Why did Peace Fail in 1914 - Essay Example

?Introduction The eruption of the First World War occurred after a sustained period of remarkable events in European countries in late 19th and in the early 20th centuries. Before the war outbreak, European continent had been undergoing significant economic and political changes that threatened to undermine the balance of power that existed in the world at the time and cause large scale war. The main European countries that had developed considerable power in the continent included Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Russia (Keegan, 1999, p38-39). This paper explores various factors that made it virtually impossible for peace to prevail during the First World War. First World War broke out shortly after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Hapsburg throne by Serbian terrorists in 1914. However, the incident was not the cause, but a catalyst for large scale conflict that had been looming in Europe for a long time. Various factors had contributed significantly to the gradual build up of the war in Europe. Joll and Martel (2006) indentified economic rivalries, increased nationalism, imperialism, and militarism in addition to formation of alliance systems as the major causes of First World War. Economic rivalry among European powers had become intense in the late 19th century and at beginning of the 20th century. According to Kennedy (1988, p72), economic competition for overseas markets, especially between Great Britain and Germany had reached epic levels. According to David (2005), Great Britain was the undisputed economic power in much of the 19th century and its strong military forces had galvanized the country’s position as the leading superpower in Europe and in the world. However, unification of Germany into a nation state accompanied by ambitious economic policies stimulated unprecedented development, which challenged Great Britain’s influence in the continent. One of the major causes of economic rivalry was trade disputes, arising from tariffs imposed on goods of competing countries in the overseas markets. According to Fussel (2000), tariff disputes emerged not only between Germany and Britain, but other growing economies in the region, such as Italy and France, Serbia and Austria, in addition to Germany and Russia among other trading partners. The subsequent economic competition resulted into tense and suspicious relations between concerned countries, making war inevitable. Large-scale militarisation was one of the major consequences of increasing competition between rival countries in Europe. According to Keegan (1999), each country attempted to build and strengthen its military power leading to arms race in European continent. Between 1870 and 1914, David (2005, p107) noted that military expenditure among the competing countries in Europe increased by 300 percent. Most countries introduced mandatory conscription of all citizens above eighteen years into the armed forces. Development of Germany’s military was particularly phenomenal. According to Kennedy (1988, p69), the country had over 8 million soldiers compared to Britain’s 750,000 in 1913. Although Britain had one of the best trained and equipped military, the growth of Germany’s defence forces was a major cause of tension in Europe. According to Fussel (2000), Germany’s military power was vastly superior to France, one of Great Britain’s allies. In addition, Germany naval expansion presented a real threat to Great Britain’s security. Germany’s rapid economic growth and superior military presence aggravated its quest for more power and influence in Europe. Germany’s military build up and consistent aggressive rhetoric indicated that the country was prepared for large-scale war, with an intention of challenging other powers in the continent. The period before eruption of First World War was characterized by stiff competition for colonies in other continents especially in Africa and Asia. Industrial revolution in Europe necessitated the need for more natural resources, and imperialism in Africa provided another opportunity for worsening the tense relations between various European powers. Acquisition of large empires was important because the colonies supplied raw materials and ready markets for commodities manufactured in Europe. Moreover, acquisition of expansive empires enhanced the prestige of the colonial powers in the world. In 19th century, France and Britain had acquired the highest number of colonies in Africa and both countries were the most dominant colonial powers in the world during the period. However, in the late 19th century, Germany became more aggressive in its quest of securing more territories (Joll and Martel 2006, pp87-98). . Other countries including Italy also expressed interests in overseas colonies, heightening the competition further. Germany joined the imperialist race later than the other two dominant European countries and it began demanding to have a “place in the sun” (Fischer, 1968, p82). This caused conflict, and one of the most notable conflicts was between Germany and France over the control of Morocco in Africa. Although the disagreement did not cause war, it aggravated the existing tensions among the European powers. Germany was also engaged in imperial dispute with Britain over several colonies in Africa and Asia. According to Fischer (1968), Germany viewed Britain as a barrier to its imperial ambitions. However, the disputes were not confined to Germany, France and Britain alone. Other European colonial powers including Belgium, Spain and Portugal were equally involved, causing more tensions, divisions and tensions that eventually culminated into the outbreak of First World War. The conflicts emanating from imperialism among the leading powers in Europe resulted to formation of antagonistic alliances. Germany formed triple alliance with Italy, and Hungary-Austria. Similarly, Britain, France and Russia formed triple entente to counter the growing German influence in Europe (Fussel, 2000). According to Keegan (1999), the alliances were not motivated by constructive ideology, but desire to restrain the influence of other competing countries. Germany signed the first alliance with Austria-Hungary in 1879 in anticipation of a possible conflict with the France over Alsace- Lorraine region that Germany had acquired. In addition, the alliance was intended to support Austria-Hungary from potential reprisals from Russia over control of the Balkan region. In 1882, Italy joined the alliance in order to enhance its bargaining power to acquire more colonies from France, which had an empire covering an area of approximately 11 million square kilometres in various regions across the world (Joll and Martel, 2006, p64). France, Russia and Britain viewed the triple alliance as a threat and a direct challenge to their interests in Europe. In 1883, Russia and France formed an alliance with the sole objective of countering the triple alliance. Britain later joined Franco-Russian alliance. Fischer (1968) argues that disputes over colonies played a critical role in formation of the alliances. Countries with large imperial acquisitions especially Britain and France were under intense pressure to relinquish some colonies to the triple alliance. Although France and Britain were still engaged in several colonial disputes, they managed to resolve the conflicts between them peacefully (David, 2005). Formation of the two conflicting alliances polarized European continent into two opposing sides. These developments strained the already tense international relations between various countries in the region. Prevalence of peace was now a remote possibility and the chances of large-scale war outbreak became more pronounced. Rising nationalism in various European regions also contributed significantly to the outbreak of First World War. Nationalism was especially prevalent in European countries under colonial rule. Desire to become sovereign countries motivated some minority groups into conflicts and rebellion against their respective imperial masters. Various regions across Europe experienced heightened nationalism, including Alsace- Lorraine and the Hapsburg Empire (Fussel, 2000). French people in Alsace – Lorraine under the German rule rebelled against their masters. Conclusion The Hapsburg Empire that was under Austria-Hungarian rule experienced similar rebellion. In Hapsburg Empire, the minority groups, mainly Italians and Romanians rose against their masters, demanding the right for self-determination or integration with their fellow citizens in the neighbouring independent countries. Attempts to suppress the rebellions created further resistance that transformed into armed revolutionary movements. In the Balkan region, Bosnian Serbs in Belgrade founded Black Hand revolutionary movement. The group was responsible for the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, the incident that triggered the outbreak of the First World War (Margaret, 2003). Therefore, economic rivalries, rising nationalism, formation of alliances between various European countries and increased development of military made it difficult to establish peace in Europe, prior to the outbreak of the First World War. Bibliography David, S. (2005). Cataclysm: First World War as political tragedy. London: Basic books. Fischer, F.( 1968). Germany’s aims in the First World War. New York: W.W. Norton and Company Fussel, P. (2000). The Great War and the modern memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Joll, J., and Martel, G. (2006). The origins of the First World War. 3rd ed. London: Longman Keegan, J. (1999). The First World War. London: Knopf Publishers. Kennedy, M.(1988). The rise of Anglo- German antagonism 1860-1914. Chicago: Humanity Books. Margaret, M. (2003). Paris 1919: Six months that changed the world. New York: Random House Publishers. Read More