Alliance+WW1?

Question

Explain how the Alliance system helped to create WW1?

Answer 1

Austria and Romania begin fighting. Each had other countries as allies that had signed treaties stating that if a war began, they'd come help. This caused the war to grow as other countries entered into it to help their friend. In the end, the two little countries who began the conflict, were minor players in a war that engulfed Much of Europe and the United States.

Answer 2

They removed the possibility of creativity and flexibility in dealing with the crisis caused by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand: Russia's alliance with Serbia meant she would have to attack Austria-Hungary in retaliation; Germany's alliance with Austria-Hungary required her to back up the Habsburgs (who were foolishly offered the 'blank cheque' of Germany's unconditional support; the France-Russia alliance forced Germany to consider any war with either, a war with both, hence France was automatically dragged into a war with Germany, due to the war between Russia and Austria-Hungary... because Germany's war plan was based around defeating France quickly so she could have a chance against Russia. The British did not commit at first, but eventually came in on the side of France due to her 80 year old treaty with Belgium: the German plan required them to go through Belgium. So: 1) The alliance system led Germany to produce one very dangerous and inflexible war plan. 2) The alliance system encouraged weak powers like Serbia and Austria-Hungary to behave aggressively, because they had powerful friends 3) The alliance system quickly dragged all the major powers into the conflict: war became too hard to stop. But this is where the modern world was created and it's good stuff to know- the conflicts in the Balkans today reflect the situation in 1914 very closely.