Causes of World War I - Research Paper Example

?Harris Kamran History and Political Science Question/Answer Assignment 2 April World War I Q1: Causes of WWI. The chosen phenomena contributingto the outbreak and the horrors of WWI are Imperialism and the Second Industrial Revolution. By the early nineteenth century, capitalism had shifted into monopoly, so that only a handful of companies, the early versions of multi-national companies, controlled the manufacture of goods from the acquisition of raw material to the delivery of the finished products (Brophy et al., 2011). Cartels were being organized to end competition and to advance monopoly of the selected few companies (Brophy et al., 2011). Owing to the industrialization, imperialism was much easier and swifter to establish than before because transportation facilities and mechanization grew thereby increasing the profitability of finance capital (Brophy et al., 2011). The emerging monopolies and the growth of finance capital in this way, caused new power centers like Germany (with its fast-growing banking sector and national economy) to develop and this necessitated that “possession of colonies […] have to be seized-and not only by peaceful methods- from richer nations” (Lenin, 1939, p.605).1 In this manner, the growth of a new imperialism became a long-term cause and the socio-economic and historical context of First World War. As a short-term cause, the second industrial revolution helped this “‘new imperialism’, to translate steam engines, machine guns, and administration into supremacy abroad” (Best et al., 2004)2. The modernization brought about by the industrial revolution is observed to have “handed Europeans an unprecedented capacity to wage total war” (Best et al., 2004).3 Industrialization also increased the “ability [of nations] to generate revenue in order to purchase armaments, train soldiers and build railways” (Best et al., 2004).4 Therefore, industrialization further augmented the menace of imperialism, resulting in a vicious cycle that erupted in the form of the war. The second industrial revolution also resulted in unprecedented horrors of war just because this was an industrial war that saw for the first time weapons like machine gun, barbed wire, heavy artillery, tanks, airplanes and zeppelins, bombs and grenades, poisonous gas, submarines and gunboats (Junger, 1920). The steam engine and development of rail lines meant that more artillery could be deployed to the armies, and the armies could be kept clothed, fed, and armed indefinitely (Junger, 1920; Best et al., 2004). The result was unprecedented volume of casualties. For example, in 1916 alone, the Germans lost 850,000 men, French lost 700,000 and the British lost 400,000 men (Merriman, ---year, 907). Q2: The nature of the “The Great War”. The nature of WWI was grim and not even closer to what was anticipated by the countries when they decided to stage it. Two of the elements that made it really grim were that it was a “total war” and also an industrial war (Best et al, 2004). A “total war” in this context means that it was a global war involving nations across the world, secondly, it was a war in which the nations were totally equipped in terms of weapons and technology to wage an unprecedented war, and thirdly, it actually brought into the battle field, all the social, political and economical resources available for all nations involved (Best et al., 2004). It could be called a global war just because the European states collected the resources needed for war from its Asian and African colonies, and troupes and laborers were imported into Britain and France from these colonies. The Middle East, Japan and the USA were also participants in the war in one way or other. The role of industrialization in deciding the nature of the war was also manifold. As “mechanized production” replaced the “primacy of agriculture”, international trade grew resulting in the emergence of a more influential public (Best et al., 2004).5 Another consequence of this was that the public “began to exert influence through parliaments, political parties, pressure groups and the press” thereby sometimes becoming a catalyst to the war and sometimes an opposing front (Best et al., 2004; Merriman, ---year, p.912).6 Technology in this period has been observed to have “inflated the destructiveness and speed of modern warfare” (Best et al., 2004).7 One example for this was that “mass armies could be transported by rail to deliver knockout blows” (Best et al., 2004).8 At the home front, the nature of war had a different aspect to it. Austerity measures were in, women took over the role of men as workers, bread winners and political figures, thereby dissolving the gender dimension of the war and making it “total” in some other sense also. In this manner, the Great War was the first “total war” that the world saw, and it was the first ever war that was won by machines rather than men. Q3: Effects of the postwar settlement on world politics. Although there were wide spread peace settlements after WWI, it is often thought that clauses and points in those settlements gave rise to more problems than they solved, and so they eventually led to WWII (Trueman, 2000). After the war, Germany tried to claim the land it had occupied during the war, and would not settle for less (Merriman, ---year). On the other hand, America and Europe, along with Russia, were more inclined towards freeing the occupied lands and making sure Germany would not have enough power or economic strength to start a war again (Trueman, 2000). Wilson, in his fourteen points, basically asked for open treatise, with no secrecy and hidden agendas, to be presented in all fairness and justice in front of the world so that there was no doubt left (Trueman, 2000). In view of the bad image that colonialism gained in the post war period, Wilson advocated the acknowledgement of nationalism as a proper and democratic expression of freedom and self-determination. He also demanded that the occupied lands be freed, and that the armies and ammunition that a country could amass, and especially Germany, were to be kept under strict check (Trueman, 2000). Lastly, he demanded that a League of Nations be created, to ascertain peace in the world (Trueman, 2000). Unified with England and France, America presented a treatise to Germany to sign in order to avoid invasion by the Allied Forces (Trueman, 2000). This treatise, called Treaty of Versailles, prepared in the Paris Peace Conference’s six months’ negotiations, basically touted Germany as the culprits of war, according to a clause 231 in the treaty, later known as the “war guilt clause” (Trueman, 2000). And subsequently, Germany was expected to pay a full reparation for the damages (Trueman, 2000). Germany was also ordered to give up the occupied land. Germany, in no position to disagree, had to sign the treatise, which resulted in resentment among the German population, and the rise of the Nazis and WWII (Trueman, 2000). As Winston Churchill had famously observed, the Great War was also a prelude to the forthcoming “Wars of the Pygmies”. Many new wars erupted among the successor states once the Great War ended. For example, Greece invaded Turkey and Poland fought five borderland wars. A solution was sought to this problem through either people’s vote or handing over of territories to different nations. Read More