What Are The Underlying Causes Of World War 1 Dbq

Maysa Abdrabou
Dr. Saperstein
15 February 2023
World History Enriched
What Were the Underlying Causes of World War I?
World War I is arguably regarded as one of the most catastrophic wars in human history because of its momentous impression on a global scale. The Triple Entente (France, Great Britain, and Russia in 1907) commenced as a defense against the Triple Alliance, forming (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in 1882) to preserve their sphere of influence as a world power. Militarism and nationalism became prominent ideologies the nations believed bettered their chances of maintaining prominence against other European countries. The underlying causes of World War I were militarism, alliance systems, and nationalism. The first underlying

In 1893, an excerpt from the Franco-Russian Military Convention (treaty) was created. "If France is attacked by Germany, or by Italy supported by Germany, Russia shall employ all her available forces to attack Germany. If Russia is attacked by Germany, or by Austria supported by Germany, France shall employ all her available forces to fight Germany," (Doc E). Alliance systems caused World War I to prevent one country from fighting alone and plummeting, allowing weaker countries to protect themselves, such as Italy and France. Germany was beginning to gain more power at that time, and allying was a defense mechanism to counter Germany and create a balance of power and avoid the same thing from happening during the reign of Napoleon. During the reign of Napoleon, France had an overwhelming vast amount of power compared to the other European countries because of its military successes by Napoleon Bonaparte. However, the Congress of Vienna succeeded in creating a balance of power that was maintained. Equally important, The Origins of the First World War was written by James Joll and Gordon Martel in 1992. "The first loans to the Russian government in 1888, 1889 and 1890 were followed by French investment in other sectors of the Russian economy – municipal loans, railways, mines and industrial enterprises of all kinds – so that by 1914 about a quarter of all French foreign investments were in

The unofficial national anthem of Great Britain was originally a poem by James Thomson, a Scottish poet. "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," (Doc H). Nationalism helped cause World War I because it created high tensions and even higher devotion from the people of Great Britain. Conversely, some may argue that nationalism is accumulated over time and is not innate. Although nationalism can become of greater quantity over time, nationalism ties into the pride and belonging of someone, and once those feelings are recognized, they can enhance military affiliation, let alone dedication to one's country. Moreover, Colonel Dragutin Dimitrevic ran the following newspaper and was head of Serbian military intelligence. "This war derives from the duty of our race which will not permit itself to be assimilated. This war must bring about the eternal freedom of Serbia, of the South Slavs, of the Balkan peoples. Our whole race must stand together to halt the onslaught of these aliens from the north," (Doc I). Nationalism helped cause WWI by the Slavs being able to rise up and break free of foreign Austrian rule. Hence, nationalism was an underlying cause of World War