Underlying Causes Of World War I

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World War I was caused by underlying causes which include militarism, alliances, and nationalism. During the time period of 1914-1918, the globe was at war and Europe was responsible for starting the war when the archduke of the Austro-Hungarian throne was murdered by an assassin; sparking conflicts between Austria and Serbian leading to much larger problems when alliances became involved. The underlying causes were militarism which is building up armed forces for war, alliances included The Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance, and finally, there is nationalism which is devoting oneself to the interests and cultures of your nation. Militarism caused other nations to feel threatened by the increase of military armaments, alliances were thought …show more content…

An excerpt from a poem by James Thomson, a Scottish poet says, "The nations not so blest as thee, Shall in their turns to tyrants fall; While thou shalt flourish great and free, The dread and envy of them all." Based on the poem by James Thomson the strong nations will endure and win the war while Germany and their alliance will fall before them. Published by Reynold’s Newspaper, London, March 9, 1913, the political cartoon shows us that Britain thinks that Germany is foolish for attempting to fight a war when Britain is against them. The Reynold's Newspaper political cartoon shows us patriotism in action when the British demonstrate a sense of pride for their country as they see Germany as fools for attempting to fight back. A speech by German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bernhard von Bülow to the Reichstag on December 11, 1899 "The means of fighting the battle for existence in this world without strong armaments on land and water, for a nation soon to count sixty millions, living in the centre of Europe and at the same time stretching out its economic feelers in all directions, have not yet been found." The German Secretary is displaying that the nation feels proud of its country and is looking to defend and expand its interests and ideals. Nationalism is the devotion to the interests and culture of one’s nation. Germany caused fear in Europe as their power kept growing and the fight for the influence of Serbian people between Austria-Hungary and Russia caused rivalry. Finally, citizens desired war in a patriotic style for their nations to triumph and show the world their ideals and

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