Tensions In Ww1

Improved Essays
Depth Study Three: WW1 Essay
World War One was a period of struggle for Europe. There were several factors that lead to tensions in Europe which ultimately caused World War 1. The war occurred in 1914 until 1918 and it had many famous and bloody battles, such as The Battle of the Somme. The war killed up to 17 million people and caused 49 million casualties of not just soldiers, but civilians as well. The war was fought between members of the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and members of The Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia). Eventually, countries such as the USA joined in. Rivalries between countries, arguments over empires and an arms race were among the causes of European tensions that lead to war. Although
…show more content…
These alliances were formal political, military or economic agreements between two or more nations which also “contained promises that in the event of war or aggression, one signatory nation will support the others.” There were two major alliances of countries throughout WW1: The Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and The Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia). After the assassination, Austria-Hungary threatened war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary gave Serbia some very harsh demands that they had to meet. Serbia did not meet these demands so Europe was at the brink of war. Germany sided with Austria-Hungary, while Russia sided with the Serbians. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia with the back-up of Germany on July 28 1914. As Russia was partnered with the Serbians, Germany took that as an excuse to declare war on Russia. Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, and then France on August 3, as France was allied with Russia. Germany was the main aggressor in the lead up and throughout WW1. On August 4 1914, the German troops marched on France via Belgium. Since Britain had agreed to maintain the neutrality of Belgium, they immediately declared war on Germany. British and German forces first fought at the Battle of Mons in Belgium. This was the first of many battles between Britain and Germany on the Western

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    World War 1 Dbq Essay

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Alliances, though not the strongest factor, caused a lot of tension leading up to the war. There were two “sides” to the war- the Triple Entente, and the Triple Alliance- commonly known as the Allied and Central powers.…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    World War I World War I started in the summer of 1914. Most of the war took place in Europe. The war was long and lasted four years. World War I was unlike any previous wars.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The alliances that formed in Europe, are one of the main causes of World War I. In Europe throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, alliances were often formed and restructured. Throughout these centuries, the great powers of Europe---Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Britain, France, and Russia---signed…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    World War 1 Dbq Analysis

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Alliances were the cause of the war because if a country declared war on another country their ally would step in and defend them. An example would be the Background essay: Causes of WW1 Mini-Q. Austrian leaders wanted an apology from Serbia for killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914. Serbia allied with Russia then Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary and Austria-Hungary’s ally, Germany declared war on Russia. France, Russia’s ally, declared on Germany and Austria-Hungary.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the beginning, the troops marched confidently onto the battlefield of their own death. The tension ran high between countries which started the tragedies of World War I in the summer of 1914. Europe was badly shaken due to the death of 10 million soldiers and another 20 million wounded. The war was primarily fought in Europe for four lengthy years. It is safe to say that the deadly global war had many movements.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During 1914, a first global world centered in Europe started. People often called this war as the Great War or World War I. World War I was a time of struggle for Europe. Many factors led to great tension in Europe, sparking the need for a war. The war was mainly fought between members of the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the members of The Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia).…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    World War 1 Summary

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages

    World War I started the twentieth century off with a bang. The war began when Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip was a nineteen year-old who was a member of the Serbian terrorist group called The Black Hand. The terrorist group requested that if the country had a large population of Serbian peoples that they need to be freed. With the death of the Archduke, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary also had a promise from Germany that if Russia took action, Germany would interfere.…

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    European leaders in the late nineteenth century thought that by creating a balance of power they could prevent large wars. Their idea was that if major powers of Europe were balanced in strength than no one country could dominate others. The alliances in World War One were known as the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance was a secret agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and the Triple Entente was an agreement between France, Russia, and Great Britain. These alliances were…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    World War 1 Dbq

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The members of these alliances had to be ready to stand with and back up the countries that they are allied with. The two main alliances at the time were the triple alliance and the triple entente. The triple alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy; while France, Great Britain, and Russia made up the triple entente. When Austria-Hungary and Serbia went to war the members of these alliances were forced into the war as well. This is how the the war became a global conflict.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    World War I was the worst conflict in human history with regards to personal experiences in war due to the unique circumstances surrounding the fight. The struggle signaled a shift from war being seen as a chance for glory to something that should be avoided at all costs. Why was World War I a major turning point for how the people of Great Britain perceived war? Due to the growth of literacy rates in the 19th century, the true realities of war were revealed to mankind for the first time.…

    • 1844 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    During the years leading up to the war, many countries formed alliances, that would benefit them, or even the other country in some way. An important alliance leading up to the war was the Triple Entente, that was signed between France, Russia, and Britain. Another alliance that was significant was the Triple Alliance that was signed between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Both of…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    America and the Great War World War I (WWI) or “the Great War” was a global conflict that was concentrated mostly in Europe. This war involved all the world's greatest powers at the time. These militaries were gathered in two opposing coalitions. The allies opposing were Britain, France, Russia and eventually the United States. The second collation was formed by the alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.…

    • 1416 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    One of the main alliances were the Triple Entant, which included Russia, France, and Great Britain. The Other main alliance was the Triple Alliance, which had Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in it.…

    • 123 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Document E the Triple Entente had a combined area of colonies of 17,180,000 while the Germany and Austria-Hungary alliance had a combined area of only 1,139,000. This made a very unfriendly competition between the two sides. As one side would gain more land the other side then felt like they had to beat them. Everyone was fighting over land and how much they could gain which caused a huge war.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After militarism became popular countries began alliances to prevent being taken down. There were two major alliances during World War 1, the Central Powers and the Allies. The Central Powers included Germany, Austria- Hungary, Italy and Turkey. Russia, France, Great Britain, and the United States made up the Allies. In August of 1914 Germany declared war on Russia and France.…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays