How Did The Balance Of Power Cause Ww2

This simulation inspired me that, the balance of power can not simply explain the cause of World War I. By using Waltz’s three levels of analysis, the individual acts and beliefs, the collision of interest between states, as well as the anarchic nature of the international system could explain the outbreak of WWI. On the individual level, important figures significantly affected the possibility of war and the process of history. For example, Garivalo Princie was a Serbian nationalist who assassinated Archduke Ferdinand. The assassination was regarded as the trigger of war; it was used by Austria-Hungary to justify punishing Serbia. In addition, decision-makers held different assumptions about international relations and various personal interests which decided their choices about war. For example, the …show more content…
Most states believed that the balance of power was upset by growth of other states and formation of alliances; therefore, they were concerned about their security. The lack of information and communication increased states’ uncertainty about the situation and other states’ intentions, aggravating them to be more aggressive and intense. In addition, different sets of beliefs complicated the game. For example, Germany believed in offensive advantage, but France, who believed in Belgium neutrality, did not expect Germany to attack first. Because of the hawk bias and the fundamental attribution error, states were more likely to perceive the aggressive action of their adversaries as intentional, therefore, they would use more confrontational policies. States imagined the worst intention of other states, which increased the likelihood of using force. At that time, there was no international institutions to provide a platform for states to communicate and resolve conflict peacefully. Moreover, the alliance increased distrust between states, which was intensified by arm