1. What do you believe was the main cause of World War I and why? Do you believe it was nationalism, imperialism, militarism, alliances, or something else?
Alliances are possibly the best known cause of World War I. An alliance is a formal political, military or economic agreement between two or more nations. Military alliances usually contain promises that in the event of war or aggression, one signatory nation will support the others. The terms of this support is outlined in the alliance document. It can range from financial or logistic backing, like the supply of materials or weapons, to military mobilisation and a declaration of war. Alliances may also contain economic elements, such as trade agreements, investment or loans. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, European nations formed, annulled and restructured alliances on a regular basis. By 1914, the Great Powers of Europe had shuffled themselves into two alliance blocs. The existence of these two opposing blocs meant that war between two nations might mean war between them all. For twenty years, the nations of Europe had been making alliances. It was thought the alliances would promote peace. Each country would be …show more content…
A clause inserted into the Dual Alliance in 1910, for example, required Germany to directly intervene if Austro-Hungary was ever attacked by Russia. These modifications strengthened and militarised alliances and probably increased the likelihood of war. Despite that, the impact of the alliance system as a cause of war is often overstated. Alliances did not, as is often suggested, make war inevitable. Alliances did not disempower governments or lead to automatic declarations of war; the authority and final decision to mobilise or declare war still rested with national leaders. It was their moral commitment to these alliances that was the telling
Alliances are possibly the best known cause of World War I. An alliance is a formal political, military or economic agreement between two or more nations. Military alliances usually contain promises that in the event of war or aggression, one signatory nation will support the others. The terms of this support is outlined in the alliance document. It can range from financial or logistic backing, like the supply of materials or weapons, to military mobilisation and a declaration of war. Alliances may also contain economic elements, such as trade agreements, investment or loans. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, European nations formed, annulled and restructured alliances on a regular basis. By 1914, the Great Powers of Europe had shuffled themselves into two alliance blocs. The existence of these two opposing blocs meant that war between two nations might mean war between them all. For twenty years, the nations of Europe had been making alliances. It was thought the alliances would promote peace. Each country would be …show more content…
A clause inserted into the Dual Alliance in 1910, for example, required Germany to directly intervene if Austro-Hungary was ever attacked by Russia. These modifications strengthened and militarised alliances and probably increased the likelihood of war. Despite that, the impact of the alliance system as a cause of war is often overstated. Alliances did not, as is often suggested, make war inevitable. Alliances did not disempower governments or lead to automatic declarations of war; the authority and final decision to mobilise or declare war still rested with national leaders. It was their moral commitment to these alliances that was the telling