The First World War began as a regional European disagreement between Austria-Hungary and Serbia
on July 28, 1914. It took the shape of a universal European war when Germany declared war against Russia on 1st August 1914.Such mixed arguments in due course turned into a worldwide war involving sixty sovereign states, caused the downfall of four empires – German empire, Hapsburg Empire, Turkish Empire and Russian Empire and gave birth to seven new nations, took ten million lives (another 30 million were wounded), therefore the most bloody battle in history, and involved a huge expenditure. The war involved the great
There are innumerable causes behind the outbreak of the war but the immediate cause which set of the war is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the next to ascend the throne of Austria, by a Serbian nationalist. The war was the zenith of the activities and antagonisms between different European nations. Many of the leaders of different nations involved had personal conflicts amongst each other which culminated in this war and cost so many lives as well as money. America was almost uninvolved from the beginning but German’s standpoint of unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917 led to America’s involvement.
The international affair in the 20th century was marked by imperialism, militarism, globalization and nationalism. The great powers like Great Britain, France, Russia and Germany were controlling world affairs. All these countries were involved in a mesh of conflicts in order to grab new markets in the world economy and materially flourish. Several conflicts came into being when Germany got entangled in conflict with Belgium and France. Austria and Hungary also openly came into conflict with Serbia. The Russian army attacked the Austro-Hungarian forces in the east but they were confronted by the German army. Countries throughout Europe made joint defence agreement, thus if one country was attacked allied countries would come forward to defend them. The alliance that existed amongst the countries before the war was: Russia and Serbia; Germany and Austria – Hungary; Britain and France and Belgium and Japan and Britain.
At the beginning of the 20th century militarism became very much conspicuous among the European nations. Germany enriched her military navy and arsenal forces. Militarism is interconnected with imperialism. Britain launched her war ship called Dreadnought and in response to it Germany launched her war ship called Panther. Further in Germany and Russia particularly the military establishment had a great influence on public policy. This increase in militarism drove the countries towards war.
Before the World War I, Africa and some countries in Asia like India were points of disagreement amongst the European countries. These parts of Africa and Asia would provide raw materials as well as act as dumping grounds for the imperialist powers. Therefore competition and desire for greater empires gave boost to the World War I.The longing of the Slavic people in Bosnia and Herzegovina to be a part of Serbia and to leave
The actual cause of the World War was however deep-rooted in the European history of the earlier century, predominantly in the political and economic policies which made the appearance of Germany as a great world power. A series of conflicts started when Germany openly came into conflict with Belgium and France. Austro-Hungarian forces also came in conflict with Serbia, Russian attack also became history. It fought well until stopped by German forces. When the American forces drove out the German forces ultimately Germany had to surrender on Armistice Day.
According to my understanding the Great War was inevitable and that was mostly due to the rise of imperialistic power all over Europe. Nations like France and Great Britain having colonies all over the world had accumulated a huge wealth and having foreign markets and territories under their control. Seeing these nations other nations of Europe got inspired and wanted to exceed like them and this led to tension amongst them and the formation of alliances. A number of loose treaties like that of Austria-Germany treaty and the Triple Entente between Britain, France and Russia took place. All the nations began strengthening their army. Tension was rising all over but the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28th 1914 by a Serbian activist, a Russian ally, acted as a catalyst. Austro-Hungary sought for German help and they gave blank check and hence the war on Serbia. Russia supported Serbia and then Germany proclaimed war on Russia and then France pronounced war on Germany and so did Britain. In this way war spread throughout. Public support was prevalent.
At the end of the war, four major imperial powers – the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires politically and militarily defeated and the last two broke down completely .Soviet Union emerged from the Russian empire and Central Europe was completely divided into several small states. League of Nations was formed to prevent future conflicts. The First World War had a long-lasting impression on the mind of the people. It was signaled the end of the Victorian age in England and the turning point in Europe.
A generation of innocent young men, their heads full of high abstractions like Honor, Glory and England, went off to war to make the world safe for democracy. They were slaughtered in stupid battles planned by stupid generals. Those who survived were shocked, disillusioned and embittered by their war experiences, and saw that their real enemies were not the Germans, but the old men at home who had lied to them. They rejected the values of the society that had sent them to war, and in doing so separated their own generation from the past and from their cultural inheritance.. (Hynes, Samuel)