Cause Of WWI

& # 8211 ; European Alliances Essay, Research Paper

The chief cause of WWI was the European confederations. To what extent do you hold with this statementBefore 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 of all time since. As a historian it will be hard to once and for all set up a individual cause? a figure of important causes is a far more helpful result. Although the European Alliances were surely a cause of WWI, there were many other causes as good. Along with the European Alliances there was Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and of class the physical struggles taking up to the war. All these issues blew up the balloon of tenseness, which merely needed a bantam pinprick to split into war.

The European Alliances had a major portion in get downing WWI. After the physique up of tenseness from Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism, the Powers were worried about being attacked by each other. To counter this confederations were formed. Germany made a secret confederation with Austria-Hungary in 1879. Three old ages subsequently Italy joined this Double Alliance to organize the Ternary Alliance because it was annoyed with France for halting its programs to colonize North Africa. The remainder of the Great Powers became progressively worried about the strength of the Triple Alliance. Believing they could be defeated by Germany, Austria and Italy moving together. France and Russia agreed to assist each other if attacked. Britain was worried because it had no Alliess among the Powers, but it was non prepared to ally with Germany after the Boer War. In 1904 France and Britain were prepared to bury their old wrangles and enter an understanding. Finally in 1907 France brought all three states together to organize the Triple Entente. The Alliance System was decidedly a outstanding cause of WWI. If Germany hadn? T allied with Austria the war might? ve been averted. For illustration if a struggle occurred merely between Germany and Great Britain the remainder of Europe would non be pulled into it. World War One spread because of the Alliance system, even with the tenseness construct up it would? ve still been merely another European war.

Patriotism was the following major long-run cause of WWI. Nationalism involved all those who shared a common linguistic communication, history and civilization. It was a strong feeling of support for one? s ain state. Nationalists believed that the demands of their state were more of import than the demands of other states. Patriots were so proud of their state that they wanted it to be the richest and most of import? and recognised as such. Such strong feelings made the states really aggressive towards other states and rather unforgiving if their state had been offended. It was patriotism that encouraged Givrilo Princip to hit dead the Austrian inheritor. Nationalism greatly blew up the tenseness and had an influence in doing WWI.

Imperialism was another long-run cause of tenseness among the Powers, which led to war. Imperialism is the desire of states to have settlements and organize an imperium. European states had been taking over settlements throughout the universe since the 15th century. From 1870 on there was an unwritten competition to take over parts of the universe they had earlier considered non deserving colonizing. Britain and France, and Germany and France had about gone to war over clangs in North Africa. Italy resented France because they prevented the puting up of Italian settlements, and the British and Russians clashed over who should hold control in Persia ( modern Iran ) , but were both disquieted that Germany would take land in the Middle East. Imperialism had an of import side consequence that explains why the? Great War? became a universe war. As each European state gained settlements, those settlements became committed to assisting the? fatherland? in the event of a war.

The last long-run cause of WWI is Militarism. Militarism besides built up the tenseness and fright among the Great Powers of Europe. Britain at the clip was the largest imperium in the universe, and it besides had the largest naval forces. The Kaiser William II of Germany hated and envied Britain for holding a stronger navy than his. He increased the German naval forces and built many war vessels. Britain responded by constructing more ships and increasing its naval forces excessively. This started a race for constructing more and better war vessels and it created tenseness and competition between the two states. All struggles in Europe resulted in the edifice up of the state & # 8217 ; s ground forces and naval forces. By 1914 Europe was in a province of? armed peace? .

There were besides some physical differences that had an impact in doing WWI. The long term causes of WWI produced tenseness among the G

reat Powers. This tenseness was heightened by a series of crises. The first clangs were over the Gallic owned Morocco. In March 1905 the Kaiser set canvas for Morocco and met with the Sultan. The visit was intended to function as a presentation that Morocco could number on German aid against Gallic enlargement. Tension flared and Great Britain and France were highly angry over what they considered to be their concern. France and Britain became even closer Alliess, this was non the consequence Germany was trusting for. Merely 6 old ages subsequently the Moroccans rose against Gallic control. The Gallic sent military personnels to set down the rebellion. Germany decided to interfere, and sent the gunboat Panther to the Moroccan port of Agadir. The Gallic and British were ferocious and the British naval forcess prepared for war. However, at the last minute Germany withdrew Panther, forestalling war.

