...The essay is divided into two main sections; it will first consider the long term causes of World War I. The long term causes of the war are complex and it is difficult to look at the long term causes without looking at the short term causes. Which leads on to the second section of my essay, which is short term causes of World War I. This is because you cannot look at one cause insolation from the other. It will then go on to describe the four main reasons for the long term causes for the war, these being militarism, imperialism, alliances, and nationalism. Followed by the short term causes which essentially kicked it all off. World War I was caused by a combination of several factors, both long and short term, and it was precipitated by an...
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...Cause of WWI - European Alliances The main cause of WWI was the European alliances. To what extent do you agree with this statement Before 1914 the five Great Powers, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia controlled Europe. In 1914 World War One broke out in Europe. Historians have debated the causes ever since. As a historian it will be difficult to conclusively establish a single cause - a number of significant causes is a far more helpful outcome. Although the European Alliances were certainly a cause of WWI, there were many other causes as well. Along with the European Alliances there was Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and of course the physical conflicts leading up to the war. All these issues blew up the balloon of tension, which just needed a tiny pinprick to burst into war. The European Alliances had a major part in beginning WWI. After the build up of tension from Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism, the Powers were worried about being attacked by each other. To counter this alliances were formed. Germany made a secret alliance with Austria-Hungary in 1879. Three years later Italy joined this Dual Alliance to form the Triple Alliance because it was annoyed with France for stopping its plans to colonise North Africa. The rest of the Great Powers became increasingly worried about the strength of the Triple Alliance. Believing they could be defeated by Germany, Austria and Italy acting together. France and Russia agreed to help each...
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...Long Term Causes of the First World War The First World War was a major battle, a great war that the world had never seen before. It was a time in which lives were lost, economies devastated and politics turned upside down; but what were the causes? There wasn’t just one simple immediate cause of the war, but several long term causes. The roots of the war included mutual defence allies and imperialism, and it was these factors that led to a destructive and fierce war. Long before the war began; countries within the continent of Europe had decided to protect themselves and therefore, signed mutual defence agreements (Kelly). These agreements not only meant that they were protected, but also that they would have to protect their allies if they were attacked. Many of these alliance agreements had been made and signed between 1879 and 1914. For example in 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary had signed a Dual Alliance to protect them from Russia and in 1881; Austria-Hungary became an ally of Serbia, so that they could protect Serbia from Russia trying to gain control (historyonthenet.com). Other alliances included France and Russia; Britain, France and Belgium, and finally Japan and Britain. In this case it was inevitable that there would be a world war and it all began with Austria-Hungary announcing a war on Serbia. Of course Russia jumped to protect them, which led to the Germans starting a war with Russia and then France and because Germany went into France through...
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...Web of Alliances World War I was a big fire that erupted from a small flame. There were a lot of causes to the world war breaking out, but the biggest impact was the overlapping alliances, also known as the web of alliance. An alliance is a close association of nations or other groups formed to advance common interests or causes. The background on World War I is when the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdidnand was assassinated in Serbia. Austria-Hungary, unsatisfied with Serbia's response to their ultimatum, declares war on Serbia. Germany readily agreed to join Austria-Hungry, almost encouraged there war-like stance. Russia bound by treaty to Serbia, announced its mobilization of the Russian army to defend Serbia. France, bound by treaty to Russia, declared war August 3, 1914. Britain, allied to France with loosely worded treaty which placed “Moral Obligation” to defend France, declared war on August 4 of the same year. The United States had declared the Policy of Absolute Neutrality that lasted until April 6, 1917, it took the US one year to win the war for the Allies. The “teams” started as the Triple Entente (Russia, Britain, France) and the Triple Alliance (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy). Later changing to the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany) and the Allies (Russia, France, Britain, Italy, United State [1917]. The war was intended to be brief, between accuser and accused, but it had quickly escalated. Before World War I, a lot of countries had...
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...Why did World War One break out? There are many reasons as to why war broke out in 1914, which included many intertwined factors, such as the conflicts and hostility of the four decades leading up to the war. Moreover, Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism played major roles in the conflict. All of these factors where established in many of Europe's 'Great Powers' which consisted of; Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. Many of the reasons as to why war broke out were built up over years and even decades thus, were long term causes. However, a handful of events occurred over a few months and years prior to the event, consequently were short term causes. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife, acted as a trigger that ultimately led to war breaking out. As a result of this T.F. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The assassination gave Austria-Hungary the ideal excuse to declare war against Serbia. An ultimatum was issued to Serbia stating that it must agree to all the terms described in the ultimatum in order to avoid war. Austria-Hungary gave Serbia 48 hours to reply and clearly stated that all the terms must be met and complied with. Serbia agreed to all terms except one. WW1 had many countries involved but not all of them entered at the same time. There were three sides to choose from at the beginning of WW1. One option was the Central Powers which included; Germany and Austria-Hungary, and were later joined...
