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Beginnings of World War 1
World War I or the Great War occurred from 1914-18 between the Allies (Great Britain, France,
Russia, the U.S., Italy, Japan, etc.) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, etc.)
It is thought that this war that had been ongoing for over a year, began with the assassination of the
Archduke Francis Ferdinand. However many other reasons led to this war, some occurring as far
back the late 1800's. The "isms" are the main causes for WWI. Nationalism, militarism, imperialism,
and the system of alliances were four main factors that caused the great powers to enter this
explosive war.
Nationalism is the love of country. Throughout the 1800's many groups that were driven by
nationalism tried to unite by governments controlled by their own people. However, this desire to unite
all the people of a nation under one government had negative consequences in Europe, where one
government often ruled many people. This is one important reason for the start of the Great War.
Another reason for the start of the war was the practice of imperialism by many countries. Imperialism
is the attempt of one nation to conquer and/or control other nations. Imperialist countries nearly
fought wars many times as they struggled to divide Africa among themselves in the early 1900's. Two
of these countries, France and Germany, were on the brink of war several times when the argued
about claims to Morocco. Between 1905 and 1911 they settled each argument with a temporary
compromise that left one of the two countries dissatisfied.
Although imperialism played an important role in starting the war, militarism was even a greater
factor. Militarism is the desire of a nation to build a strong military and to use that military in the event
of crises or conflict. Militarism controlled the thinking of many European Leaders before the war.
These leaders thought that only the use of force could solve problems along nations. These leaders
also thought that a military strong nation usually got what it wanted, and weaker nation usually lost
out. As international rivalries, each nation in Europe made their armed forces stronger and larger.
During the late 1800's the use of alliances was a forth factor that lead to the start of the war. Alliances
are agreements made between two or more countries to help each other in the event of war. WWI
began because Otto Von Bismark, the powerful German chancellor, was afraid that France would
seek revenge for its defeat to Germany back in 1871. He then decided to keep France isolated and
without allies. He particularly wanted to keep France from becoming allies with Russia. Bismarck
wanted to do this in case of a war, Germany wouldn't have to defend both its east and west
boundaries. In 1881 Bismarck set up the Three Emperors' League, a secret agreement among the
emperors of Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. France, meanwhile, had been trying to gain
allies. These new alliances became extremely dangerous, because if any to rival powers fought, all
six nations would be dragged into war.
As all these things began to build up the spark that set off the explosion and led to the war was the
assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian
throne. While he and his wife were visiting Sarajevo, they were both shot and killed. This
assassination began a long struggle between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian
government wanted to punish the Serbs, but before they could act, they wanted to make sure that
Germany still supported them in case Russia attempted to help Serbia.
Causes Of WW1
Militarism:
Militarism was another cause of the war, was similar to the arms race of today. Because Britain had
a great navy, Germany wanted a great navy too. Germany and France competed for larger armies.
The more one nation built up its army and navy, the more other nations felt they had to do the same.
The Alliance System
For Twenty years, the nations of Europe had been making alliances. It was thought the alliances
would promote peace. Others would protect each country in case of war. Making it foolish for one
country to wage war on another. The danger of these alliances was that an argument between two
countries could draw all the other nations into a fight. This is just what happened when a conflict
between Austria-Hungary and Serbia led to World War 1. In the summer of 1914 there were two
alliances. The Triple Alliance composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, stood opposed to
the Triple Entente composed of Britain, France, and Russia.
Imperialism
Another cause was that European nations ruled smaller countries, called colonies, and competed with
each other to amass more colonies. Gathering colonies became known as IMPERIALISM. Both
France and Britain had many colonies in Africa and Asia. Now Germany
and Italy decided they wanted a colonial empire too.
Nationalism
In addition to political conflicts, the causes of In addition to political conflicts, the causes of the war
included such forces as NATIONALISM, or patriotism. Nationalism led European nations to compete
for the largest army and navy, or the greatest industrial development. It also gave groups of subject
peoples the idea of forming independent nations of their own.