Causes of World War I - Essay Example

?World War I Introduction The World War I also known as the Great War was the account of atro that took place in Europe from July 1914 up to the end of 1918. The war was fought between the world great powers as they considered themselves during that time. These great powers integrated themselves into two opposing allies. The first allies included the United Kingdom, France and Russia; the central powers included Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. During World War I, more than 70 million military officers took part in the war with about 60 million being of European origin. By the end of the conflict, nearly 9 million military officers had been killed. There were various causes of the war, which included both short term and long term. The imperialistic polices imposed by great powers such as German, Russian empire, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires caused conflicts between different powers plunging them into wars. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 was also a possible cause of the World War I. After these triggers, different alliances that had been organized before were revived. Austro-Hungarian started the conflict by invading Serbia. This invasion triggered Germany into invading Belgium. Russia and France invaded Germany to counter its advancement into Belgium. The war spread across Europe and colonies of the different powers and the world war was on. Causes of World War I At the beginning of the nineteenth century, different powers across Europe started organizing themselves into alliances. These alliances resulted in the formation of complex military and political networks that included European powers. The Holly Alliance was the first alliance to be established and it included Persia, Russia, and Austria. In 1879, the Dual Alliance that included the German empire and Austria-hungry was established to suppress the earlier alliance between Russia and Persia. The formation of these alliances posed a major threat the Great Britain, which entered into an alliance with France and Russia. Although the formation of the dual alliance was intended to counter the Russian advancement into western territories s, the United Kingdom considered it as a major threat to its existence. The dual alliance was formed with the intention of countering Russian influence over the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan. Each of these alliances was established under treaties that were meant protect the interests of countries in a particular league. The treaties were also aimed at preventing the entry of allied powers. The major treaties signed immediately before World War I included the Reinsurance treaty between the Germans and the Russians, the Franc-Russian alliance and Anglo-Russian alliance (Cross 121). Each of these treaties had the purpose of securing the interests of the concerned parties against the influence or invasion by allied powers. It is also evident that most of these treaties targeted Russia. Treaties were formed either to counter Russian advancement or to incorporate Russia in to a particular alliance. Russia was considered as a major power in Europe and, therefore most countries needed to protect their interest against Russia through formation of alliances. The World War I took place after European industrial and economic revolutions. These advancements may have triggered rivalry among different European powers. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, industrial advancement started to concentrate on the production of military equipment. Technology was applied to produce of warships and machine guns that have never been in any battlefield. Germany and Britain were the leading European countries in the production of military equipment. Industrial advancement in Germany and Britain made the two countries to enter into an arm race which later spread to the rest of Europe. By the end of 1910, most European countries had increased their military spending by over 50% of their GDP (Halpern 192). This allocation was used to produce military equipment, military training, and paying allowances to combatants. Different allies got involved in the war as a measure of countering the advancement of their allies or as a way of getting crucial industrial information. This was a major trigger of war between Britain and Germany. Although the formation of alliances and industrial advancement contributed to World War I, political factors also played a major role. Different world powers had the intentions to expand their political boundaries and sphere of influence. The scramble and partition of Africa among major European powers inspired a sense of enmity between them. This is because colonies were distributed according to the military capability of different powers. Britain and Germany took most of the colonies. Colonies in Latin America and India were also a source of conflict between different European powers. The conflict of interest between Russia and Austria Hungary over the Balkans also triggered the Great War. These factors lead different powers to declare war against each other. Although these declarations, seemed not to be well pronounced they ended up to become a basis for the greatest war in the world history. Austro-Hungary became the first European power to declare war against Serbia. The Russian empire considered this as a threat to its influence over the Balkans and ended up declaring war against Austria-Hungary. Germany declared war on the Russian empire due to its threats