Causes of World War One?

Question

I would like to know what the main causes of WWI were? As well as why? I would also like to know whether the assasination of Archduke Ferdinand was a major cause of World War I. I'm doing an essay on this topic, so detailed info would be very helpful, thanks!

Answer 1

The assasination was only the spark that triggered the war. Europe was a power keg just waiting to explode when teh assasination occured. There isn't one real cause for WWI.

Nationalism: People had a strong devotion with their counrty, something that you do not seein today's world.
Imperalism: Countries either had or wanted to be an Imperial power (they wanted colonies)
Treaties: Many Europe countries signed treaties with other countries to help out their allies in war.
Military Plans: These were plans for the military for quick decisive engagements that would end a war quickly. All nations had them thinking that the plans would work. Problem was once the plan began there was little or no way to stop the buildups.
Arms race: Best seen in the naval race between Britian and German.

Once the assasination occured in Serbia, which had a treaty with Russia, Austria, mad over the assasination of thier archduke moblized against Serbia after getting German's support, When Austria moblized Russia did as well because of treaties with Serbia to help defend them. When Russia moblized Germany was forced to moblized as well as support to Austria. Everyone moblized, the plans were in motion. As Moltke said to the Kaiser when he asked to stop the invasion of France he replied "settled, it cannot be altered” meaning that the events could not be stopped.

Answer 2

The assassination of the Archduke is often claimed to be the cause of the war. In my opinion it was just a spark in the highly volatile pre-World War Europe. I am an avid reader of John Buchan novels such as, 'The 39 Steps' - excellent reading if you like the genre. This novel was written before hostilities and what strikes me is extreme anti-German sentiment it employs. This was, ( and still is, ) a popular novel of the times and it no doubt reflects the general mind-set of the average Briton in the late Victorian era. The same sentiment is found in a number of Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. 'The Engineer's Thumb' is just one story worth looking at. The German characters depicted are absolute sociopaths.

So, in looking at the causes of that war, I would suggest you check the primary sources of the era - the popular literature of the day which reflect the deeply held prejudices that mainstream people shared. These causes lie in the acceptance of an inevitable conflict with Germany not a question of if but of when. Without the support of the man in the street then all the other 'causes' of World War I, pale in their importance. It was even being preached from the pulpit.

Answer 3

The main causes of WWI happen on 28 June 1914. Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student, was shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie Chotek, in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, which had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908. Princip was a member of Young Bosnia, a group whose aims included the unification of the South Slavs and independence from Austria-Hungary (see also: the Black Hand). The assassination in Sarajevo set into motion a series of fast-moving events that escalated into a full-scale war. However, the deeper causes of the conflict were multiple and complex.

Answer 4

Do you realize how huge of a question that is? Historians have been debating with that for a long time. The initial hostilities began with assignation. From there Austria's demands on Serbia, Russian alliances with Serbia, German alliance with Austria....intertangeling alliances. In a much broader sense the deeper roots of the war go back to the European differences after the fall of Napoleon, and it was due European competition for colonial expansion. This is not an easy question...your essay could be a book if it is thoroughly researched.

Answer 5

World War 1 (1914-1918)

The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand triggered World War 1. But the war had its origins in developments of the 1800's.

The main causes of World War 1 were:
The rise in nationalism
Build-up of military might
System of military alliances

The rise of nationalism.
Europe avoided major wars in the 100 years before World War 1 began. In the 1800's, a force swept across the continent that helped bring about the Great War. The force was nationalism - the belief that loyalty to a person's nation and its political and economic goals comes before any other public loyalty. During the 1800's nationalism took hold among people who shared a common language, history, or culture. Such people began to view themselves as members a national group or nation. Nationalism led to the creation of two new powers - Italy and Germany - through the uniting of many small states. War had a major role in achieving nation unification in Italy and Germany. On the other hand, nationalism weakened the eastern European empires of Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Ottoman Turkey. Those empires ruled many national groups that clamored for independence. The Balkan Peninsula or the "Powder Keg of Europe" caused tensions and therefore threatened to ignite a major war. Rivalry for control of the Balkans added to the tensions that erupted into World War 1.

A build-up of military might occurred among European countries before World War 1 broke out. Nationalism encouraged public support for military build-ups and for a country's use of force to achieve its goals. By the late 1800's, Germany had the best-trained army in the world. In 1898 Germany began developing a naval force that was big enough to challenge the British navy. In 1906, the British navy launched the Dreadnought, the first modern battleship. The Dreadnought had greater firepower that any other ship of its time. Germany rushed to construct on just likeit. Advances in technology helped aid in making military forces stronger. Machine guns and other new arms fired more accurately and more rapidly than earlier weapons. By the end of the 1800's, technology enabled countries to fight longer and bear greater losses that ever before.

A system of military alliances gave European powers a sense of security before World War 1. They formed these alliances with each other for protection and guarantee that other members of the alliance would come to the country's aid if attacked. Although alliances provided protection, the system also created certain dangers. If war came, the alliance system meant that a number of nations would fight, not only the two involved in a dispute. Alliances could force a country to go to war against a nation it had no quarrel with. In addition, the terms of many alliances were kept secret. The secrecy also increased the chances that a county might guess wrong about the consequences of its actions.

The Triple Alliance was made up of 3 countries, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. They all agreed to go to war if attacked by Russia. Bismarck also brought Austria-Hungary and Germany into alliance with Russia. The agreement was known as the Three Emperor's League and was formed in 1881. They all agreed to remain neutral if any of them went to war with another country. In 1890 when Bismarck left office it gave a chance for Russia and France to form an alliance. In 1894, France and Russia agreed to call up troops if any nation in the Triple Alliance mobilized. Russia and France also agreed to help each other if either were attacked be Germany.



First hand accounts of life on the front!

Thank you for your interest!

The Dominion Institute is a good place for you to find the answers that you are looking for.

My Grandfather and my Great Uncle served in WW1. My Grandfather was wounded in a battle in France. He spent the rest of his life in a Veterans Hospital on Christie Street in Toronto, until he past away in the early 1960s.

Thank you very much for your question!
Bruce


http://www.dominion.ca/petition/index.ph...

Answer 6

I WOULD BE BRIEF, SINCE YOU DO AN ESSAY ABOUT WWI,CHECK IT OUT AT YAHOO; WWI. MY CONCLUSION ABOUT THIS WWI, WWII OR THE ON GOING WAR ARE SIMPLE; HUMAN GREED AND EVIL ACT FROM THE LEADER OF THE COUNTRY.

Answer 7

politics..assasination