The Causes of World War 1

The Great War (1914-1918) was the greatest conflict since the times of Napoleon, one which involved all of the world's great European powers including the United States of America, and whose unsatisfactory conclusion would lead to another world war about thirty years later.

The world of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century was a world of incredible discovery and possibility. The industrial revolution was in full swing, with explosive developments in science, technology, industry, agriculture, transportation, communication, and last but not least, military weapons.

It was also a time of imperialism. All of the great European powers were expanding into various areas of the world, bumping into each other, competing against each other, creating overseas entanglements and responsibilities. All of the countries expanded for differing reasons, but the results were the same - overseas acquisitions, which must be defended against foreign invasion and control.

Nationalism was also a motivating factor as one of the causes of The Great War. Especially among the Germans, but apparent in varying degrees in all of the European powers, was the feeling that their country, their people, their culture, their way of life, and their system of government were superior to all others.

One other factor was a complicated and intricate system of alliances between all of the European powers. Each alliance was designed for mutual defense, and so encouraged peace - or so was the thinking. Once one country was attacked, because of the assassination of one man, all of the other European countries fell into the war like a row of dominoes.

The first half of the nineteenth century was generally hostile to the idea of colonial expansion. Of the European powers, only Great Britain held significant colonial holdings, and even they were skittish about acquiring any more after the loss of the American colonies. The last third of the nineteenth century however, would see a dramatic change in this attitude.

The patterns of imperialism were similar in each European power. One method was simply to seize the land of a weak neighbor and populate it with the conqueror's own people. Another method was to establish trading centers to exploit the resources of the dominated area. The usual method of imperialism in the late nineteenth century, however, was less direct. A European power would invest capital in a "backward" country, improving the infrastructure, employing the natives, and indoctrinating them to the European power's culture and religion. Then, of course, the investments must be protected, and the military would move in. Before long, the European power would control this country politically and socially.

The reasons for this sudden imperialism were numerous. Probably the most obvious, and ironically the least profitable, was economics. The theory was that a country could expand its market economy along with its territory. In retrospect, with few exceptions, this theory did not hold. In most cases, the holding of colonies proved to be a drain on the controlling European power's economy.

Another justification for imperialism lies in nationalism. The people of these European powers were so convinced of their cultural, religious, and social superiority that they were duty bound to improve their "backward" neighbors. Even to this day, this kind of thinking proves dangerous and leads to conflict.

The final motives for imperialism were jealousy and competition. The ruling class saw Colonies as status symbols. The more and varied colonies one owned the better, regardless of the cost of maintaining and defending them. Once the competition started for overseas possessions, everyone wanted to jump into the pool.

Nationalism proved to be the single most powerful European political ideology in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Nationalists, who were mostly comprised of writers or other intellectual elite, contended that political and ethnic boundaries should coincide.

One major flaw with this theory is that, ideally, it would extend to peoples of all ethnic backgrounds. In reality, however, it only extended to the very large and powerful ethnic groups that could defend its borders, produce a viable economy, and suppress discontent from the smaller ethnic groups within its borders.

If nationalism had an Achilles heel, however, it is that it is always open to interpretation in the most extreme sense. There is a fine line between pride in one's culture and nation, and a belief in superiority over all others. Leaders with imperialistic leanings have been exploiting nationalistic feelings for their own purposes throughout history, and nationalism can be blamed for both world wars.

ALLIANCES

Most of the European alliances in the late nineteenth century, which one could argue held off the coming war but could also argue made it happen, could be attributed to one man: German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck (1873-1890). Bismarck had the reputation as a warrior, with a powerful army to back him, who talked peace and meant it. He was gifted at foreign policy. His main focus was to avoid a war with both Russia and France, a war on two opposite fronts, and his alliances and agreements with Russia, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, although tricky, kept the peace until after he was forced to resign.

Bismarck created the "Three Emperor's League" in 1873, an uniting of Germany, Austria, and Russia, thereby isolating France. The league fell apart however, when tensions arose between Austria and Russia over the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire had tenuous control over the Balkans, a strategically located area of Europe that was populated by people of mostly Slavic descent. Russia, also Slavic, had nationalistic feelings for the Baltic, while Austria had imperialistic designs.

When the league fell apart, Bismarck concluded a secret treaty with Austria called the "Dual Alliance", which promised mutual defense if Russia attacked. This alliance was renewed every five years until the end of the Great War, and can be considered a cornerstone to the alliance systems in Europe because it tied Germany's interests to that of the Austria-Hungary Empire. Russia, now feeling isolated and not interested in forming alliances with France or Great Britain, offered to renew the Three Emperor's League, which happened in 1881.

Italy joined Germany and Austria in what became known as the "Triple Alliance" in 1882, and Bismarck had successfully isolated France, and remained friends with Great Britain. Despite some cracks in the surface between Russia and Austria, all was smooth until 1888 when Kaiser William II (1888-1918) ascended to the German throne.

The Kaiser, crippled from birth, felt the need to show an imperialistic, military demeanor, perhaps to prove his manhood. His bombastic tone and blind ambition was a stark contrast to the old statesman Bismarck, and when Bismarck was forced to step down, the European dynamic was thrown into disarray.

Bismarck's successor, General Leo Von Caprivi (1831-1899), tried to move closer to Great Britain, which only succeeded in alienating Russia. France and Russia, both feeling isolated and in need of capital, accomplished what was previously unthinkable - they formed the Franco-Russian Alliance, a mutual defense treaty against Germany. This had always been Bismarck's greatest fear.

Great Britain, which considered all other European powers as rivals, had always maintained isolation from all of the alliances and treaties offered them. They could afford that isolation, as they were the undisputed rulers of the sea, with an unequaled navy. When Germany, by order of the Kaiser, started a naval buildup however, the new British enemy became Germany. This, and other factors, led to Great Britain signing the "Triple Entente" with France and Russia, again, a mutual defense treaty against Germany.

With Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy on one side - and Great Britain, Russia, and France on the other, all that was needed was an excuse. The Balkans, always a source of tension between Austria and Russia provided it.

Most of the Balkans, which were "occupied and administered" by Austria, spoke a similar Slavic language. Many Slavs, for nationalistic reasons, felt they should be united under one nation centered around independent Serbia. In the years between 1908 and 1914, many battles and a few small wars were fought in the Balkans, which served as proving grounds for World War 1.

On June 28, 1914, a young Slav nationalist assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne. Austria declared war on Serbia, Russia went to the defense of their Slavic cousins and declared war on Austria, Germany was forced to defend Austria and declared war on Russia, which brought France and Great Britain to the defense of Russia, and Italy to the defense of Germany and Austria.

The Great War had begun, because of the death of one man, because of imperialism, and because of nationalism.

Source

Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. (1995). Western Heritage, Volume 2, 5^th Edition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.