The last major crisis before the pinprick was the Balkans. The Balkans had been a job for Europe for at least a century. The many cultural groups in the Ottoman Empire wanted to interrupt off and organize their ain state. To forestall war the Great Powers met and formed two more states, Montenegro and Serbia, and gave Austria the control of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia still wanted to organize a new state, Yugoslavia, out of Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia. Austria opposed this. In 1908 Austria decided that it wanted to have Bosnia-Herzegovina, so they annexed it, doing it portion of their ain imperium. The Serbs and Russia were ferocious. For a clip it seemed Russia would declare war on Austria, nevertheless Germany backed Austria, its good friend and ally. Russia knew that the German ground forces was excessively strong for Russia? s, so it did nil. Three secret societies sprang up in Serbia whose purpose was to throw off Austrian control and make a new state. The state of affairs grew progressively unstable. In 1912 the leaders or Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece decided to force the Turks out of the Balkans everlastingly. They attacked the Turks and won, nevertheless war broke out among the Balkan provinces as they quarreled over new boundaries. The Great Powers intervened and settled the difference. The Serbs were ferocious with the difference because they did non acquire the land they wanted to organize Yugoslavia. Tempers ran high in the Balkans. The lone friendly relationships that remained were the Alliances. War was inevitable, all it was traveling to take was a small perturbation that would convey in the Alliess, who would name on their settlements making a universe war.

The concluding cause of WWI was the blackwash of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand. The inheritor to the throne was on his manner to see the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo, with his married woman. A immature adult male of 19 shooting the Archduke on their manner to the station to return place. Givrilo Princip? s actions were of nationalist purposes. Princip, the bravo was a member of a secret society in Serbia. The Emperor of Austria was determined to do Serbia wage. He presented Serbia with a series of demands to be met, Serbia met the bulk of them but Austria was non satisfied. Austria declared war on Serbia who gained the Russians aid. The remainder of the European Powers followed due to the Alliance system, so the remainder of the universe followed due to imperialism.

It is hence sensible to propose that the Alliance System was a important cause of the war in Europe intensifying into a universe war. A figure of other factors were besides important, including patriotism, imperialism, militarism, the Moroccan crisis, the Balkans War and the blackwash of the Austrian Archduke. Although the immediate trigger of WWI was the blackwash, the war would ne’er hold happened without the pre-war tenseness buildup.

BIBLIOGRAPHYEshuys, L. , World War I, Causes, Course and Consequences, ( Melbourne, 1994 ) , page 19.

Eshuys, L. , World War I, Causes, Course and Consequences, ( Melbourne, 1994 ) , page 23.

Clare, J.D. , First World War, ( London, 1994 ) , page 6.

Henig, R. , The Origins of The First World War 2nd edition, ( New York, 1995 ) , page 12.

hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rockingham.k12.va.us/EMS/WWI/WWI.htmlBIBLIOGRAPHYClare, JD, First World War ( London, 1994 )

Eshuys, L, World War I, Causes, Course and Consequence ( Melbourne, 1994 )

Henig, R, The Origins of The First World War 2nd edition ( New York, 1995 )

O? Brien, C, 1914? 1918, The World at War ( Melbourne, 1991 )

Philip, W, World War I, A Chronological Narrative ( London, 1998 )

hypertext transfer protocol: //www.pbs.org/greatwar/http: //www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Palms/2460/http: //www.tulip.org/academy/gew/http: //www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/http: //encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/01/001A5000.htm? z=1 & A ; pg=2 & A ; br=1Encarta 95