Causes of World War I - Essay Example

This is what will be dissertated in the following. "Facts are mere accessories to the truth, and we do not invite to our hearth the guest who can only remind us that on such a day we suffered calamity. Still less welcome is he who would make a Roman holiday of our misfortunes. Exaggeration of what was monstrous is quickly recognized as a sign of egotism, and that contrarious symptom of the same disease which pretends that what is accepted as monstrous was really little more than normal is equally unwelcome.

" (Max Plowman from Subaltern on the Somme). World War I, which has also been known as the First World War and the Great War, lasted from August 1914 to the final Armistice on November 11, 1918. Ultimately, this war created a decisive break with the old world order that had emerged after the Napoleonic Wars, as modified by the mid-19th Century national revolutions, "the processes of European national unification and European colonialism." ("Wikipedia", 2006). Unlike World War II, the circumstances leading up to World War I are more politically complex.

There are several commonly used explanations towards the reasoning for the cause of World War I, some of which are as follows: The actual 'spark' of World War I occurred after the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife by a Serbian nationalist on the morning of June 28, 1914, while traveling in a motorcade through Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The Archduke was chosen as a target because Serbians feared that after his ascension to the throne, he would continue the persecution of Serbs living within the Austro-Hungarian empire.

" ("Cyber", 2006). The humiliation of Germany, which occurred after Austria attacked Serbia on July 29 and Germany invaded Belgium on August 3, in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan. The guilt plause in this particular situation portrayed Germany and Hungary as being the aggressors, and therefore as those bearing responsibility for hostilities. What this meant was that Germany was responsible for paying all war costs - including pensions - of the Allies. It has been said by some that "This directly affected the global economy and indirectly contributed to the Great Depression.

" ("Wikipedia", 2006). Another commonly viewed explanation is that of the building of alliances and the related arms race. This factor was of great significance primarily because of the fact that the incorporation of allies resulted in severe strengths or weaknesses. From the end of the Franco-Prussian War, a system of secret alliances formed and developed in Europe. This of course eventually split the continent into two hostile and separate sides. These secret alliances led to much speculation and suspicion and the belief that far more secret alliances actually existed, then was in fact, the case.

The major participants in the related arms race were Britain and Germany, tying in with the concept of new imperialism which gave way to the need for alliances. Competition was another major factor in the cause for World War I. The competition for colonies was a source of much international antagonism. "The great powers sectioned off Africa among them, established spheres of influence in China and sought protectorates elsewhere. Sooner or later this rush