Causes of World War One

What caused World War One?

When Britain entered the war in August 1914 the government
proclaimed that it needed to honour a long standing commitment to
protect Belgium. In the short term, this was indeed one of the spurs for
British involvement but the underlying reasons for war stretched back
over many years.
Wars occur when the aims and ambitions or the interests of countries
clash and they are unable to resolve them peacefully. Events in the
summer of 1914 may have sparked off the conflict but the long term
factors were what propelled the great European powers into conflict.
Alliances
What alliances were formed in the lead up to World War One?
• Triple Entente: As Germany grew more powerful, the balance of
power between the nations of Europe became unstable. In 1907,
Britain, France and Russia signed the Triple Entente, an alliance
designed to hem in a powerful Germany.
• Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy signed the
Triple Alliance in 1882.
The intention of these alliances was to act as a deterrent towards
aggression. A country knew that to start a war would invite a response
from an entire alliance.
Alliances
However, if this deterrent did not work, it also ran the risk of dragging
all the countries into a war, even if they were not directly involved in
the initial events.
World Map
illustrating the
Alliances and their
empires before the
outbreak of war in
1914.
Militarism
Militarism is the idea that a nation should increase the size of their
army and military capabilities in order to protect or promote its
interests. The Anglo-German Naval Race before World War One is an
example of militarism.
At the time, Britain had the world's strongest navy. The ruler of
Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm, wanted to build a navy that was bigger and
stronger than Britain's.
This started a naval and arms manufacturing race and further increased
the tensions between the two nations. Britain was determined that
Germany would not replace it as the dominant power.
Imperialism
Imperialism is the claiming of another territory as one's own. In the
19th century this was seen as acceptable practice by the European
powers. Britain had an empire that covered one quarter of the world
map and France had significant territories in Africa and Asia. Empire
could increase trade and wealth and it also brought great prestige.
Germany wanted to rival Britain and France and have an empire of its
own. The German leader, Kaiser Wilhelm, called this policy Weltpolitik.
By the start of the 20th century much of Africa had already been
seized, so German attempts to claim land could cause problems with
other nations. An example of this was the 1905 crisis in Morocco when
Germany attempted to undermine French control of the country.
The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
and the countdown to war
With all these hostilities, alliances and rivalries spanning previous
decades, you can start to see that there were multiple reasons and causes
for WW1. So why was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by
Serbian nationalists the spark for war?
To answer, we need to look at the decline of Austria-Hungary over the
19th century:
• Austria-Hungary suffered a number of military defeats and began to
lose strength as an empire.
• The Austrian empire contained twelve different nationalities and
fifteen different languages. Many of these people wanted their
independence and nationalist movements.
The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
and the countdown to war
• Serbia, and its supporter Russia, challenged the empire, particularly
in Bosnia.
• After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary
decided to issue an ultimatum and threats to Serbia. Crucially
Germany agreed to support Austria-Hungary in this move. On
28th July Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia. Russia looked set to
intervene and protect the Serbs.
• Germany - knowing that its chance of victory lay in winning a swift,
decisive victory - declared war on Russia on the 1st August and on
France two days later.
The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
and the countdown to war
• On August 4th Germany invaded
Belgium on route to France.
Britain declared war at 11pm that
evening.
• The countries of Europe found
that the alliances they had formed
did not prevent war - it dragged
them into it.
• Franz Ferdinand was
murdered while
visiting Sarajevo in
Bosnia.
Patriotism
Governments' propaganda portrayed the war as a matter of duty and
painted the enemy as an evil that needed to be defeated.
Patriotism
Those politicians that had opposed war clung to the hope that the
workers of Europe would be reluctant to fight against each other in the
war.
In fact, the opposite was true and the outbreak of war was met
with great enthusiasm. Cheering crowds, caught up in waves of
patriotism and national pride, rushed to join up.
Some felt that their country was superior to their opponents, others
that it was their responsibility to protect the national interests.
Patriotism
This was fuelled by government propaganda that sought to portray the
war as a matter of duty and depicted their cause as an honourable one.
At the same time, they painted the enemy as the aggressor and an evil
that needed to be confronted and defeated.
Quiz
1. The alliance between Britain, France and Russia against Germany in the lead to WW1
was called _______________________.
2. Which countries signed the Triple Alliance in 1882?
3. Who ruled Germany before and during WW1?
4. What did Kaiser Wilhelm call Germany's foreign policy aimed at building an empire to
rival Britain and France's?
5. An example of the Weltpolitik happened in which country?
6. Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by nationalists from which country?
7. Following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in June 1914, which country
invaded Serbia on 28th July?
8. In the context of WW1, which group were considered the main spreaders of
propaganda?
Quiz - Answers
1. The alliance between Britain, France and Russia against Germany in the lead to WW1
was called _______________________. Triple Entente
2. Which countries signed the Triple Alliance in 1882? Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
3. Who ruled Germany before and during WW1? Kaiser Wilhelm
4. What did Kaiser Wilhelm call Germany's foreign policy aimed at building an empire to
rival Britain and France's? Weltpolitik
5. An example of the Weltpolitik happened in which country? Morocco
6. Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by nationalists from which country? Bosnia
7. Following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in June 1914, which country invaded
Serbia on 28th July? Austria-Hungary
8. In the context of WW1, which group were considered the main spreaders of
propaganda? Governments