Nikky Nandipati

4/18/2023
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The Cause Behind the First World War

During the onset of the 20th century, Europe looked drastically different than it does today.

Emerging from the previous century wrought with upheaval and chaos, the fledging 20th century was

very much so defined by strong tension and struggle for power. Following the strife and conflict ensuing

during the 19th century, the power balance that had kept Europe stable for so long had deteriorated to on

the brink of collapse. As the age of the monarchy entered its twilight, surging nationalism across the

continent added more wood to an already burning fire, while the complicated and convoluted alliances

between nations posed a profound threat. At the end of the day, the fundamental causes that led to war

cannot be chalked up to a single culprit; in reality it was the tension, fragility, and convolution within

Europe all working simultaneously that heralded the onset of the Great War.

The state of affairs in Europe during the 1900s was incredibly chaotic, mired by tension and

agitation due to surging nationalism and ethnic disputes, both of which can be attributed to the tumultuous

19th century that preceded it. Such events during that era resulted in the destruction of the power balance,

which brought Europe to a virtual standoff between the great powers. The “power balance” referred to the

idea that no European power would be more dominant or stronger than the other, leading to a relatively

egalitarian distribution of authority amongst the great powers of the time, which ushered in a period of

relative peace, however the stark and abrupt changes proved a threat. Political events, such as the German

unification, upset the power balance, leading to a significant shift in power dynamics throughout Europe.

Rising nationalism in favor of ethnic unity and freedom rocked the already disturbed continent. Likewise,

in the Balkans, nationalist movements in favor of independence for Slavic ethnic groups against Austria-

Hungary began to gain momentum, evolving the peninsula into a powder keg of ethnic tensions that

would ultimately go on to play a major role in the onset of the war. This same nationalistic fervor that

spread through the Balkans was equally present across the rest of Europe as well. Pan-German

nationalism resulting in the emergence of a unified Germany posed a direct threat to the preexistent and
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rigid power balance, and the Franco-Prussian War only served to exacerbate tensions between these

countries. The rise of Germany as a powerhouse was a slap in the face to other nations that had previously

been dominant on the world stage, such as France, Britain, and Russia, and the rapid growth of new

powerhouse only served to create further tension. This is shown to be true, as Germans, statesmen and

citizens alike, believed it was necessary for Germany to rise up the occasion, citing it as their necessity to

“keep [them]selves at the fore” with a “strong army and strong fleet”, in order to avoid be “tramped by

any other foreign powers” or “the slaves of humanity”, which encapsulated the mindset of inherent and

necessary competition between the great powers (Document D). Factors such as rising nationalism, the

failure of the power balance, and the struggle for power within Europe created a volatile political climate

that ultimately moved the world closer and closer to war.

In addition to nationalistic and ethnic conflicts, the complicated situation and strain on

Europe manifested itself into other precarious situations, as can be seen in the arms race and competitive

militaristic modernization amongst the great powers. Each nation seeking to expand their territories and

influence created an atmosphere of intense rivalry and mistrust, and the subsequent arms race was a

natural consequence of this growing competition. Countries felt that they needed to build up their military

forces to protect their interests and maintain their status as major powers. This led to a massive increase in

military spending and the development of new military technologies. During the time period from the late

19th century leading up to World War I, almost all the great powers within Europe were involved in this

arms race, their competition leading to a vicious spiral of escalation. From 1890, almost all nations

doubled, tripled, and in some cases, even quadrupled their military expenditures, showing not only the

dire state of affair in Europe at the time, but also the impending threat of war, which almost all countries

must have seen as inevitable considering their spending (Document C). The intense and adverse situation

in Europe made it difficult for nations to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, and they were often more

concerned with maintaining their honor and prestige through war than with finding a compromise that

would benefit both parties through diplomatic means, showing the likelihood of war. The arms race and
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military buildup that occurred as a result of increasing nationalistic and political tensions set Europe down

a dark path. Such a desire to maintain military superiority created an atmosphere of intense competition

and mistrust, that set the stage for a looming and inevitable war to end all wars.

Working in unison, the tension and conflict together with the arms race in Europe snowballed

into an even greater force that spelled the beginning of World War I, but most directly, the conflict was a

complex web of alliances between major European powers that had been formed in the years leading up

to the war. These alliances were designed to maintain a balance of power and deter aggression, but they

ultimately proved to be a contributing factor to the outbreak of war. The alliances that emerged in the late

19th and early 20th centuries were a reflection of the geopolitical landscape of the time. The fledgling

German, rapidly industrializing and seeking to expand its territory and influence, alarmed the traditional

powers of Europe, particularly France and Russia, who formed the Triple Entente, while Germany allied

with its neighboring Austria-Hungary, and later the Ottoman Empire, to form the Central Powers

(Document A). In 1914, the assassination of the Austrian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, by a Serbian

nationalist proved to be the last straw causing the tensions in Europe to boil over. Already at its most

fragile due to the loss of the balance of power, and comparable to a very late stage Jenga tower, all it took

was a minor spark to lead to all out catastrophe. Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which

was supported by Russia, and when Serbia refused to comply, Austria-Hungary declared war, and Russia

mobilized its troops to support Serbia. This, in turn, triggered Germany’s involvement in the war against

Russia, which drew in France against Germany and Austria, prompting Germany to make the first move

in invading neutral Belgium, pulling the British into the war. Neither side took responsibility for the onset

of the war and they failed to take the necessary steps to resolve the issue, and it thus began to spiral out of

control (Document B). Although the onset of the war can be most directly attributed to the assassination

of the Archduke and the tangled web of European alliances, at the end of the day, the war was a symbol of

much deeper tensions within Europe. The preexisting conflicts and struggle for power manifested

themselves on the battlefield as the Great War gradually shifted from a war over alliance technicalities
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into a struggle for domination over the world, with each nation seeking to knock out the others to place

themselves on top (Document E).

World War 1 was the result of something much deeper than surface level alliances or petty

squabbles, and it was very much so a representation for the struggle for power over the entirety of

Europe, and by extent the world. Kicked off by decades of growing dissent and tensions fueled by such

things like a ferociously competitive arms race and a complicated mess of alliances, Europe was a very

much so just a bomb waiting to explode, and the First World War was inevitable in every way.