Causes Of World War 1 Free Essays

There are four main causes of World war one. They are Nationalism, Imperialism, and Militarism and alliance system. But the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand pushed the countries into war. We will write a custom essay sample on Causes Of World War 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The war is a like explosives and the assassination was the spark that triggered it. Ferdinand’s assassination by the Black Hand a Serbian nationalist secret society set Austria-Hungary against Serbia. This started a line of events that would bring each country into the war one at a time. These line of events was caused by the alliance system. Each country was brought in to the war because of an allegiance to the other. Because if the assassination Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia but Russia was allied to Serbia so Russia attacked Austria Hungary but Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary so Germany attacked Russia but France and Russia are allied so France attacked Germany and Britain had a treaty with Belgium and the German war plan involved going through Belgium so Britain sided with France and Russia. More of the world was brought in because Britain and France had a huge empire of even more countries bringing them into the war as well. Imperialism is when a country increases their power and wealth by bringing additional territories under their control. Before World War 1, Africa and parts of Asia were constantly contested for amongst the European countries. This was because of the raw materials and wealth these areas could provide. The increasing competition and desire for greater empires led to an increase in confrontation that helped push the world into World War I. As the world entered the 20th century, an arms race had begun. By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies in this time period. Further, in Germany and Russia particularly, the military began to have a greater in?uence on public policy. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved to war. The war was because the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina no longer wanted to be part of Austria Hungary but instead be part of Serbia. In this way, nationalism led directly to the War. But in a more general way, the nationalism of the various countries throughout Europe contributed not only to the beginning but the extension of the war in Europe. Each country tried to prove their dominance and power. I think the biggest cause is the alliance system because that is why it became a world war and not just a war bet ween Austria Hungary and Serbia. Without an alliance system the war would have been a quick one as well because Serbia on its own doesn’t have much of army. How to cite Causes Of World War 1, Essays Causes of World War 1 Free Essays The Causes of World War I World War I is essentially much more complicated and complex than a simple list of causes. While there was a series of events that directly led to the fighting, the actual origin causes are much deeper and a part of continual debate and discussion. Ultimately, countries all over Europe made joint defense agreements that would pull them into battle. We will write a custom essay sample on Causes of World War 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Therefore, if one country was attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them. Before World War 1, the following alliances existed: * Russia and Serbia. * Germany and Austria-Hungary. France and Russia. * Britain and France and Belgium. * Japan and Britain. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, in which Russia got involved in to defend Serbia. Germany, seeing Russia rallying, declared war on Russia. France was then drawn in against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium, pulling Britain into war. Then Japan entered the war. Afterwards, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies. Imperialism is when a country boosts their power and wealth by bringing additional territories under their control. Before World War I, Africa and parts of Asia were points of controversy amongst the European countries. This was particularly true because of the raw resources these areas could provide. The growing competition and want for greater empires led to an increase in disagreement that helped press on the world into World War I. As the world got into the 20th century, an arms race had begun. By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies in this time period. Further, in Germany and Russia particularly, the military establishment began to have a greater influence on public policy. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved to war. Much of the origin of the war was based on the desire of the Slavic peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina to no longer be part of Austria-Hungary, but instead be part of Serbia. In this way, nationalism led directly to the War. But in a more general way, the nationalism of the various countries throughout Europe contributed not only to the beginning but the extension of the war in Europe. Each country tried to prove their dominance and power. The instantaneous cause of World War I that made all the aforementioned items come into play (alliances, imperialism, militarism, nationalism) was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. In June 1914, a Serbian nationalist assassinated him and his wife while they were in Sarajevo, Bosnia which was part of Austria-Hungary. This was in objection to Austria-Hungary having control of this region. Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. When Russia began to gather together due to its alliance with Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia. Thus began the expansion of the war to include all those involved in the mutual defense alliances. Works Cited: * Beck, Roger B. World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2005. Print. * Duffy, Michael. â€Å"Firstworldwar. com. †Ã‚  First World War. com. 22 Aug. 2009. Web. 22 May 2012. http://www. firstworldwar. com/origins/causes. htm. * â€Å"World War One – Causes. †Ã‚  Causes of World War One. Historyonthenet. Web. 22 May 2012. http://www. historyonthenet. com/WW1/causes. htm. * â€Å"What Really Caused World War 1? †Ã‚  WW1. Web. 22 May 2012. http://www. threeworldwars. com/world-war-1/ww1. htm. How to cite Causes of World War 1, Essay examples