Download Alliance System as a cause of the War

Alliance System as a cause of the War The alliance systems were a cause of the First World War. Firstly, the alliances were made in secret and so produced much distrust and suspicion among the European powers. Their general suspicion prevented their diplomats to devise a suitable solution to many of the crises preceding the war. Secondly, the alliances were always made on a war­footing and so heightened the war tension and led to an arms race among the European powers. For example, within four years after the formation of the Triple Entente in 1907, Germany built nine dreadnoughts (battleships) and consequently Britain built eighteen. Thus all the European powers were ready for war in 1914. Thirdly, since the European powers had made alliances with one another, a small dispute concerning one power might lead to a war involving all powers. Fourthly, the alliances were originally strictly defensive but by 1910, many alliances had changed their character. The Austria­German alliance of 1879 was so modified that it had become an aggressive alliance after the Bosnian crisis in 1909, the German government promised to give military aid to Austria­Hungary, if Austria invaded Serbia and Russia intervened on behalf of the latter. As alliances had become instruments of national aggression, the chances of war doubled. Fifthly, after the formation of the Triple Entente, Germany began to feel the threat to her security. The German press loudly talked about "encirclement", i.e. being surrounded by enemies on all sides. This induced the aggressive William II to pursue a more vigorous foreign policy in an attempt to break the unity of the Entente powers. This resulted in a series of international crises from 1905 to 1914 World War I alliances The two opposing groups that fought in World War I were the Central Powers (Germany, Austria­Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey) and the Allies, an alliance that grew from the three members of the Triple Entente (Britain and the British Empire, France, and Russia) to incorporate 27 Allied and Associated powers, including Italy and, towards the end of the war, the USA. Hostilities were precipitated by the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro­Hungarian empire, by a Serbian nationalist. The incident led to unreasonable demands being made upon Serbia by Austria­Hungary and the eventual outbreak of war. The alliance systems that were brought into play during World War I had been built up since 1882, when the Triple Alliance was formed between Germany, Austria­Hungary, and Italy to counter the power of Russia and France. In 1904 Britain and France signed the Entente Cordiale, an agreement designed to check German colonial ambitions. The Entente Cordiale formed the basis of the Triple Entente made between Britain, France, and Russia in 1907; the Triple Entente became a military alliance in 1911. Although the Triple Alliance was reaffirmed in 1912, Italy did not join the Central Powers at the outbreak of war in 1914, and later joined the Allies. In addition to the powers involved in the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente, many other nations joined the war after 1914. Romania, Greece, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, Portugal, Italy, and the USA fought alongside the original members of the Triple Entente, forming the Allies. Turkey and Bulgaria joined the remaining members of the Triple Alliance to form the Central Powers. Alliances ­ Entente and Central Powers The Entente Powers comprised a military alliance ­ driven by a variety of inter­related treaties ­ of France, Great Britain and Russia. In opposition to the Entente alliance were the Central Powers, another alliance of great powers: Austria­Hungary and Germany. This ensured that pre­war Europe was essentially dominated by two armed camps. The Entente alliance sprang from the military concerns of Germany's neighbours to east and west ­ Russia and France; accordingly in 1894 they signed an alliance based upon fears of growing German power. Britain subsequently forged alliances with both Russia and France once it became clear that Germany intended to construct a navy to match the Royal Navy in the late 1890s. Thus while the Entente Alliance was by no means a formal alliance, inter­twining treaties effectively rendered it thus. The term itself was much used in 1914 and 1915, but was replaced by the more general 'Allies' thereafter, and was taken to include other nations including Italy and Japan. In contrast Germany had a long­standing alliance with the fading Austro­Hungarian empire dating back to the 1870s. Other treaties (for example both sides allied to Italy at various stages) combined to ensure a tangled alliance system in 1914; by the close of the war the Central Powers had been extended to incorporate Bulgaria and Turkey. Contrary to popular belief the United States never formally joined the Entente/Allied alliance, choosing instead to wage war against the Central Powers on an independent basis as an 'Associated Power'. Citation: Alliance system. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.thecorner.org/hist/wwi/alliance.htm#top World war i alliances. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0097128.html Duffy, Michael. (2009, August 22). Alliances ­ entente and central powers. Retrieved from http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/alliances.htm