Identify and evaluate the causes of World War I, and describe other factors which might have contributed to the causes
There were many different causes for World War I such as nationalism, militarism and so on. However, the main cause for the start of this huge onslaught, stated to be the “most gruesome and blood shedding war of all” by historians, began with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, who was the royal prince of Hungary.
World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war which took place in Europe that started on 28th July 1914 and lasted until 11th November 1918. By the end of the battle, more than 9 million soldiers, plus an extra 21 million civilians died as a result of …show more content…
In the years preceding to the war, many Europeans developed a firm belief in the cultural, economic and military sovereignty of their nation. This arrogance and overconfidence was fuelled by the nationalistic personalities of the proud Europeans. Nationalism was also reflected in other aspects of popular culture, including literature, music and theatre. It assured citizens of the moral righteousness of their nation, suggesting that it was fair, honorable and was a belief without blame. Nationalism convinced many Europeans that their nation was threatened by the colonialist plotting of its rivals. It assured the Europeans that in the event of a war, their nation would defeat the others and come out victorious. “In concert with its brothers, imperialism and militarism, nationalism created a mass delusion that a European war was both winnable and necessary” – J. Llewellyn, J. Southey and S. Thompson, Alpha History …show more content…
Colonial rivalry led to strained relations among the European powers. In Africa, all the European powers except Austria and Russia had colonies there. Thus there were many clashes among France, Britain, Germany and Italy. Colonial rivalry, too, led indirectly to the formation and strengthening of alliances and ententes. Italy turned to Germany and Austria when she lost Tunis to France in 1881. Another reason why colonial rivalry caused WWI was because it led to an escalation of the arms race. Finally, colonial rivalry lead to the cause of WWI as it begun hostility among the powers – France and Britain nearly came to a war just over their rivalry in the Sudan,