of themselves of these armies before they went into economic ruin, but before this could happen they were propelled into war. Germany created a large, modern navy that threatened Britain. At the time of this threat, Germany was trying to secure Britain
Between the years of 1914 to 1918, the whole of Europe was locked in arms, not only for pride but mostly for survival. The years of war brought devastation upon all societies. Men were massacred in droves, food stuff dwindled, and at times an end seemed non-existent. The foundation of the first Great War, one can muse, began as a nationalistic race between rival nations. By the onset of 1914, once the Archduke Frendinad had been assassinated in Saravejo, the march for war became not just a nationalistic opinion, but now a frenzy to fight. In battle, unlike previous wars, new weaponry caused drastic alterations in strategy. No longer will armies stand to face their rivals on the plains. Now the war will be fought in trenches, hidden
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
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
Before World War 1 began there were many conflicts between many countries, these conflicts are what eventually led to the war. Nationalism lead to World War 1 for reasons people believed they needed to fight for their country, many people who weren’t fighting wanted to support their soldiers, and many soldiers felt as if they couldn’t back out of the war. Militarism was a cause because each country was building up their weapons and ammunition, as well as building up their armies. Finally Kaiser Wilhelm II was a cause because he had a very strong hate towards Britain, he was a very aggressive leader and he wanted Germany to be the number one country. Nationalism, militarism and Kaiser Wilhelm II were the three main causes of World War 1.
The Schlieffen Plan is commonly – though misleadingy – identified with the German western offensive at the start of the First World War in August 1914, which began as a campaign of rapid movement but ended in deadlock and trench warfare. The plan is generally seen as a desperate gamble almost certain to fail, and its recklessness is counted as part of Germany’s war guilt – the plan held out the false promise of a quick victory, and so it underpinned the “short war illusion” that led Germany into a long war of attrition, ending with her defeat and collapse in 1918. This analysis confuses two quite different moments in history. The Schlieffen Plan was not designed to meet the strategic challenge Germany faced in 1914,
While we are always reminded of the negative effects of war, it is not everyday that we learn to understand the deeper factors of war that can turn a small conflict into an international outbreak. World War I was said to have been sparked by the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand but there are various deeper reasons that contributed to the commencement of the Great War. These factors include militarism, imperialism and the alliance systems.
The extent to which a country can establish and retain a state of ‘Total War’ inevitably leads to victory. In World War 1, the allied forces ability to achieve this resulted in their success. The production of munitions and American funding, resource allocation and the British Blockade, gave the allies a clear advantage on the home front. The utilization of the superior weaponry and manpower as well as improved tactics on the battlefront gave the allies an upper hand in this war of attrition. The final loss of German morale on both the home and battlefronts, directly influenced by allied propaganda, the arrival of the Americans and Germany’s political instability, led to the cessation of the war and thus, allied victory.
Why Germany lost the war (despite its early tactical successes) is a simple question with a complex answer. And, over the years since Germany’s surrender at Reims, France on May 7, 1945, scholars and historians have provided a number of arguments to warrant their perspective answers. Consequently there are a
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.