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...Although there were many cause for the start of WWI that had various short and long term effects, the three main causes for WWI were increased militarism in Europe, the formation of increasingly powerful alliances in Europe, and increased feeling of nationalism across Europe. To put this period into context it occurred around the turn of the 20th century (roughly 1870-1920), a period filled with state competition in Europe due to somewhat due to European Imperialism in Africa and Asia, a period that witnessed the formation of Italy and Germany as rapidly industrializing countries, a period in which two big alliances in Europe (The Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy, and Austro-Hungary) and The Triple Entente (Russia,France, and Britain)) were created in order to maintain national security among different nations in Europe, and a period with increased nationalism inside of Europe....
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...World Civilization II Long Term Causes of the First World War The First World War was a major battle, a great war that the world had never seen before. It was a time in which lives were lost, economies devastated and politics turned upside down; but what were the causes? There wasn’t just one simple immediate cause of the war, but several long term causes. The roots of the war included mutual defence allies and imperialism, and it was these factors that led to a destructive and fierce war. Long before the war began; countries within the continent of Europe had decided to protect themselves and therefore, signed mutual defence agreements (Kelly). These agreements not only meant that they were protected, but also that they would have to protect their allies if they were attacked. Many of these alliance agreements had been made and signed between 1879 and 1914. For example in 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary had signed a Dual Alliance to protect them from Russia and in 1881; Austria-Hungary became an ally of Serbia, so that they could protect Serbia from Russia trying to gain control (historyonthenet.com). Other alliances included France and Russia; Britain, France and Belgium, and finally Japan and Britain. In this case it was inevitable that there would be a world war and it all began with Austria-Hungary announcing a war on Serbia. Of course Russia jumped to protect them, which led to the Germans starting a war with Russia and then France and because Germany...
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...World War I Introduction World War One was a time of struggle for the World. A Time for Great Famine. Many factors lead to great tensions in Europe, sparking the need for a war. This war, otherwise known as 'The Great War', occurred in 1914 until 1918. It had many famous battles, such as The Battle Of The Somme, a battle of many casualties, especially for the British. The war was mainly fought between the members of the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the members of The Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia). Eventually, countries such as the USA joined in. Rivalries between countries, arguments over empires, an arms race are the causes of the European tensions that lead to the war. A cause thought to spark the war was the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, next in line to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by a Serbian terrorist in Bosnia. This caused the World War One. This War was the fulfillment of the Prophecies spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against...
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...World War One The first world war started for many reasons like competion of the colonies, military technology development, economic competition and different national interests. Many historians believe that Germany caused World War One. But the first world war was triggered on June 28, 1914, when Austrian Empire Franz Ferdinand was murdered by a Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. After that Germany declared war on Russia and France in the beginning of August. Russia and France became allies. On August 4th The United Kingdom declares war on Germany, after Germany invades Belgium. Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany on August 6. On August 19th President Woodrow Wilson announces the United States will remain neutral. In early November The United Kingdom announces that the North Sea is a military area, effectively creating a blockade of goods into Germany. Allied countries An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if it is needed. When an alliance is signed, those countries become known as Allies. But allies changed in the war many times. The war divided Europe into two armed camps. On one side was the Triple Alliance made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and their enemy was the Triple Entente of France, Russia and Great Britain. As other countries began to join sides, the Triple Alliance became known as the Central Powers...
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...the formation of alliance systems, which allowed for long term relationships between countries. Next was a sense of nationalism, which gave countries unity and allowed them to work together for the good of their country. Another factor was militarism and the arms race. Each country wanted to show their power through the military, even though they didn’t want to fight. Two more factors that contributed to the rise in European power include imperialism, or the belief of superiority, and Social Darwinism, which is a theory that competition between all individuals, groups, nations or ideas drives social evolution in human societies (Wikipedia). Many client-state relationships evolved in this time period, with Europe being the superior state and other nations being the subordinate clients. Because of these factors, Europe had better food distribution, advances in medicine and sanitation. Their standard of living also increased. Progress in Europe seemed inevitable; however, it was these factors that ultimately led to its downfall in the mid 20th century. The first major hit that Europe received was the “Great War” or World War I which occurred from 1914 to 1918. The causes of this war were not clear cut but they were believed to be the formation of alliances, competition, militarism and nationalism. Secret alliances developed in Europe after the Franco-Prussian War, which eventually split the continent into two hostile sides. These secret alliances led to the suspicion...
