World War I, or the Great War, was the first war that involved almost the whole world. It is hard to pinpoint the exact cause of the war, because there are so many. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife is the most immediate cause, but the but there are many other, significant causes that led up to the Great War. Militarism, Alliance systems, and Imperialism all played an important role leading up to WWI. They all created and added tension between the European nations until the tipping point: the assassination. The war itself had detrimental consequences for Europe with almost 17 million people dead by the end of it (The First World War). The destruction of the war could not be caused by nationalism alone. The combination
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So when Germany, under Kaiser Wilhelm, announced that they were going to build up their navy to be the biggest and the best, Britain felt threatened. The two nations competed up until the start of the war to have the biggest, most destructive weapons, as the more advanced weaponry, the more powerful the country. The arms race didn't end with England and Germany; all of the European powers began to build up their militaries. “From 1870 to 1914, the combined military spending of the six European powers quadrupled, 94 million pounds to 398 million pounds” (World War I). It wasn’t just the invention of new weaponry; there was evidence of its power. In the colonial conflicts the powers faced in Africa and their other imperial territory, they tested out their new guns and machines. The leaders of the European powers were ready for war before it even started, Kaiser Wilhelm’s conversation with the Italian king shows that he wanted to prove himself and his country as militaristic force, “ The monarchs have paid little attention to what I have to say. Soon with my great navy…they will be more respectful.” (Rose 43). Militarism, driven by competition to be the best, was one of the most significant causes of WWI because it led almost every European nation to build up their army to the point that there were six enormous militaries with advanced weaponry, ready …show more content…
The two main alliances of the war can be traced back to Otto von Bismarck’s system of alliances. In 1873, he created a three-way alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, The Three Emperors’ League. This was soon broken when the military alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary was formed. It stated that either country had to support the other if it were attacked by Russia. Building off of anti-Russian and the recent anti-French feelings in Germany, the Triple Alliance was formed with the addition of Italy. France and Russia formed an alliance in response to threaten the German powers, Great Britain put aside the decades of French conflict to join the alliance later. This signing of the Triple Entente in 1907 was the last formal alliance until the start of the war. Many alliances were formed secretly and intentionally left nations out, these formations created suspicion and even more tension (World War I). The growing militaries strengthened these alliances, making war inevitable. The alliances were so significant in causing the World War I, because they truly made it a global
So when Germany, under Kaiser Wilhelm, announced that they were going to build up their navy to be the biggest and the best, Britain felt threatened. The two nations competed up until the start of the war to have the biggest, most destructive weapons, as the more advanced weaponry, the more powerful the country. The arms race didn't end with England and Germany; all of the European powers began to build up their militaries. “From 1870 to 1914, the combined military spending of the six European powers quadrupled, 94 million pounds to 398 million pounds” (World War I). It wasn’t just the invention of new weaponry; there was evidence of its power. In the colonial conflicts the powers faced in Africa and their other imperial territory, they tested out their new guns and machines. The leaders of the European powers were ready for war before it even started, Kaiser Wilhelm’s conversation with the Italian king shows that he wanted to prove himself and his country as militaristic force, “ The monarchs have paid little attention to what I have to say. Soon with my great navy…they will be more respectful.” (Rose 43). Militarism, driven by competition to be the best, was one of the most significant causes of WWI because it led almost every European nation to build up their army to the point that there were six enormous militaries with advanced weaponry, ready …show more content…
The two main alliances of the war can be traced back to Otto von Bismarck’s system of alliances. In 1873, he created a three-way alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, The Three Emperors’ League. This was soon broken when the military alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary was formed. It stated that either country had to support the other if it were attacked by Russia. Building off of anti-Russian and the recent anti-French feelings in Germany, the Triple Alliance was formed with the addition of Italy. France and Russia formed an alliance in response to threaten the German powers, Great Britain put aside the decades of French conflict to join the alliance later. This signing of the Triple Entente in 1907 was the last formal alliance until the start of the war. Many alliances were formed secretly and intentionally left nations out, these formations created suspicion and even more tension (World War I). The growing militaries strengthened these alliances, making war inevitable. The alliances were so significant in causing the World War I, because they truly made it a global