Causes And Effects Of World War Essay, Research Paper

Causes and Effects of World War I

What were the causes and effects of World War I? The answer

to this seemingly simple question is not elementary. There was more to

the onset of the war then the event of an Austrian prince being

murdered in Serbia, as is what most people consider to be the cause of

World War I. Furthermore, the effects of the war were not just

concentrated to a post-war era lasting for a generation of Westerners.

No, the effects of the war were widespread throughout the world and

can be traced to generations after the war.

It is not a rare occasion that when a person is asked what the

causes of World War I were, that they answer with the simple comment

of an Austrian Prince being shot in Serbia. However the assignation of

the Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie , in Sarajevo was

not the main cause of the Great War. Rather, it was the breaking

point for Austria in its dealings with Serbia. The truth of the matter

is that several factors played a role in the outbreak of the

catastrophic war the engulfed the nations of Europe for over four

years. World War I truly was the result of building aggressions among

the countries of Europe which was backed by the rise of nationalism.

To add to the disastrous pot, there was also imperial competition

along with the fear of war prompting military alliances and an arms

race. All of these increased the escalating tensions that lead to the

outbreak of a world war. (Mckay, pg. 904)

Two opposing alliances developed by the Bismarckian diplomacy

after the Franco- Prussian War was one of the major causes of the war.

In order to diplomatically isolate France, Bismarck formed the Three

Emperor s League in 1872, which was an alliance between Germany,

Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Then in 1882 , Bismarck took advantage of

Italian resentment toward France and formed the Triple Alliance

between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungry. In 1890 Bismarck was

dismissed from his office and France took the opportunity to gain an

ally, therefore , in 1891 the Franco- Russian Entente was formed. Then

in 1904 Britain and France put aside their conflicts and formed the

Entente Cordiale. As a result , the Triple Entente , a coalition

between Great Britain, France , and Russia, countered the Triple

Alliance. Now Europe was divided up into two armed camps.(World Book

Encyclopedia, WXYZ, pg. 367)

Nationalism also played a major role in developing tensions in

Europe; for it had been causing dissatisfaction since the Congress of

Vienna in 1815. In that settlement the preservment of peace was chosen

over nationalism, therefore, Germany and Italy were left as divided

states, though they did unify in the future. The Franco- Prussian War

in 1871 resulted in the France s loss of the province of Alasce-

Lorraine to Germany, and the French looked forward to regaining their

lands. Then there was Austria- Hungary which controlled many lands

that their neighbors felt belonged to them. Serbia wanted Bosnia and

Hercegovina, Italy wanted the Trentino and Trieste regions, and the

Czechs and Solvaks wanted independence from Austria- Hungrey. There

was also Russia which had problems within it s own boundaries; for

Russia contained many different nationalities and many were also

seeking independence in the name of nationalism. ( World Book

Encyclopedia, WXYZ, pg. 366)

Another major conflict that caused the outbreak of the Great

War was what is known as the arms race. With the hostile divisions of

the nations of Europe there came the expansion of armies and navies.

Furthermore, the great powers came to copy Germany s military

organization and efficiency, which called for universal registration

for military duty, large reserves and detailed planning. Efforts were

made for universal disarmament, but the ” international rivalry caused

the arms race to continue to feed on itself. ” (Karpilovsky, World

Wide Web)

Imperial competition also played a major rule in the act of

increasing the ever growing tensions among the divided countries of

Europe. In Africa there were two crises in Morocco. The first time, in

1905, Germany full heartedly supported Morocco s call for independence

from France, and with the British defending the French war was only

avoided because of an international conference which made Morocco a

French protectorate. The second crisis occurred in 1911, and it was in

protest to French supremacy in Morocco. The Germans finally gave the

French a free hand in Morocco, but with a price. They demanded in

exchange a portion if of the French Congo. Around this same era there

was also a Bosnian crisis, which began with Austria- Hungary s

takeover of the province of Bosnia in 1908. For this Serbia threatened

war on Austria- Hungary with the pledged backing of Russia. As they

began to mobilize, Austria- Hungary , with the alliance of Germany,

threaten war on Russia. When Russia backed down, the soon to be war

was postponed, but left was a greatly strained relationship between

Serbia and Austria Hungary. (Karpilovsky, World Wide Web)

