...World War 1 (WW1), from 1914 and 1918, and World War 2 (WW2), which occurred between 1939 and 1945, were two significant battles known to almost all Americans today. These wars were caused by several factors, in which some are alike and some are different. Their causes differ in that one of World War 1’s reasons for war included the German U-boats sinking the Lusitania. On the other hand, one different cause of World War 2 was the Treaty of Versailles. Both wars are alike in that they both were caused due to militarism, imperialism, and nationalism. In analyzing the causes of both wars, it’s crucial to know that there were similarities and differences because of their time periods of occurrence (for different events happening) as well as the...
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...Dillon Milliron 4-3-14 Period 6th WWI Essay World War I is known as the war to end all wars. This statement was obviously not accurate. There are many topics that caused WWI but the main causes are militarism, nationalism, the building of alliances and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The two alliances that fought against one another in this war were the Triple Entente which consisted of France, United Kingdom, Russia (whose place in the war would later be taken by the United States of America) and the Central Powers which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. WWI took place mainly in various parts of Europe. The Great War lasted for 4 years, from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. Militarism, nationalism, and the forming of alliances are what escalated and kicked off World War I. Militarism is the belief that a country should build and maintain the strongest army. Every country in the world has the desire to possess the strongest and largest army, stronger and larger than all other countries. During the build up to WWI there was a mad scramble to build the strongest army amongst all of the countries that participated in the war. France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the United States all wanted to prove that their army was superior to all others. There is no better way to prove that your military is the best then to put it into war against another military. Building a strong military was not cheap at all, “Counting...
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...in 1914, which included many intertwined factors, such as the conflicts and hostility of the four decades leading up to the war. Moreover, Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism played major roles in the conflict. All of these factors where established in many of Europe's 'Great Powers' which consisted of; Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. Many of the reasons as to why war broke out were built up over years and even decades thus, were long term causes. However, a handful of events occurred over a few months and years prior to the event, consequently were short term causes. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife, acted as a trigger that ultimately led to war breaking out. As a result of this T.F. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The assassination gave Austria-Hungary the ideal excuse to declare war against Serbia. An ultimatum was issued to Serbia stating that it must agree to all the terms described in the ultimatum in order to avoid war. Austria-Hungary gave Serbia 48 hours to reply and clearly stated that all the terms must be met and complied with. Serbia agreed to all terms except one. WW1 had many countries involved but not all of them entered at the same time. There were three sides to choose from at the beginning of WW1. One option was the Central Powers which included; Germany and Austria-Hungary, and were later joined by Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire, who were neutral at first then joined at...
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...Causes WW2 Treaty of Versailles: * Peace treaty after WW1 * 28 June 1919 * The treaty was registered by the League of Nations * The League of Nations was established in 1920 after WW1. It should prevent the outbreak of another war * Germany: * Germany saw the treaty as a punishment * Had to give up part of their territories (Rheinland) * Germany had to admit the war guilt for WW1 * Pay preparations cost to France and Britain Rise of fascism: * Fascism is a totalitarian form of government: * Glorifies the state * Has one leader and one party * All aspects of society are controlled by the government * No opposition or protests are tolerated * Propaganda and censorship are widely practiced * Italy: Benito Mussolini (1922) Great depression, unemployment level high * After WW1 many countries had to suffer from unstable European economy * However to boom in the U.S. helped to sustain worldwide trade * 1929 stock market crashed (Great Depression) * Unemployment level rose * Power leaders and government promised success through military buildup and imperialism Japanese Expansionism: * 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria for raw materials * Sino-Japanese war 1937 * 1938 Japan and Soviet war Fascism Vs. Communism * Production is controlled by the government * Media and all other aspects of society are property of the government *...
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...allies (Britain, France and America) and the communist allies (Russia) formed two opposing democratic Germany’s; The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This is significant, due to foreign powers controlling Germany’s political system, as well as the departure from Sonderweg, meaning Germany no longer followed a unique path of development and that nationalism and militarism were on the decline. The significance of the previous German eras, Kaiser Reich (Semi-Autocratic Empire), Weimar Republic (Federal Democracy) and the Third Reich (Dictatorship) are also significant, however in political terms they are not as significant as post 45. The significances of post 1945 can be seen by its success of creating a working democracy in Germany after 1945, the FRG. One reason why the FRG was successful revolves around the sudden decline in German militarism and nationalism. This is evident in the fact that the FRG’s constitution was based on the Weimar Republics concept of ‘Grundgesetz’, which means basic law. The implications of this is evident in that German nationalism after WW2 no longer believing in Sonderweg after the defeat of the Third Reich. This caused the abhorrence towards western democracy (being seen as weak and disorderly) to fade and in turn allowed the Germans to become more open towards the ideas of democracy and made them see themselves as an important part of the West. In the long term,...