and mobilization of troops against Austria-Hungary. This made the British to declare war against the German. Such declarations initiated a chain of war declarations between different European powers that developed into a full-scale war. Military Tactics in World War I During the early stages of the World War I, the trenches were the main characteristics of battlegrounds and front lines. Deep trenches were dug in both the western and the eastern fronts. The trenches were used for various military operations and, they proved significant during the early stages of the war. The first trench was dug by the British in the eastern fronts and they were aimed at preventing the advancement of German troops into Serbia. Diggings of trenches become a common phenomenon of the World War I. The trenches were used as safe grounds since they protected troops from enemies’ fire. The trenches were also used as transits routs, through which troop could move without being noted by the enemy. The discovery of the machine guns also made the trenches to become significant points of launching an attack on the enemy. Finally, the trenches were dug to prevent the advancement of the enemy particularly heavy equipment and artillery. The trench tactic was soon overtaken by technology and they became death trenches. The discovery of hand grenades and mines meant that trenches no longer remained as safe haven for militants. The trenches were finally abandoned when the Germans introduced the poisonous gas into the battlefields. The poisonous gas had brutal effects on the World War I battlefield and it caused numerous deaths. The fear of the poisonous gas made the people to dessert the trenches for their personal safety. Despite these challenges, the trenches remained significant in the war. Different opposing side launched their fire from the safety of their trench. A full-scale attack whereby soldiers would leave the trenches was only conducted under the command of senior military officials. In most cases, soldiers who tried to cross the no-man’s land died before reaching the trenches of the opponents. War position changed and, it became clear that the side with most military personnel would win the war. This triggered aggressive recruitments of young men to replace combatants who had died in the war. Other than digging of open trenches, barbed wire fences were also used to prevent the advancement of allied forces. Britain was among the powers that relied heavily on barbed wire. Barbed wire was not only used to prevent advancements of ally’s troops but also used as a trap. In the western fronts, most German and Russian soldiers were killed when crossing the barbed wire fences. The barbed wire became a critical point where ambushes of allied forces were carried out. In the early stages of the war, ground war seemed as an endless warfare due to availability of trenches. Different powers considered changing of tactics as a significant factor towards victory. Naval Warfare In 1917, the race to the sea began making the sea to become the next battlegrounds. During the first stages of the war naval activities remained undisturbed since the front lines did not advance towards the sea. Before the world war began, the German empire had several cruisers scattered across different parts of the globe. These cruises were used to launch attack on merchant ships from allied powers. The British royal navy initiated the naval warfare by hunting down German cruisers (Halpern 103). The Germans were quick to note this advancements and, they responded by increasing their attacks on merchant slips allied to Britain. The destruction of a Russian cruiser and French cruisers made the Germans to remain as the only naval powers during the early stages of the war. The event triggered the naval hostilities between the German naval forces and the British Royal Navy. Different battles were fought when allied naval forces encountered each other. Among the most significant naval battle were battle of Mas a Tierra, battle of Jutland and battle of Falkland Island. Among these battles, the battle of Jutland was the heaviest naval battle in the world history. This battle took place in 1916 in the North Sea. During this battle, the British grand fleet suffered heavy damages resulting from German attacks. After the battle of Jutland, German navy changed its attics and it stated targeting passenger liners crossing from Britain to North America. The most notorious operation of the German navy was the sinking of RMS Lusitania a passenger liner. These attacks were carried out using U-boats. German U-boats became active in the northern sea and they were responsible for the sinking of about 5,000 allied ships. The introduction of the submarine by the Americans made the Germans to concentrate on producing their own models of submarine rather than concentrating their attacks on passenger and merchant ships. First aircraft carriers were also developed and used during the First World War. US Involvement in World War I The naval operations and sinking of merchant ships undertaken by the German U-boats and submarines triggered US to declare war on Germany. In April 1917, President Wilson led the United States to declare war against Germany due to its role in committing atrocities against Belgium citizens and sinking of passenger and merchant ships. Germany had also proved difficult to Britain and France and, therefore the US was their last hope. The British allies requested the US support since it had a larger population and abundant resources. The Zimmermann Telegram was the