Causes Of The Great War

The Great War was a war of powerful nations that individually had their own aspirations and hopes to further their success and dominance in the world. In the 1870’s, Germany had annexed French territories. After much success of wars and in industrial strength, ambitions for colonial growth had arose. German wanted a navy to compete with Britain, and to be seen as a dominate nation. The British had a war of their own against the Zulu Kingdom in Africa. The growth of the British navy was essential due to the influence in Africa. Germany expanded their navy as a result, which would lead to arguments later. Germany had many territorial goals to that extended to the sea and to annex the western Polish provinces. We can first see the possibility …show more content…
As the same time, Austria-Hungary envisioned to maintain its own imperial structure. In the decades following the War of 1870, history will show how the European powers’ advances in territorial gains and dominance stirred the pot and eventually lead to the First World War. In this essay, I will focus on the events leading up to Franz Ferninand’s murder. Also, we will look at the immediate events after the assassination that eventually will cause a world war. The events before WWI, are described as “fuses being ignited,” [Gilbert, pg.6] leading to the war of the great powers. Germany and Austria-Hungary, the Central Powers, were connected by “formal as well as sentimental bonds “ [Gilber, pg. 4]. Germany promised their support for Austria in any actions against Serbia to push them out of Albania, after Serbia took control of after the Second Balkan War . [Gilber, pg. 10] Historical clashes and fears created between the States in Europe created early hatred for each other. For instance, Germany feared that they were being encircled by the Triple Entente which consisted of Britain, France, and Russia. The agreement between Britain and Russia in 1907, was a contribution to this fear. [Gilber, pg. 5] Britain and France joined …show more content…
Franz wanted reassurance of Germany’s support in action against Serbia. Germany confirmed the support and nine days later, the Kaiser gets the news of Franz Ferninands’ assassination by a Serbian terrorist. The Archduke was assassinated in Sarajevo on a tactless visit. He was killed by a nineteen-year-old Bosnian Serb. He was part of a radical organization that wanted to “strike a blow at Austrian rule.” [Gilbert, pg. 17] Austrian authorities saw the assassination as a chance to reduce the power in Serbia, but were afraid that an attack would draw in other powers. It had appeared that France and Russia were not ready for a war. Germany had many efforts in encouraging Austria to strike and would not understand if Austria missed out on this opportunity to strike a blow. [Gilbert, pg. 19] The successful persuasion was the first steps towards a war. [Gilbert, pg. 20] An ultimatum was sent to Serbia from Austria and it seemed by the Austrian Council of Ministers, that Serbia would reject the ultimatum. To their surprise, Serbia agreed to the terms, but the Great Powers were still mobilizing. Germany denied a request of a four-power meeting between Britain, Germany, France, and Italy. Germany continued to pressure Austria for an attack. Austria believed that they had Germany on their side and declared war on Serbia. It is ironic that the morning of the declaration of war