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World War II : The Great War

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Embroiling most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East and other regions, World War One pitted the Central Powers--mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey--against the Allies--mainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United States. It ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war was virtually unprecedented in the slaughter, carnage and destruction it caused. World War 1 also known as “the Great War” was a horrifying, bloody four year conflict that killed some fourteen million people, collapsed empires and redrew large parts of the world’s map. ”Though tensions had been brewing in Europe–and especially in the troubled Balkan region–for years before conflict …show more content…

”Militarism, nationalism and imperialism played major roles in the conflict. They were not separate, they were all connected in one way or another. However the immediate cause of the war lay in the decision taken by statesmen and generals during the crisis of 1914.The crisis came after a lengthy and troublesome series of diplomatic clashes between the Great Powers over Europe and colonial issues in the decades before 1914 that had left tension high. In turn, these diplomatics clashes can be traced to changes in the balance of power in Europe since 1867. The more immediate cause for the war was tensions over territory in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary competed with Serbia and Russia for territory and influence in the region and they pulled the rest of the Great Powers into the conflict through their various alliances and treaties. World War 1 causes is one of the most studied in world history. There have been many interpretations and speculations about the events that led up to World War 1 but never-the-less, many lives were lost. The United States played a critical role in the outcome of World War 1. The U.S. tried very hard to remain neutral because they viewed the conflict as an affair that didn’t involve the United States. Woodrow Wilson, announced the neutrality policy adopted by America between the years 1914-1917. Wilson

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