ipl-logo

Four Main Causes Of World War I

1095 Words5 Pages

Throughout history, conflict has stemmed from international competition and tensions. I am honored to have been invited here today, on the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I. As you all may know, the four main causes of World War I are considered to be militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. Some believe that it was nationalism in Serbia and other countries that caused the war, while others believe it was the militarism of opposing countries, all competing to be the most advanced. Along with that, some say it was the spread of industrialism that motivated these countries to international war. While it is true that all of these motivations contributed to WWI, the most significant cause is clearly the alliances on either …show more content…

Certain countries were threatened by shared borders, or advancing militaries. In The Century of Total War by Raymond Aron, it is explained that Germany’s involvement in the war “had created among [England and France] an alliance which claimed it was defensive in nature but was denounced by German propaganda as an attempt at [the] encirclement [of Germany]’s territory.” (Document 3) Situations like this one, with a shared border between France and Germany led to assumptions of encirclement from Germany and fear from France and England of Germany’s mobilization. The alliances in Europe contributed to heightened rivalries, each country desiring to be more powerful than another. A report from Colonel E.M. House sent to President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 details the extent of the competitiveness between …show more content…

England does not want Germany wholly crushed, for she would then have to reckon alone with her ancient enemy, Russia; but if Germany insists upon an ever increasing navy then England will have no choice. The best chance for peace is an understanding between England and Germany in regard to naval armaments and yet there is some disadvantage to us by these two getting too close. (Document 14)
It is visible in this report that the rivalries between alliances were barrelling towards a climax. The rival alliances were at arms, and ever competing with one another. Countries were motivated to support their allies and actively harm their rivals. The alliances in the war only intensified these intense exchanges. It it weren’t for the ‘blocs’ the rivalries would be settled in smaller skirmishes, or would fizzle out due to lack of

Show More
Related
220 Words | 1 Pages

and then Great Britain, Russia, and France formed the Allies. Because of all of these countries going into war, there has been a lot of competition

Read More
244 Words | 1 Pages

During the years that led up to World War 1, many factors took place that potentially caused the war to occur, especially in the continent of Europe. In the Balkan peninsula, a belief called nationalism caused lots of chaos and tension between the nations (OI). Prideful Balkan countries would battle amongst themselves to prove their dominance as a culture. On top of this, countries formed alliances, creating an intricate alliance system that stretched throughout most of 20th century Europe

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

Charlotte Wilkinson Ms. Bonanno World History Honors 31 May 2024 Causes of World War I DBQ Essay At the beginning of the 1900’s, the massive clash between many strong European powers was known as the Great War, or World War I. Over time, the causes of this war were agreed upon as militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. However, the two factors that had the most impact on the start of the war were nationalism and militarism. Nationalism is described as a feeling of loyalty or pride for one’s country, which was very prevalent during that time.

Read More
1244 Words | 5 Pages

Both countries' fixation on naval superiority led to expansion of both navies and continued hostilities. (Outside Information 1) The quote from Sir Edward Grey states how, in the event of war, entire nations would be mobilized. He also remarks on the sheer amount of soldiers that would become involved in the fighting, and the amount of destruction modern weapons would wreak. This accurately describes the military preparedness of Europe.

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

Some believe that the cause of WWI was only one’s need for power above all. Yet the truly, underlying causes of WWI were the alliance systems, militarism, and imperialism. The alliance systems were one aspect for the cause of WWI, for as it brought power to the weaker countries, more people were able to voice their opinions and influences others. Another component that provoked WWI was militarism, for it fed the flame of tension between the alliances, as each country wanted to be the prominent military source. Imperialism was also a key factor because it gave countries important resources as they continued to obtain smaller, weaker countries.

