Many know that the main cause of World War One was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on the 28th of June in 1914. However, many do not understand how so many more things were playing a big part in starting the war a long time before it started. The nations were simply stacking wood on the fire, and all that was left was for someone to light a match igniting the whole world. The few causes of tension before the war were: militarism, nationalism, imperialism and alliances. The nations struggled with their greed, pride, and self-control, and these causes made their flaws very evident.
Imperialism dominated most of the European nation’s actions during the beginning of the war. Countries wanted …show more content…
After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Austria was not going to stand by and let Serbia get away with their actions. So they declared war setting off the bomb of alliances. Russia saw its chance to take away the Balkans from Austria but this just angered Germany, who then declared war on them. Germany knew that France would not allow Russia to stand alone and would swiftly come to their aid. So they devised the Schlieffen Plan to take out France and Russia. The only problem was their route through Belgium was being denied to them. But that would not stop Germany from getting what they wanted. Britain was then drawn into the war because of their alliance with Belgium. Italy was in an alliance with Germany and Austria, but they did not act on their alliance. In fact, they switched sides later in the war. The United States did not want to enter the war unless deliberately forced into it. Many of the European nations were brought into the war only by force. Some had no reason to fight other than being involved because of alliances. This played a huge part in the war encompassing the whole …show more content…
All major nations doubled their militaries in size, with the exception of Great Britain and the United States. The “arms race” between Great Britain, Germany, and France helped fuel the expansions of armies and navies. Many weapons were either first used or developed during the First World War. Trenches were used on most battlefields causing the development of hand grenades. Poisonous gas, specifically chlorine gas, was developed by Germany because of their advanced chemical industry. The use of poisonous gas was banned by the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, but this did not stop the Germans. Great Britain attempted to us the tank in battle. The tank was very slow and unprepared for the battle field at this time. Airplanes were used for throwing hand grenades. The progress of the German navy caused the sinking of the merchant ships with non-military passengers by submarines and the more commonly known U-boats. These actions of unrestricted submarine warfare are what brought the United States into the
Imperialism dominated most of the European nation’s actions during the beginning of the war. Countries wanted …show more content…
After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Austria was not going to stand by and let Serbia get away with their actions. So they declared war setting off the bomb of alliances. Russia saw its chance to take away the Balkans from Austria but this just angered Germany, who then declared war on them. Germany knew that France would not allow Russia to stand alone and would swiftly come to their aid. So they devised the Schlieffen Plan to take out France and Russia. The only problem was their route through Belgium was being denied to them. But that would not stop Germany from getting what they wanted. Britain was then drawn into the war because of their alliance with Belgium. Italy was in an alliance with Germany and Austria, but they did not act on their alliance. In fact, they switched sides later in the war. The United States did not want to enter the war unless deliberately forced into it. Many of the European nations were brought into the war only by force. Some had no reason to fight other than being involved because of alliances. This played a huge part in the war encompassing the whole …show more content…
All major nations doubled their militaries in size, with the exception of Great Britain and the United States. The “arms race” between Great Britain, Germany, and France helped fuel the expansions of armies and navies. Many weapons were either first used or developed during the First World War. Trenches were used on most battlefields causing the development of hand grenades. Poisonous gas, specifically chlorine gas, was developed by Germany because of their advanced chemical industry. The use of poisonous gas was banned by the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, but this did not stop the Germans. Great Britain attempted to us the tank in battle. The tank was very slow and unprepared for the battle field at this time. Airplanes were used for throwing hand grenades. The progress of the German navy caused the sinking of the merchant ships with non-military passengers by submarines and the more commonly known U-boats. These actions of unrestricted submarine warfare are what brought the United States into the