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...World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It had many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinad of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace in the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia. Germany who was allied with Austria-Hungary also declared war on Serbia. Russia who was allied with Serbia had to declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. When Germany invaded France and Belgium, Great Britain declared war on Germany. World War 1 had begun. As the German Chancellor, Bethmann-Hollweg said, “Once the dice are cast nothing can stop them.” Indeed once the dice were cast on World War 1 nothing stopped them until 22 million people had died. Besides the assassination of the archduke there were four other reasons for the start of WW1. 1. Militarism- the building of large armies. All the nations in Europe at that time were engaged in what today could only be called an arms race. As soon as one nation built a new weapon, all the others followed suit. 2. Alliance System- The building of alliances to strengthen the borders of a country. In theses alliances if one country went to war all the other countries...
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...World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It had many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinad of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace in the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia. Germany who was allied with Austria-Hungary also declared war on Serbia. Russia who was allied with Serbia had to declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. When Germany invaded France and Belgium, Great Britain declared war on Germany. World War 1 had begun. As the German Chancellor, Bethmann-Hollweg said, “Once the dice are cast nothing can stop them.” Indeed once the dice were cast on World War 1 nothing stopped them until 22 million people had died. Besides the assassination of the archduke there were four other reasons for the start of WW1. 1. Militarism- the building of large armies. All the nations in Europe at that time were engaged in what today could only be called an arms race. As soon as one nation built a new weapon, all the others followed suit. 2. Alliance System- The building of alliances to strengthen the borders of a country. In theses alliances if one country went to war all the other countries...
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...The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 was due to an aggressive German foreign policy which had been waged since c.1900 Source X, though suggesting a variety of reason, places most blame on the German encirclement for the birth of the First World War in August 1914. Source V too highlights a selection of factor the war can be blamed on. It suggests German domestic tensions and fear of “civil war” to concern of encirclement via the triple entente started the war. Source W proposes that the outbreak of war was due to German aggression. The Naval race between Germany and Britain as well as general Weltpolitik is to blame for the start of war. Ultimately German aggression was key but caused by encirclement. Source W suggests that aggressive German Weltpolitik was a major contributing factor leading up to the start of the First World War. After seeing the success that his cousin had in England, Kaiser Wilhelm decided that he too wanted an empire and desired the restoration of “Germany’s place in the sun”. This called for a more aggressive stance on foreign policy. Keen on expanding “German actions going back to the 1890s had done much to create international tension” source W states. Germany was more likely to enter conflict with neighbouring countries to gain land and territory increasing German status and strength, due to extreme desire to expand. This is clear in German interest in morocco. During the 1905-11 Moroccan crises, German-French relations reached new tensions...
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...According to the American Republic“ World War 1 began on July 28, 1914. Its immediate cause was the assassination of the archduke, Franz Ferdinand. Other causes were imperialism, which is when one country is dominating another; nationalism, which is an intense pride for one’s homeland; and militarism, which is the building up of military weapons.” “ Alliances also contributed to the war because when they signed an alliance with another county they gave each other their help if they needed it. Then Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia. Germany declared war on France two days later; they went through Belgium, which was neutral. Great Britain declared war on Germany after France was attacked. Then Austria-Hungary declared war on England and WW1 began”(www.historyonthenet.com). “The countries that were involved in WW1 that were Central Powers were Turkey, Bulgaria, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. Other countries involved that were allies were Italy, Japan, Russia, Romania, Portugal, Greece, and Great Britain. Some countries that were in WW1 were Belgium, Brazil, China, Cuba, Estonia, Finland, Guatemala, Honduras, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Panama, Poland, San Marino, and the U.S”(www.members.aol.com). According to the American Republic “one alliance that existed was the Triple Alliance which united Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy as allies. Another alliance was the Triple Entente which made Great Britain, France, and Russia allies.” According...
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...During WW1 they’re where different country that was battling each other for lands. That created a lot of confrontation between the different country leaving them to a bloody war. Many people need to take the time out to understand they’re history. People need to understand the WW1 and how it effected many people that was serving in it. That helped to protect their country by going to war with other countries. The event that was widely acknowledged to have sparked the outbreak of World War 1 occurred on June 28,1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot to death with his wife by the Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. Over the weeks that followed, Austria- Hungary blamed the Serbian government for the attack, hoping to use the incident as justification for settling the problem of Slavic nationalism in the tumultuous Balkans region once and for all. However, as Russia supported Serbia, an Austria-Hungary declaration of war was delayed until its leaders received assurances from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm ll that Germany would support their cause in the event of a Russian intervention. This assurance came on July 5, Austria-Hungary subsequently...
