Causes of World War 1
World War I was primarily the result of "-isms", most notably: * Imperialism * Militarism * Nationalism
Imperialism
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century the world saw a lot of colonization of Africa and Asia by European powers. Each trying to fulfill its own version of a manifest rule. This caused land and empire rivalries. In short all countries wanted to be strong therefore they competed over: land and empire, navies and armies, power and influence. This competition was for: raw materials, cheap labour/soldiers, taxes.
Militarism
My favorite way to describe how militarism is to say, “An arms race punctuated the hostile feelings among the European nations.” Armies and navies were greatly expanded. The standing armies of France and Germany doubled in size between 1870 and 1914. Naval expansion was also extremely competitive, particularly between Germany and Great Britain. By 1889, the British had established the principle that in order to maintain naval superiority in the event of war, they would have to have a navy two and a half times as large as the second-largest navy.
Tangling alliances also developed whose purpose, ironically, lay in preventing the outbreak of war for conquest. The alliances were as follows: * * Triple alliance
Austria-Hungary
Germany
Italy
* Triple entete
France
Russia
Britain
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.
In conclusion to the above the world war one
Imperialism
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century the world saw a lot of colonization of Africa and Asia by European powers. Each trying to fulfill its own version of a manifest rule. This caused land and empire rivalries. In short all countries wanted to be strong therefore they competed over: land and empire, navies and armies, power and influence. This competition was for: raw materials, cheap labour/soldiers, taxes.
Militarism
My favorite way to describe how militarism is to say, “An arms race punctuated the hostile feelings among the European nations.” Armies and navies were greatly expanded. The standing armies of France and Germany doubled in size between 1870 and 1914. Naval expansion was also extremely competitive, particularly between Germany and Great Britain. By 1889, the British had established the principle that in order to maintain naval superiority in the event of war, they would have to have a navy two and a half times as large as the second-largest navy.
Tangling alliances also developed whose purpose, ironically, lay in preventing the outbreak of war for conquest. The alliances were as follows: * * Triple alliance
Austria-Hungary
Germany
Italy
* Triple entete
France
Russia
Britain
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.
In conclusion to the above the world war one