Essay | World War I - An Imbalance of Power

In The Guns of August Barbara Touchman presents a vivid image of the events and causes that lead to the First World War. The multitudes of motives that become evident in her book imply that none of Waltz's three images was solely responsible for the outbreak of war. However, the image that best explains the origins of World War I is the anarchy of the international system. The internal structure of individual states and the nature of men are two images that considerably contributed to the war but should be considered in the broader context of European rivalries that took place in the vacuum of interstate relations.

The premier reason for war, related to the realist image, came from the shift in the balance of power. The growing strength of Germany led to a military build-up in all the European countries. As military force is...
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