Jonathan Phan 1

World War I: Causes for Battles

The action of the Germans were the main cause of World War I, also the alliances and the crisis

of the Balkans were some of the lesser causes. First of all, Germany had just recently formed a strong

empire under Kaiser Wilhelm II which was pro for power and militarism. Secondly, Europe was in a

complex balance of alliances that were either public or secret knowledge. The third push for the war

was the crisis in the Balkans which had many events happening. These causes helped start what would

later be called World War I, a war that brought a cloud of disaster over Europe.

In the 1800s, Germany was a nation of small states joined together under the title of the

German States. The territory changed under the rein of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who focused on a Germany

empire with military ideals. This was a turning point in German history as they mass produce weapons

by the dozen, to the point where countries like Great Britain, and France started to worry (Long-term

Cause 2 :The New Kaiser And The World Power 4). These weapons were new and advance that made

killing quicker and efficient such as machine guns and U-boats. Another evidence of Germany’s

influence on World War I was the alliance with Austria- Hungary. With Germany as an ally, Austria-

Hungary felt confident in their skirmish with Serbia that if war would arise (which Wilhelm approved),

they would win (Short-Term Cause 2: The German Decision for War 7).

Europe was having rough relationships between nations because of alliances. There was a major

division- the Triple Alliance which comprised of Austria-Hungary, Italy, plus Germany all had treaties

with each other, on the other hand, the Triple Entente had opposing powers of France, Russia, and later

on Great Britain which only had agreements of support but not was not signed (WWI DBQ: Introduction

553). In Document D, the map shows Europe and its alliances between countries with the Triple Alliance

placed in the center while the Triple Entente surround them from the outside (Doc D 563). Russia also
 Jonathan Phan 2
World War I: Causes for Battles
had an extra alliance with Serbia which was a small country that wanted independence from Austria-

Hungary. Under the name Russia, Serbia could now stand against Austria, but little that they know of the

horrors of a modern war. After Serbia declared war on Austria-Hungary, Russia followed the example,

thus causing Germany to go to war as well. With all these alliances, soon all the major countries in

Europe were at war with each other like dogs at each other’s throats.

Many historicists have said that the cause of World War I was the assassination of Archduke

Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. He was killed by a Serbian nationalist (WWI DBQ:

Tensions within Nations 555). This event was important but it was a small piece from an enormous

puzzle. After the murder of the Archduke, Austria-Hungary sought out for an apology in their ten

pointed ultimatum, but Serbia did not agreed to all of the requirements, thus causing Austria to declare

war (WWI DBQ: Chain Reaction 557). Austrians and Serbian already had tension because of alliances

and nationalism, but this was a scenario in which Austria-Hungary took advantage of to start a wanted

battle.

The crisis in the Balkans and the European alliances were causes of World War I, but was

Germany was the key player. The events in the Balkans allowed the tension in Europe to snap. The

alliances that held the peace together were already stretched thin before Germany started its

industrialization. They built up power that could have threatened the authority of Great Britain, and

France, even Russia was wary of them. When the war broke out, it brought in every major force in

Europe because of the alliances that entangled them. With this, Germany went to war against Britain,

France and Russia hoping to conquer all of Europe.