Summary:
On Sunday June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Princip, a member of the terrorist group called the Black Hand, shot Archduke Francis Ferdinand. It is said that this event was the immediate cause of World War I. However the cause of World War I cannot be credited to any single action of any one nation. The events that led to World War I were imperialism, militarism, and alliances.
World War I
On Sunday June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Princip, a member of the terrorist group called the Black Hand, shot Archduke Francis Ferdinand, It is said that this event was the immediate cause of World War I, however this war was caused by a number of other factors. Also the cause of World War I cannot be credited to any single action of any one nation. For example, as believed in the myth that Germany started the war. The events that led to World War I were imperialism, militarism, and alliances.
Imperialism is when one state dominates other states or territories. This was one of the reasons that led up to World War I. For example Germany and France avoided a two front war with each other over claims to Morocco on two occasions. Both of which they managed to settle each incident, however the compromises usually left one of them dissatisfied. Due to this they had a hatred for each other, causing them to be enemies. Imperialism caused many countries to fight over land, therefore causing wars with each other.
Militarism is the glorification of armed strength. This idea took control of the minds of many European leaders before World War I. These leaders strongly believed that only the use of force could solve problems among nations. Also according to these leaders a strong military nation usually got what it wanted. This is proven in the wars that Prussia had with Denmark. As international rivalries got stronger, other European countries believed it necessary to keep their armed forces stronger than them. Due to this armies grew larger, and World War I became a war of proving to each other who had a bigger army.
Another reason World War I started was because of alliances. Alliances are agreements between two or more countries to give each other help when needed. Many countries between 1879 and 1914 had signed a number of alliances. The two most important being the Triple Alliance, which was Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy and the Triple Entente, which was France, Russia, and Serbia. These and other alliances were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their alliances declared war first. It was thought the alliances would support peace, thinking that each country would be protected. However as you can see that was proven wrong.
In conclusion imperialism, militarism, and alliances played a major role in the development of World War I. We see that imperialism was already dividing up the country before the turn of the century. Also militarism caused people to think that violence was the only way to solve problems. Finally alliances would draw many nations into a war instead of just two.
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