Read More
1045 Words | 5 Pages

This demonstrates how every country was liable for the outbreak in one way or another. While growing advancements in technology and strong landed armies posed a threat to defending countries, naval forces proved to be just as intimidating. Similarly, Germany’s navy terrorized England and even pushed them to ally with France for protection (Doc. 7). This shows that the use of militarism and intimidation proved to further agitate relationships, especially that of

Read More
979 Words | 4 Pages

“...The rise of Germany, whose supremacy France dreaded and whose navy menaced Engliand, has created an alliance in which claimed it was defensive in nature but was denounced by Germany propaganda as an attempt at encirclement of germany…” (Document G) The quote from Document G speaks to the fear and mistrust that Germany’s rise to power caused among its neighbors. Countries such as France and England were wary of Germany’s growing naval strength and its potential to threaten the balance of power in Europe. To protect themselves, these countries formed alliances with one another, creating a mix of military and political ties that further increased tensions between them.

Read More
374 Words | 2 Pages

Document E ‘‘The British Octopus’’ shows us how Germany viewed England. They referred to them as ‘‘Blutsauger der Welt’’, which means bloodsucker of the world. They used propaganda and showed us how England was trying to gain territory. Imperialism contributed to causing the war because nations would make accusations and they wouldn’t trust each other. Having allies with another nation wasn’t a bad thing, but it did cause distrust between nations and it also caused them to fight for an alliance.

Read More
558 Words | 3 Pages

During the 20th century in European nations, countries fought amongst each other in the First World War. The causes of this war and disputed upon to this day, but three of the causes are definitely: The concept of the countries already prepared for war, the strong sense of nationalism, and the prominent amount of national power. All throughout Europe, even in the days of peace before the war, the countries were prepared to fight each other. Individuals saw war as a necessity for life itself (Doc 1). Most nations talked about fighting, but never really acted.

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

Flor Martinez Mr. Coker World History DBQ 19 April 2023 Causes of World War I There are many factors that contributed to the start of World War I in 1914. After having studied them all, I have narrowed it down to Militarism and Imperialism, but I believe that the main cause was Alliances. The term Militarism refers to a country’s belief to have a strong military and be prepared to use it whenever necessary in order to defend their country.

Read More
1530 Words | 7 Pages

European powers moved to form alliances to protect their territories and to maintain their interests (doc 1). There were two main alliances made: the Triple Alliance, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and the Triple Entente, which included Russia, France, and Britain. These alliance systems brought on the war, as Germany’s rise in power threatened France and England, which both wanted to stop Germany from becoming too powerful. France had suffered a crushing defeat at the hand of Germany in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and had lost Alsace-Lorraine. France wanted to stop Germany’s rising power in Europe and abroad.

Read More
126 Words | 1 Pages

Throughout the late 1800s to the early 1900s, the tension between nations, or empires, arose. European countries’ persistent determination for territorial gains set the foundation for the long-lasting conflict of imperialism. Imperialism was one of the key factors contributing to the “war to end war”, or World War I, a globally influencing battle, spanning across North America, Europe, and many bodies of water. During the said war, the competition between nations to obtain more power or become a world superpower increased, and consequently led to the U.S. ascent as one of the world’s biggest powers, transcending most other powers co-existing within the world. As a result, major power substantially increased their rate of colonization, strengthened

Read More
943 Words | 4 Pages

In The Fire Next Time Baldwin informs his grandson about the living in the ghetto and how he will live and die in the there. He will never know what it is like to live a life more successful than his father’s. Due to his harsh living condition he creates a hard exterior to protect himself against the harsh environment around him, but he deep down he believes that the white men’s degrading term are true. Society’s views on black men have pushed him into a area or social status where he is supposed to be staying at.

Read More
258 Words | 2 Pages

Coupled with the short-term factors were other long-term issues that explain why the two sets of rival powers emerged. Leading up to the war, Europe experienced decades of political, territorial and economic conflicts. A complicated web of alliances arose from the years of disputes, resulting in most European countries maintaining a strong military to defend their national interests. Complex military plans were in place to enforce the convoluted alliances, and once these plans were set in motion, it was impossible to stop the military escalation. Imperialism, the act of extending a country's power and influence through military force, was fueling nationalism.

Read More
553 Words | 3 Pages

In the late 19th century “The European leaders believed that by creating a balance of power they could prevent such horror. This idea was that if all the counties had balanced strengths that nobody could dominate the rest. There was a wide-spread of wars due to the sharing of the boarders. The triple alliance was fought in France and in Russia. It was the war that started all the Alliances.

Read More

More about Four Main Causes Of World War I

Related Topics

Open Document