Causes of WWI
World War One, also known as the first world war, was an international conflict in the early 20th century that involved all of the great European powers of the time. Having many longterm and shortterm causes, the war was bloody and psychologically terrorizing, but ultimately ended with defeat of Germany and its allies. This was solidified by Treaty of Versailles in 1919 which essentially collapsed the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman empires. Although the conflict seemed to have happened out of pure spite and tension, there were many different factors that contributed to it and its levels of intensity. World War I, a war in which carnage and destruction were seen in completely unprecedented levels, was caused by a multitude of things. Some include general tension caused by militarism, territorial tension, and entangling alliances, and this finally being set into motion by nationalism and the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
The first world war began in the summer of 1914 and ended November of 1918. The two opposing forces of the war were the Central Powers and the Allied Powers. These groups were derived from alliances that had been made in the years leading up to the conflict, but as the war aged, many more countries got involved. The Central Powers originally came from the “Triple Alliance” which involved Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and the other from the “Triple Entente” which consisted of Russia, Great Britain, and France; The Triple Entente grew to be called the “Triple Alliance” as it acquired additional countries such as Serbia, the United States, Italy and Belgium throughout the duration of the war. Although the Triple Alliance ultimately claimed victory, the war was long and bloody and took a large toll on Europe’s population (History.com Staff). Because of this, the victorious powers were very angry with the losing side and blamed them for the war. Via the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to take full blame for the damage and was imposed upon punitive territorial, military, and economic provisions. They were forced to pay billions of dollars in reparations which economically destroyed the country (History.com Staff). However, contrary to the allied beliefs, Germany was in fact not completely and independently responsible.
One enormous leading factor contributing to the start of the First World War was a very widespread feeling of nationalism across Europe. To begin with, for a big part of the 19th century, imperialism was manifesting in the continent. Many of the great world powers which would soon be involved in World War One had been trying to expand their jurisdiction all over the globe. Many countries were arguably obsessed with conquering land and implementing their culture where ever they could (Bloy). This era of imperialism allowed Europe to universally dominate, but with the wealth and popularity, it brought various negatives including war and prejudice. Extending all the way into the 20th century, this aura of imperialism lead to a strong nationalistic wave in Europe causing a good deal of diplomatic tension. The French desire for revenge over the annexation of Alsace and Lorraine was very strong, and the Victorian Era in Great Britain had inspired economic progression that the British wanted to preserve and continue (Kelly). In addition to that, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman empire were intimidated by the threat of being undermined by nationalistic Slavic peoples. The Serbians had recently gained independence from the Ottoman empire and they were now more confident than ever to try to seize Bosnia and Herzegovina to create a unified Serbian state; this ultimately just created an atmosphere of paranoia and uncertainty all across Europe.
Likewise, Austria, which had a large Slavic population was at risk of an inspired uprising or an attack from the Serbs. Russia supported the Serbians and saw itself as “Serbia’s protector.” Consequently, this arose tension between Russia and the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. In addition to that, Germany also felt a strong surge of nationalism. Weltpolitik, or the desire to be the most dominant nation was very popular in Germany. Inspired by this feeling of such nationalism, war plans were readily developed and the threat of mobilization into war was stronger than ever. Europe was completely ready to commence the fighting; the eventual outbreak of war was greeted by cheering crowds in Berlin, Vienna and Paris. As APJ Taylor wrote “the people of Europe leapt willingly into war” (Bloy).
In addition to the tension caused by a xenophobic surge, there was also a feeling of intensity due to territorial tensions and militarism. Firstly, arms races were seen to their extremities during this time.