third factor that made the US to get involved with World War I alongside the British allies (Michael 56). According to the coded message contained in the telegram, the Germans promised Mexico, a portion of the US land if it would launch war against the United States. The three factors were adequate to trigger the US into entering into war against the Germans. The Americans also wanted to challenge the Russians through the world war I. however, the Russians were withdrawing from world war I. During its first involvement, the US sent about 10,000 fresh soldiers to reinforce the French forces at the western fronts. Other soldiers were dispatched to the eastern front in order to counter Russian advancement into the west. The US increased its rate of sending troops to Europe to 10,000 men per day. This proved to be a major blow to the Germans who had previously thought that victory was near. The US involvement in World War I overturned events and the positions of Germany and the British allies. The US involvement in World War I revived the ally’s powers in their efforts to counter the Germans. The Germans had more advanced technology and tactics than the allies had. In addition, Germany had a bigger population than both France and Germany. Following the US involvement into World War I, Germany lost its advantage over the allies. German soldiers began to retreat as the US backed allied forces took their positions. Peace Treaties Fighting in the western fronts continued for nearly one year since the arrival of the first US troops. During the fighting, millions of soldiers from the two sides died although no any major advancement were achieved. The freshmen arriving from America contributed greatly to the efforts of European soldiers who had become worn-out due to being in the battlefield for many years. The Germans were soon overpowered and they began retreating from the western fronts. The hundred-day offensive that was launched in august 8, 1918 became the final blow to the German forces in World War I. The allied forces that composed of the British Fourth Army and French First Army battalions launched heavy offensives against the German forces forcing them to retreat towards river Rhine. The German forces suffered heavy casualties and many more were taken as prisoners of war (Bade 78). this marked the darkest moments for the German soldiers in their entire involvement with world war I. the period was also characterized by heavy mutiny and surrendering of German soldiers. To avoid losing the war awfully, German officials rushed toward diplomatic interventions through signing of peace treaties (Ashworth 45). The Armistice was the first peace treaty to be signed in 1918, according to this treaty, fighting was to be over by 11th hour of the eleventh day of Novembers 1918. This treaty brought operations in different front lines to a dramatic halt, as different forces started to withdraw from their positions. The withdraw of forces was followed by what became known as the stab-in- the- back legend whereby German officials claimed that their soldiers were not defeated but they agreed to withdraw voluntarily. This was somehow true since none of the allied forces ever crossed the German frontier even with the US support. However, the German forces were suffering from the 1918 flu and they were unable to get involved into another war. The Germans had to sign treaty of Versailles in order to protect their interest and reputation in the world war. However, peace negotiation did not end with the Versailles treaty since the Ottoman Empire issue was unsolved. The last treaty was signed in July 1923 at Lausanne and it contained the independence of Turkey and its relationship with the allies. The Lausanne treaty became the last political and legal deal that brought World War I into a halt. Significance of World War I The World War I brought rapid changes in the world revolutionized how things are done. The war triggered rapid technological developments that resulted in the creation of communication equipment, aircrafts, and sophisticated weapons. Other technology achieved during the war was the usage of chemical weapons. After the war, different countries started to invest in the development of science and technology. The formation of world organization and justice systems was developed during World War I. Many war crimes that included, mass deportation, genocide, executions and forced labor were committed during World War I. Ethnic cleansing also occurred simultaneously with world war I. to prevent a repeat of such events, the foundation of international justice systems and organization was created. Other than the genocide, the World War I almost collapsed European economies. The war also caused the disappearance of the four great empires namely, German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and the Ottoman Empire. The four dynasties collapsed after the war leading to the formation of present day European countries. Works Cited Ashworth, Tony. Trench warfare, 1914–18 : the live and let live system, London: Pan, 1980. print. Bade, Klaus and Brown, Allison. Migration in European History, The making of Europe, Oxford: Blackwell, 2003. Print. Cook, Tim. The politics of surrender: Canadian soldiers and the killing of prisoners in the First World War. The Journal of Military History 70 (3): 2006. 637–665, Michael, sally. Fighting the Great War: A Global History, Cambridge, Mass Harvard University Press, 2005. Print. Halpern, Paul. A Naval History of World War I, New York: Routledge, 1995. Print. Read More