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...Causes of the First World War This document was written by Stephen Tonge. I am most grateful to have his kind permission to include it on the web site. Europe Before 1914: the Main Powers Triple Entente | Name | Head of State | Allies | Disputes | Britain | King George V (1901-1936) Constitutional Monarchy | France, Russia | Naval arms race economic rivalry with Germany | France | President Raymond Poincaire Parliamentary Democracy | Britain, Russia | Wanted the return of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from Germany | Russia | Tsar Nicholas II (1894-1917) Monarchy | Britain, France | Rivals with Austria for control of the Balkans Strained relations with Britain. | Triple Alliance | Germany | Kaiser William II (1888-1918) Constitutional Monarchy | Italy, Austria- Hungary. | Rivals with France over Alsace, Britain over her navy. | Austria- Hungary | Kaiser Franz Joseph (1848-1916) Constitutional Monarchy | Italy, Germany | Rivalry with Russia over the Balkans, Territorial disputes with her ally, Italy | Italy | King Victor Emmanuel III (1900-1946) Constitutional Monarchy | Austria, Germany | Disputes with France in North Africa large Italian communities lived in the Austrian Empire. | The direct cause of WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. However historians feel that a number of factors contributed to the rivalry between the Great powers that allowed war on such a wide-scale to break out. A major...
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...formation of alliance systems, which allowed for long term relationships between countries. Next was a sense of nationalism, which gave countries unity and allowed them to work together for the good of their country. Another factor was militarism and the arms race. Each country wanted to show their power through the military, even though they didn’t want to fight. Two more factors that contributed to the rise in European power include imperialism, or the belief of superiority, and Social Darwinism, which is a theory that competition between all individuals, groups, nations or ideas drives social evolution in human societies (Wikipedia). Many client-state relationships evolved in this time period, with Europe being the superior state and other nations being the subordinate clients. Because of these factors, Europe had better food distribution, advances in medicine and sanitation. Their standard of living also increased. Progress in Europe seemed inevitable; however, it was these factors that ultimately led to its downfall in the mid 20th century. The first major hit that Europe received was the “Great War” or World War I which occurred from 1914 to 1918. The causes of this war were not clear cut but they were believed to be the formation of alliances, competition, militarism and nationalism. Secret alliances developed in Europe after the Franco-Prussian War, which eventually split the continent into two hostile sides. These secret alliances led to the suspicion...
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...interaction will be stable if states, operating under Realist principles, seek to balance each other in their relations. By acting prudently, "carefully, with foresight, avoiding rash acts," no state will seek to upset the system. Each state will check the others, and no state will grow powerful enough to overthrow the others. A state that seeks domination will be defeated, so no state will attempt this. The classical balance of power operated only under a certain number of conditions: 1. There were a large number of states for alliance formation. 2. There were clear geographic confines in the system e.g. the European continent. 3. There must be flexibility/freedom of action; there are no constraining international organizations and no permanent alliances. 4. States should be close to equal in power. 5. There must be a consensus on these rules among states -- e.g. no revolutionary states. 6. There can be no quick mobilization for war or wars of annihilation. A number of examples are usually given to illustrate the Balance of Power. The classic...
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...THE GREAT WAR US History online 2/23/13 World War I is also known as The Great War. In our readings from our text book it concludes the cause of The Great War was directly due to the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist Group who was bent on driving Austo-Hungarians from Serbia. (Schultz 2010) During that time period there were two major powers called the Allied Powers (France, Russia, and England) and the Central Powers (Germany, Turkey, and Austro-Hungarian Empire). Clearly with all of these alliances it was inevitable that a conflict between these countries. The assignation was the straw the brought the camel’s back and in turn started the war. The other issues that lead to this war however were Militarism, Nationalism, and Imperialism. Any of these qualities can strengthen a country but the combination of them can be deadly. “Militarism is the glorification of one’s military. It is the belief of a nation or its people to build and maintain a strong military, with the intention to use it whenever it is necessary.” (Brown) In essence Germany was big on militarism since they were known for their military. To be such a little country compared to England and France their military was phenomenal. Germany’s Navy more importantly, their U-boats, threatened England and forced them to concentrate on building their Navy up as well as France...
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...To what extent did the breakdown of the Grand Alliance between the Autumn of 1945 and January 1947 happen solely because of the aggressive actions of the Soviet Union? Between the years 1945 to 1947, the Grand Alliance broke down entirely, it had been turbulent before that but these years saw the complete breakdown of the Alliance. This was due primarily to fundamental disagreements in ideology that never subsided and this manifested itself in a build-up of tension and rivalry between the members of the Grand Alliance. In these years particularly, there was the Yalta Conference which instead of leading to greater cohesion, actually caused many of the differences in ideology to surface and inadvertently caused tensions to deepen. The Yalta and Potsdam conferences were the primary causes of disagreement between the two great powers represented by the United States and the Soviet Union. In February 1945 at Yalta, the arguments started with the resentment which had been building up during the war, for example Stalin resented the failure to open a second front before 1944. Firstly he had to ensure Russia’s security and so wanted friendly governments in Eastern Europe to act as a buffer zone. Roosevelt was willing to make concessions for the Soviet Union, especially as he needed help from the Soviet Union in the Pacific against the Japanese. However, Roosevelt kept the development of an atomic weapon with Britain secret, which gave way to signs of future tensions. Britain, however...
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