On June 28, 1914 the battle lines were drawn with the

assassinations in Sarajevo. It was believed that the crime was

committed by a Serbian nationalist, and immediately following it

Germany , with its full support pledged, pressed Austria- Hungary into

declaring war on Serbia. At this same time, France was strengthening

its backing of Russia. War might have been avoided if Serbia had

excepted Austria- Hungary s harsh ultimatum, however they faithfully

refused. Almost at once the war fell into place. Austria declared war

on July 28, 1914. The next day Russia mobilized against Austria-

Hungary, on August 1st Germany declared war on Russia, and two days

later on France. When Germany disregarded Belgium s neutrality,

Britain declared war on Germany. Finally war had begun, and unlike the

predictions that had been made the resulting war was long, indecisive,

and reeked havoc on the nations of Europe. (Karpilovsky, World Wide

Web)

The Great War officially ended in January of 1919 with a peace

conference in Paris which represented twenty- seven triumphant

nations. However almost immediately the great powers, United States,

Great Britain, and France, were at odds with each other. President

Wilson, the representative of the United States, was insist on first

and foremost dealing with the creation of the League of Nations;

while France and Britain on punishing Germany. In the long run France

gave up on having a buffer zone between itself and Germany for a

defensive alliance with the United States and Britain, and Wilson got

the formation of the League of Nations. These developments were not

the key items at the conference, rather it was the Treaty of

Versailles. This treaty was made between the Allies and Germany, and

it began to re-establish order. In the treaty, all of Germany s

colonies were divided among the nations, thought it sustained minor

losses of territory within Europe. Its standing army was reduced to

100,00 men, and they could not have forts in the Rhineland. The clause

that angered most people was the one that made Germany claim

responsibility for the war, and imposed reparations .Thought Germany s

new republican government found the treaty to be harsh, they signed it

and their discontent set the stage for the Second World War. (McKay,

pg. 926-927)

Germany was not the only country to suffer because of the war;

the world had been wiped clean of millions of people, and there was

also extensive damage throughout Europe. However, these were not the

only sufferings for the generation of the post- war era. The era

followed with a great many economic difficulties throughout the world.

The many industries that had been based on the war effort were no

longer needed, thereby unemployment was on the rise, and the

government had secured many debts to succeed in the war. With these

aspects , and poor economic policies in many nations present it

seemed that an economic crisis would occur sooner or later; which it

did. In 1929 the American stock market came to a crashing halt,

leaving many investors wiped out and the wealthy and confident without

money. In the aftermath, banks began to fall because many loans feel

through. With the financial crisis also came a decrease of production,

and naturally this lead to widespread unemployment. This in turn lead

to the fall of peoples spirits, and “homes and ways of life were

disrupted in millions of personal tragedies.” (Mckay, pg. 957-958)

The era of the Great Depression was also the era of the rise

of political dictatorship throughout Europe. These dictatorships

involved a new form of tyranny and were most evident in Stalin Soviet

Union and Nazi Germany.( Mckay, pg.967) With hardships rising, people

became more willing to put up with leaders like Stalin and Hitler. It

is believed by many that Hitler would never have came to power if it

had not been for the German peoples feelings of nationalism, and

their discontent with the economy and the restrictions from the

Treaty of Versailles. Hitler played on the people s emotions, and he

officially won the game when he legally took over as the dictator of

Germany.

The rise of Hitler is a very important effect of World War I

because it lead to the Second World War. The leaders first tried to

please Hitler by giving him what he asked in order to avoid war,

however Hitler did not stop he kept on pushing for more. When Germany

invaded Poland, war became inevitable. Britain and France declared war

on Germany. The United States joined in on the war effort against

Germany, Italy , and Japan after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

World War II was the last major effect of the First World War. (Mckay,

pg.986-989)

“The war solved no problem. Its effects, both immediate and

indirect, were either negative or disastrous. Morally subversive,

economically destructive, socially degrading. Confused in its causes,

devious in its course, futile in its result, it is the outstanding

example of European history of meaningless conflict.” These words of

C.V Wedgewood are the perfect description of the Great War. World War

I had many complex causes, rather than one simple which is what is

believed by many people. Furthermore, the effects were widespread

throughout generations all over the world.