Causes and Effects of World War I
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- Category: History: World Wars
- Date Submitted: 08/16/2011 09:16 PM
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Causes and Effects of World War I
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungar in June 1914 was the beginning of WWI. It was a Serbian nationalist that assassinated him and his wife while they were in Sarajevo, Bosnia which was part of Austria-Hungary. This was done in protest of Austria-Hungary having control of this region. Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. When Russia began to mobilize due to its alliance with Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia and from here the war grew to include all those involved in the mutual defense alliances.
First we’ll take a look at Alliances. Prior to WWI the following alliances were in place:
• Russia and Serbia
• Germany and Austria-Hungary
• France and Russia
• Britain and France and Belgium
• Japan and Britain
Countries throughout Europe made mutual defense agreements that would pull them into battle. Meaning, if one country was attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them. When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia got involved. Germany then declared war on Russia. Because France and Russia were allies they were drawn in against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium pulling Britain in. Then Japan entered the war. Later, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies.
Militarism is the next subject. As we entered the 20th century, an arms race began. Germany, by 1914, had the greatest increase in military buildup. Both Great Britain and Germany had greatly increased their navies in this time period. The military establishment began to have a greater influence on public policy, in Germany and Russia particularly. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved to war.
Next, what is Imperialism? Imperialism is when a country increases their power and wealth by bringing additional territories under their control. Before...
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungar in June 1914 was the beginning of WWI. It was a Serbian nationalist that assassinated him and his wife while they were in Sarajevo, Bosnia which was part of Austria-Hungary. This was done in protest of Austria-Hungary having control of this region. Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. When Russia began to mobilize due to its alliance with Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia and from here the war grew to include all those involved in the mutual defense alliances.
First we’ll take a look at Alliances. Prior to WWI the following alliances were in place:
• Russia and Serbia
• Germany and Austria-Hungary
• France and Russia
• Britain and France and Belgium
• Japan and Britain
Countries throughout Europe made mutual defense agreements that would pull them into battle. Meaning, if one country was attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them. When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia got involved. Germany then declared war on Russia. Because France and Russia were allies they were drawn in against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium pulling Britain in. Then Japan entered the war. Later, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies.
Militarism is the next subject. As we entered the 20th century, an arms race began. Germany, by 1914, had the greatest increase in military buildup. Both Great Britain and Germany had greatly increased their navies in this time period. The military establishment began to have a greater influence on public policy, in Germany and Russia particularly. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved to war.
Next, what is Imperialism? Imperialism is when a country increases their power and wealth by bringing additional territories under their control. Before...