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...(Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan and the United States in 1917) and the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire). Although, the assassination of the heir to the throne might have triggered the war the state of the countries had been moving towards a war for a long time. There were many causes to World War I two of them were nationalism and militarism. A patriotic feeling is what nationalism is all about. This was one of the major causes of World War I. Not all of the ethnic groups had their goals realized in their state. Some wanted to have their own national state but could not achieve this goal. Some rivalries over colonies made the alliances of Europe’s great powers uneasy and added tension to the states. After Napoleon’s exile the Congress of Vienna tried to sort out problems in Europe. A new Europe was decided by delegates from Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia that left Germany and Italy as divided states. Some strong nationalism elements led to the unification of Germany and Italy. France was angry at the settlement of the Franco-Prussian war as they lost Alsace-Loraine to Germany. Another major cause of World War I was militarism. After 1900, the growth of many armies made tensions worse. Many of the armies had doubled in size in a few years. With the growth of manpower came bigger and better weapons. The army leaders had more influence in policy making than before. The seas were full of battleships to see who...
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...Two definitions of nationalism: Bender’s Notes: A powerful unifying force drawing together people who share common bonds such as language, culture, religion and heritage. Also a divisive force in large empires where culturally distinct people may seek to create their own independent states. Patriotic feelings, an extreme form of this, especially marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries. advocacy of political independence for a particular country. A deep devotion to one’s nation A unifying force within a country However, it can also cause intense competition among nations, with each seeking to overpower the other. Book definition: The belief that people’s greatest loyalty should not be to a king or an empire but to a...
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...World War 1 was caused by many events and this is what makes it difficult to figure out what the main cause was. The acronym MAIN stands for Militarism, Alliance System, Imperialism and Nationalism. Europe can be seen as a bottle of Diet Coke and you can look at the assignation of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand as a piece of Mentos. We all know what happens when you bring those two harmless substances together. Though all four of these causes play a key part in WW1 I believe that the most important cause was Alliance System because if not for all the alliances the bottle of diet coke would be just be an empty bottle. Militarism is defined as the building of a nation’s army, navy, soldiers and military forces. From the year 1870 up until the start of World War 1 both France and Germany had doubled their armed forces. Britain and Germany were in competition to build the biggest and best navy. It was said that “Whichever country ruled the waves could rule the world”. This meant that the nation with the largest navy had the fastest and easiest form of transportation at the time and could get colonies more easily. This also caused technology to increase rapidly. Another event that pushed militarism was the conscription laws. During this time most of the countries in Europe except Great Britain had conscription laws. This meant that by law men that were 18 or older were forced to join the army. As all the armed forces of Europe were growing the empty bottle was starting getting...
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...Nazi Rise to Power The Nazi party’s rapid rise to power did not go off without a hitch. After the hangover from WW1, the mood surrounding Germany was grim. Germany was slapped with international sanctions and forced to pay reparations to France and Britain for the huge costs of the war. The German people were looking for hope and a leader that could generate some real positive changes. In 1919, Adolf Hitler joined a small political party where he quickly rose to leadership through a number of emotional and captivating speeches. He “promoted a national sense of pride, militarism, and a concept of a radically “pure” Germany” (1). By the end of that year Hitler became the official Fuhrer of this small political party called the Nazi party which consisted of about 3,000 members. Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat for Germany’s economic issues while encouraging anti-Semitic views and behaviors. In 1923, any momentum the Nazi party possessed came to a halt in Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch. In an attempt to overthrow local authorities in Munich, Hitler was sentenced to jail and charged with high treason. As things were looking bleak for the Nazi’s Hitler utilized the courtroom as a platform for his greatest attribute, propaganda. He would rant for hours and hours against the Weimar government demanding change. Throughout his trail Hitler actually gained support for his cause. At the end of the day the right-wing presiding judges sympathized with Hitler and when it was all said and done...
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...countries, but eventually nations from all over the world got involved. Although the immediate cause to the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, there were many underlying factors that developed tension over time. This tension was between Europe countries, and it had been building up for decades through Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and even Alliances. One of the underlying causes of the war was Nationalism, which is the love and devotion to one’s own nation. This pride that one developed for their own country resulted in them thinking that their own country was more superior to others. This feeling of Nationalism spread throughout Europe during the 19th century, and it is one of the reasons that started causing tension between these countries. Austria-Hungary in particular had various nationalities which spoke different languages. They started to lose control of their multi-ethnic empire during the Balkan crisis. In 1903, Serbia became increasingly defiant to its former protector (Austria-Hungary). Four years later, The Austrians take advantage of a revolution in Turkey, and they annexed Bosnia in hopes of getting a firmer grip on the Balkans. The annexation instead brought on a European crisis which provoked Serbian nationalists into launching a terror campaign against Austria, causing further destabilization of the area. Imperialism was another cause that contributed towards the First World War. Many European countries wanted to expand outside...
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