Was Imperialism a Major Cause of World War One?
By Jonathan Redpath iGCSE History (0470)
Week 1: The Big Picture
Imperialism played a big role in the centuries preceding the 20th century. Many of the European powers had large empires, which in turn ensured that they held tremendous military, political, and economic influence. For example, Britain, at its peak in around 1914 held Canada, Australia, much of Africa, India, and various territories in Asia and the Caribbean; Britain also was one of the major naval powers, which became important in the very early 20th century, when Germany began to challenge Britain’s power with the Navy Laws of 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912 (Bonker, 2017).
Other countries also had empires. Among the most influential and powerful of these were France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. One result of this was the alliance system: to protect their interests abroad, the major countries signed agreements, promising military aid if either country was attacked. The Central Powers (Germany, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allies (UK, France, Russia, and Serbia, among others) were the primary alliances in the build-up to World War One. According to Grey et al. (2017: 8), many historians believe that this alliance system was a primary cause of the great extent of the First World War: it is true that treaties such as the Franco-Russian alliance ensured that if one country was attacked, many others would follow. Had there been no alliances, perhaps World War One may have been merely a local dispute between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Military power was a major part of empires. In the first place, colonies provided armies and resources to help the empire. For instance, soldiers from as far away as Nepal, South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada fought for Britain in World War One. (Clevelode Battle Tours, 2017). Thus, clearly having an extensive empire would benefit a country, especially if the country’s own army was weak, as Britain's army clearly was at 733,514 soldiers (August 1914). Indian soldiers lead a calvary charge at Neuve Chapelle. In the second place, the various imperial powers tended to distrust each other. Germany and Britain, in particular, tended to compete for the title of the greatest power. One area where this was demonstrated was the Naval Race. According to Trueman (2017), Britain believed that Germany, as a nearly landlocked nation, did not need a large navy. The efforts by Germany to build up her navy with the Navy Laws of 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912 were seen as a challenge to Britain's Royal Navy. In response, they introduced the Dreadnought class of iron-clad battleships, such as the one on the right. According to Trueman (2017), eventually Britain would build 38 such ships, while Germany would build 24. Undoubtedly this increased tension between the German and British empires. After all, Britain held much of the world in her Empire, and Germany was trying to build her colonies in Africa -- a direct threat to the British Empire. In 1909, Austria-Hungary took over the Turkish province of Bosnia-Herzegovina, after a new government was established in Turkey. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2017) The Ottoman Empire had already allowed Austria-Hungary to administer and occupy the territory, but Austria wanted full control over it. The new government allowed Austria-Hungary a chance to …show more content…
and Goodlad, G. (2017). Cambridge IGCSE History Option B: the 20th Century Course Book. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Clevelode Battle Tours. (2017). The British Empire in WW1 - Clevelode Ltd. [online] Available at: http://clevelode-battletours.com/the-first-world-war/the-british-empire-in-ww1/ [Accessed 24 May 2017].
Trueman, C. (2017). Causes of World War One - History Learning Site. [online] History Learning Site. Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/ [Accessed 25 May 2017].
Trueman, C. (2017). The Naval Race 1906 To 1914 - History Learning Site. [online] History Learning Site. Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/the-naval-race-1906-to-1914/ [Accessed 25 May 2017].
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2017). Bosnian crisis of 1908 | Balkan history. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/Bosnian-crisis-of-1908 [Accessed 25 May 2017].
Cornish, P. (2017). What You Need To Know About Pre-First World War Alliances. [online] Imperial War Museums. Available at: http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-pre-first-world-war-alliances [Accessed 25 May
By Jonathan Redpath iGCSE History (0470)
Week 1: The Big Picture
Imperialism played a big role in the centuries preceding the 20th century. Many of the European powers had large empires, which in turn ensured that they held tremendous military, political, and economic influence. For example, Britain, at its peak in around 1914 held Canada, Australia, much of Africa, India, and various territories in Asia and the Caribbean; Britain also was one of the major naval powers, which became important in the very early 20th century, when Germany began to challenge Britain’s power with the Navy Laws of 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912 (Bonker, 2017).
Other countries also had empires. Among the most influential and powerful of these were France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. One result of this was the alliance system: to protect their interests abroad, the major countries signed agreements, promising military aid if either country was attacked. The Central Powers (Germany, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allies (UK, France, Russia, and Serbia, among others) were the primary alliances in the build-up to World War One. According to Grey et al. (2017: 8), many historians believe that this alliance system was a primary cause of the great extent of the First World War: it is true that treaties such as the Franco-Russian alliance ensured that if one country was attacked, many others would follow. Had there been no alliances, perhaps World War One may have been merely a local dispute between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Military power was a major part of empires. In the first place, colonies provided armies and resources to help the empire. For instance, soldiers from as far away as Nepal, South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada fought for Britain in World War One. (Clevelode Battle Tours, 2017). Thus, clearly having an extensive empire would benefit a country, especially if the country’s own army was weak, as Britain's army clearly was at 733,514 soldiers (August 1914). Indian soldiers lead a calvary charge at Neuve Chapelle. In the second place, the various imperial powers tended to distrust each other. Germany and Britain, in particular, tended to compete for the title of the greatest power. One area where this was demonstrated was the Naval Race. According to Trueman (2017), Britain believed that Germany, as a nearly landlocked nation, did not need a large navy. The efforts by Germany to build up her navy with the Navy Laws of 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912 were seen as a challenge to Britain's Royal Navy. In response, they introduced the Dreadnought class of iron-clad battleships, such as the one on the right. According to Trueman (2017), eventually Britain would build 38 such ships, while Germany would build 24. Undoubtedly this increased tension between the German and British empires. After all, Britain held much of the world in her Empire, and Germany was trying to build her colonies in Africa -- a direct threat to the British Empire. In 1909, Austria-Hungary took over the Turkish province of Bosnia-Herzegovina, after a new government was established in Turkey. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2017) The Ottoman Empire had already allowed Austria-Hungary to administer and occupy the territory, but Austria wanted full control over it. The new government allowed Austria-Hungary a chance to …show more content…
and Goodlad, G. (2017). Cambridge IGCSE History Option B: the 20th Century Course Book. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Clevelode Battle Tours. (2017). The British Empire in WW1 - Clevelode Ltd. [online] Available at: http://clevelode-battletours.com/the-first-world-war/the-british-empire-in-ww1/ [Accessed 24 May 2017].
Trueman, C. (2017). Causes of World War One - History Learning Site. [online] History Learning Site. Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/ [Accessed 25 May 2017].
Trueman, C. (2017). The Naval Race 1906 To 1914 - History Learning Site. [online] History Learning Site. Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/the-naval-race-1906-to-1914/ [Accessed 25 May 2017].
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2017). Bosnian crisis of 1908 | Balkan history. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/Bosnian-crisis-of-1908 [Accessed 25 May 2017].
Cornish, P. (2017). What You Need To Know About Pre-First World War Alliances. [online] Imperial War Museums. Available at: http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-pre-first-world-war-alliances [Accessed 25 May