Causes of World War 1

1734 Words7 Pages
Causes of the World War1 The world faced two brutal wars in the span of 25 years which changed the course of history. The first one popularly known as the Great War lasted for 4 years (1914-1918) much to the dismay of most nations. This answer will put forth what the causes for the Great War were and what impact did these causes have on the outbreak of war 1914. The world war one was fought between 2 hostile groups, namely the triple alliance and the triple entente. The former consisted of Russia, France and Britain, while the latter was formed by Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy too being a part of this for a brief period. This war, both of mobility and attrition ended with the Austria-Hungary surrendering and the Germans signing an armistice based on Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points in 1918. A number of factors led to World War 1, which can be broadly divided into the categories of -militarism, alliances, imperialism & nationalism. Imperialistic rivalry dominated numerous conflicts in the early 19th century. This was most prevalent in Europe, where all the nations scrambled for colonies in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Interestingly, colonies were most sought after at the height of industrialization. As the European countries were discovering more about the benefits of mass production, the demand and competition for more land, raw materials, markets and produce escalated quickly thus creating the tension that triggered the World War 1. The way most historians portray this cause shows that the imperialistic rivalries magnified in 1871, when France had to give up her resourceful provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany as per the peace Treaty of Frankfurt. Thereafter there were many such imperialistic rivalries. The one aroused within the Entente (the 1981, Anglo-French conflict over ownership of Southern Nile and the Anglo-Russian conflict

More about Causes of World War 1

Open Document