Nationalism and imperialism were two of the causes. Europe’s major powers were trying to protect themselves and they distrusted one another, so they were continually shifting alliances. At the same time, there was a large armaments race driven by competition and the struggle for international stature. This armaments race and military planning only heightened the suspicion and fear brewing among the nations. It also made national leaders feel ever more dependent on their allies in case of war. They had joined alliances and felt bound by them, so they got into a war that they might not have entered on their own. Here is what happened:
i. Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was killed and Austria-Hungary believed that Serbia had something to do with it, so they wanted to crush Serbia.
ii. Germany was an ally of Austria-Hungary and promised to take their side and help them if they needed it.
iii. Russia was an ally of Serbia, so they declared war on Austria-Hungary, so Germany declared war on Russia.
iv. Germany knew that France would not stay out of a war between Germany and Russia, so Germany declared war on France also.
v. Germany wanted to surround France, but to do so they had to go through Belgium. They asked permission and Belgium said no, so Germany declared war on Belgium too.
vi. Great Britain was an ally of Belgium, so they declared war on Germany. And so began WWI.
No comments:
Post a Comment