Cause Of World War I

The Cause of World War I
The presence of increased nationalism, imperialism, and militarism were the main factors resulting in World War I. Although, the sudden cause of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in 1914. The rise of nationalist views caused a divide and rivalry between various European nations. Nationalism is a dangerous form of loyalty to a country. It started with the Pan-Slavist nationalism movement, in which the Slavic people of Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to cease from the imperialism of the Austria-Hungry Empire. Imperialism is when a country rises their power and wealth by taking other territories under their control. The Austrians, primarily of German descent, and the
President Wilson had conflicting ideas about the war, as many foreign-born Americans were from both the Central Powers and the Allied Nations. The Central Powers included Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire. The Allies included Great Britain, France, Russia, Serbia, Belgium, Japan, and Italy. Also, many European immigrants living in America still had ties to Europe. German and Irish American communities resented Great Britain due to its supremacy in these regions. German-Americans in particular were harassed, battered, and accused of being spies by other Americans. Britain and France had the sympathy and support of many Americans due to its long history relationship. This led many Americans to disagreed over which nation had started the war. To stay out of the war and maintain peace among Americans, Wilson declared neutrality at the start of World War
In June of 1919, each Allied country signed the treaty without the involvement of Germany. The Treaty of Versailles blamed the war on Germany, requiring it to pay harsh war reparations, and limiting its military. The U.S. Senate refused to approve the treaty, and took no responsibility for most of its provisions. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge opposed the treaty, especially the League of Nations portion. He said the US was losing too much power with this plan and drafted 14 reservations to match Wilson’s original Fourteen Points entering the war.
Wilson had proposed a League of Nations under the requirements of the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nation was designed as a security organization that would negotiate international disputes to prevent future wars and improve world conditions. The hope was to improve global relationships among countries. American opponents of the league thought the United States would lose control of the Western Hemisphere and control of its foreign policy. Isolationists wanted the United States to maintain neutrality as its official policy to avoid participation in future