There are various factors that amplified the tensions in Europe from 1900 to 1914. A few of the major factors were International rivalry, the arms race, colonialism and the Crisis’s of Morocco and Bosnia. These factors, alongside numerous others contributed to fuelling the First World War. International rivalry was, debatably, the biggest factor that caused the First World War. As the European powers such as Britain, France and Russia had been competing with each other in might, prominence and colonial expansion.
How did World War 1 break out in 1914? World War 1 was one of the greatest wars ever recorded in the history of mankind. It was the first war that directly involved many countries worldwide, and better still, influenced the lives of many people profoundly. There are many reasons to why the war broke out. These can be categorised into long term reasons and short term reasons.
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.
It can be argued that the outbreak of war in 1914 was a culmination of a series of wars and national incidences that affected Europe in the nineteenth century. The Napoleonic wars, the Crimean War, the Balkan Wars, German and Italian Unification, the French Revolution, together with growing military nationalism in the major European states all contributed to tensions and alliances that made major conflict inevitable. This essay will explore the five major players in this conflict and examine their role in what was to become the most devastating conflict the world had ever seen. We will examine how each country arrived at this state and evaluate their roles and responsibilities as they tipped into military conflict. We will also delve into the complex and intricate series of alliances that acted like a domino effect in 1914 and in summary we will interlink the complexities of the status of each country in relation to their allies and enemies in an effort to understand why Europe was plunged into four years of devastating conflict.
Historical Background World War I, also known as The Great War, was an international conflict lasting from 1914 to 1918. The driving force that led nations to war was imperialism. It was fought between the Central Powers (consisting mainly of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey) and the Allied Powers (consisting mainly of France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Serbia, the United States, and Japan). The United States maintained neutrality in the conflict until 1917, when war on Germany was officially declared. American military and economic contributions to the Allied war effort helped to turn the course of the war and eventually led to the defeat of the Central Powers.
Russia also feared the growing German threat and sought to ally itself with Great Britain, France, and even Germany itself for protection. The British, for their part, tried hard to remain out of the conflict, but found that having the world's most powerful navy made that impossible. Rebellious provinces within the Austro-Hungarian Empire made central Europe extremely unstable, and the leaders of the Ottoman Empire in the Near East sought to expand their power. Historians have generally noted that the European powers had managed to avoid war for so long, that when it did
‘The outbreak of the war in Europe 1914 was due to an aggressive German Foreign Policy which had been waged since c.1900’ How far do you agree with this opinion? Discussions over the causes of the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 have caused much controversy due to the breadth of events in multiple countries which took place over a short period of time, concluding in war. The evidence within source V, W and X refer to some of these events, thus hold different countries and individuals to blame to different extents. Whilst source V suggests that aggressive German Foreign policy did hold a considerable proportion of the blame, it places the Germans in a sympathetic position due to their encirclement leaving them no other option. Source W is very similar due to the fact that it blames Germany’s strengthening of the military and navy to a large extent, however proclaims their ‘peaceful intentions’; whereas source X dwarfs Germany’s contributions as a state, placing more responsibility for the outbreak of war on Austria-Hungary.
World War 1 World War 1 began between the years of 1914 and 1918. World War 1 disappointed the European Continent putting France, Russia, and the United Kingdom against Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During this disagreement and war it spread through and into the Colonies of European empires. The war caused major destruction and many people in the world was stated to revise their opinion that they may have against Europe and how they was going to make Europe the center of progress and enlightenment. World War 1 there was a lot of fighting and a lot of people going against each other for their own beliefs and what they may have wanted that they couldn’t get so they had to fight in order to get what they want.
The second world war was different as it had ideological (Nazism v Communism) as well as racial (Aryan v Slav) elements, but even many other countries were involved, the 'central' theme of both World Wars is Russo-German conflict. It seems strange to say it, but the result of the WWI was unsatisfactory for both Russia (revolution, political withdrawal from the conflict) and Germany (defeat, internal political turmoil that stopped short of revolution) and so it's almost like they ended up having a rematch. * The failure of the League of Nations as an organisation, principally over aggressive Italian imperialism in Ethiopia in the mid 1930s but also during the Spanish Civil War later in the decade. Because the League of Nations failed to act in those cases, Italy and Germany thought they could do what they liked: that lesson wasn't lost on Russia and Japan either. * Along the same lines as the failure of the League of Nations, the short term failure of the appeasement policy of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in the late 1930s was a contributory factor, especially after Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938/39.
This is implying of course that the decision by Nicholas II to go to war against Germany and it’s allies in 1914 was wrong, but this is not the case. Russia actually had many reasons to risk war again; the war was weighed heavily in the allies favour as the combined forces of Great Britain, France and Russia were far stronger than that of Germany, Austria and Hungary. Russia was aware of it’s major failing though, it’s slow modernisation had left it trailing behind that of the other countries, and Russia would have to be prepared for the rapid social and economic change that a war brings. This was Russia’s best chance to modernise and not be left behind. Russia’s early hopes were soon dashed however.