It also may be possible to argue that WWI was an accident because the Great Powers took action in order to try to avoid war. The great powers tried to through down anchors but Sir Edward Gray stated that in reality it was not safe because in a year’s time war would come. (Doc g). Sir Edward Gray, the Foreign Secretary for the UK, tried to hold Great Powers meeting on the 26 July 1914 and again on 30 July
If Russia’s economy was relatively healthy in early 1914, how did it manage to be in such a sad state of affairs by 1917? There are many factors that contributed to this: the decision to go to war, the direction of the Russian war effort between 1914 and 1917, economic and social factors as well as political developments. So how did the Russian Empire manage to collapse so quickly? The answer lies in the changing nature of warfare after 1914, as well as the social and economic strains that a war of that magnitude imposes. 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.
Weltpolitik could be argued to be a factor relating to the breakout of the First World War in August 1914. Although, it could be said that the war was avoidable and not inevitable, supported by Geiss in source 2 and Mombauer in source 3. On the other hand there are a two other main views which the sources suggest could be accountable for the outbreak of the war, with Deist source 1 mainly pushing for the political decision makers in the Kaiser and his military cabinet, such as Molkte and Tiripitz. The final factor that all three sources partially suggest is the impact of the tensions in the Balkans, mainly between the Austro-Hungarians and the Russians. Altogether, the idea that Weltpolitik made the First World War inevitable by August 1914 is short sighted as this is not entirely accountable for the war but was a contribution.
Underlying Causes Of WWI World War I, also known as “The Great War” was an extremely bloody war that immersed Europe with huge losses of life and little ground lost or won. There may have seemed like there was a chain of events that led to the fighting, but the underlying causes of WW1 were Nationalism, Alliances, Militarism, imperialism and the assignation of Arch Duke Ferdinand. America tried there hardest to remain neutral and stay out of the war, but they were dragged in by force. Several incidents built up tension between nations before the outbreak of the First World War. Nationalism was one of the underlying causes of WW1.
The French army are then put on war-footing so they are ready for when Germany attack. Once Britain hears that Germany has declared war on Belgium and France it orders Germany to withdraw its army from Belgium. Germany doesn’t listen to Britain’s command so Britain declares war on Germany. Then Austria finally declares war on Russia. Long-term causes of WW1: Imperialism is a big cause of WW1 because many countries were building up their empires; there were disagreements over who would control which areas of the World and countries were becoming jealous of other countries, this caused arguments between the countries.
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated it set off the July Crisis, which were negotiation meetings to try to prevent war. Austria was outraged that their heir had been assassinated. Germany had promised their support to Austria if an event like this was to happen. Following the July Crisis, Austria delivered the July Ultimatum, which were 10 outrageous demands directed towards Serbia. When Serbia only met 8 of the 10 demands, Austria immediately declared war on Serbia.
Decline and Fall of the Romanovs Why did Russia enter World War 1? Russia entered World War One for many reasons. One was to come to the defence of its ally Serbia after it was attacked by Austria-Hungary because of an assasination believed to have been commited by Serbia. Another reason was when Germany declared War on the 1st of August 1914 for mobilizing its troops the day beforehand. The final reason was Russia’s involment in the Triple Entente, an loose agreement between Russia, France and the United Kingdom .
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.
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 immediate cause of the Second World War was the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. Britain and France got involved by declaring war on Germany, and soon Europe and the wider world were involved in the War. However, the underlying causes of the war are much more complicated than what it seems to be. There were many factors that had contributed to the initiation of the war; the major ones were the Treaty of Versailles, the emergence of fascism and communism, the hatred of Jews, the Great Depression, the failure of the League of Nations, and the rise of dictators. The Treaty of Versailles was signed to make the Great War "the war to end all wars."