First World War

• Long Term Cause of First World War-1

World War I began in June of 1914, and is considered to have five major causes that led to the outbreak of the war.  These five causes include the four long-term causes (militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism) discussed in this reading and one short-term cause (the assassination of Franz Ferdinand).  The four long-term causes are as follows:

MILITARISM: The first long-term cause of World War I is militarism. In the decades before World War I many European countries began to practice militarism and worked to expand and strengthen their military forces.

ALLIANCES:The second long-term cause of World War I was the system of alliances that existed in the years before the outbreak of war in 1914.  When World War I began Europe divided between two separate alliance systems.  Britain, France and Russia made up the Triple Entente while Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy made up the Triple Alliance. The assassination of Austro-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand and the resulting crisis between Serbia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire caused each system of alliances to enact and World War I began.

​IMPERIALISM:The third main cause of World War I was European imperialism that occurred in the 1800’s and early 1900’s before World War I erupted in 1914.  Imperialism is understood as a process in which a country overtakes another country or region’s political, economic or social life.  Imperialism was carried out by the powerful European nations against the rest of world in the decades before World War I began.

​NATIONALISM:The fourth and final long-term cause of World War I was the growth of nationalism that occurred in Europe in the decades before World War I and the tensions it caused. Nationalism grows when people share similar beliefs, values, ethnic heritage, relationship to land, language, culture and customs.

• Short Term Cause of First World War .

Answer: Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Serbian Nationalists, which angered Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia which then Russia was an ally to. Germany promising an Alliance to Austria declared war on the Triple Entente. Italy did not follow through alliance Germany and Austria-Hungary had with them and joined the Allies later. The Ottoman Empire joined the CP thinking if they won then they could be more powerful and more recognized as a force to be reckoned with as they were back in industrialism. Bulgaria layer entered the CP in 1917 one year to the wars end. Britain, France, The US, and Italy had won.

·         The Effects of World War 1.

The effects of World War 1 are still being felt a century after its conclusion. The specific effects of World War-1 are as follows:

Specific Effects of World War 1:

• WW1 caused the downfall of four monarchies: Germany, Turkey, Austria-Hungary and Russia.
• The war made people more open to other ideologies, such as the Bolsheviks that came to power in Russia and fascism that triumphed in Italy and even later in Germany.
• WW1 largely marked the end of colonialism.
• The war changed the economical balance of the world.
• Inflation shot up in most countries and the German economy was highly affected by having to pay for reparations.
• With all the new weapons that were used, WW1 changed the face of modern warfare forever.
• Social life also changed: People all wanted better living standards.
• WW1 boosted research in technology, because better transport and means of communication gave countries an advantage over their enemies.