...Cause of WWI - European Alliances The main cause of WWI was the European alliances. To what extent do you agree with this statement Before 1914 the five Great Powers, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia controlled Europe. In 1914 World War One broke out in Europe. Historians have debated the causes ever since. As a historian it will be difficult to conclusively establish a single cause - a number of significant causes is a far more helpful outcome. Although the European Alliances were certainly a cause of WWI, there were many other causes as well. Along with the European Alliances there was Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and of course the physical conflicts leading up to the war. All these issues blew up the balloon of tension, which just needed a tiny pinprick to burst into war. The European Alliances had a major part in beginning WWI. After the build up of tension from Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism, the Powers were worried about being attacked by each other. To counter this alliances were formed. Germany made a secret alliance with Austria-Hungary in 1879. Three years later Italy joined this Dual Alliance to form the Triple Alliance because it was annoyed with France for stopping its plans to colonise North Africa. The rest of the Great Powers became increasingly worried about the strength of the Triple Alliance. Believing they could be defeated by Germany, Austria and Italy acting together. France and Russia agreed to help each...
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...Tim Lerner History 10 November 2012 Midterm Part Two 8) WWI-in reality The first world war was unlike any other war. The living conditions were terrible because they were living in trenches for months. They had to deal with the fear dying from being shot because of the skilled snipers, gases being thrown into trenches, which have never appeared in any other war, and the deaths from diseases. People were dying daily and were in fear of just peaking their heads out side of the trenches but there was also issues with living in the trenches. Soldiers had infestations of rats, lice and other new medical issues come from living in the trenches. First off the rats in the trenches feared because the ate the remains of the others soldiers who had passed. These rats carried many diseases and got into everything. The soldiers were contently trying to fight them off and get rid of them but they populated so quickly it was hard to keep up. Also these rats would get to be as large as house cats from time to time. Lice became another big issue because they spread quickly and caused illness like trench fever which starts of as pain through out the body then a fever. Due to living in trenches the area was always wet and moist. Many soldiers got trench foot, which is a fungal infection, that was caused by their feet consistenly moist and in unsanatary areas. Living in these conditions and being cooped up in these trenches for weeks would make anyone crazy. The trenches were always crowed...
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...Although there were many cause for the start of WWI that had various short and long term effects, the three main causes for WWI were increased militarism in Europe, the formation of increasingly powerful alliances in Europe, and increased feeling of nationalism across Europe. To put this period into context it occurred around the turn of the 20th century (roughly 1870-1920), a period filled with state competition in Europe due to somewhat due to European Imperialism in Africa and Asia, a period that witnessed the formation of Italy and Germany as rapidly industrializing countries, a period in which two big alliances in Europe (The Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy, and Austro-Hungary) and The Triple Entente (Russia,France, and Britain)) were created in order to maintain national security among different nations in Europe, and a period with increased nationalism inside of Europe....
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...WWI began in the 1914, the outbreak of WWI was due to a number of significant factors, which included a lot of Millenarianism and Nationalism and the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. However, the most important factors to be analysed will be the whole start of the war, which was caused through the nationalism and the militarism. Which only led up to the Assassination of the Archduke. Nationalism, was one of the biggest problems, due to the fact that every country was a nationalistic at that time. The whole nationalism started of in the early 1900, where all the european countries constituted a brutal rivalry and competition. There influences were cause by Germany,Russia, Austria-Hungary, Britain and France they all only wanted...
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...the Treaty of Versailles: - The Treaty of Versailles was signed after WWI in the palace of Versailles on June 28, 1919. Its goals were to "clean up the mess" after the war. The Treaty reestablished many boundaries and borders. Colonies, namely Germany's, were split among the Allied nations. Germany was disarmed since they were considered to be a threat by the rest of the world. Germany was also forced to take full responsibility for WWI, and were charged billions of dollars, which destroyed their economy. In the long run, the Treaty did more harm than good. Due to all the problems the Treaty caused for Germany, the country was left in a bad mood and was definitely looking at the rest of the world with a vengeful eye. In a way, it could be said that the Treaty of Versailles indirectly led to WWII. ● Explain the policy of Imperialism: - Simply put, imperialism is the quest for colonial empires. Countries go to other places in the world and claim them as their own. Countries imperialized for many reasons. Some countries wanted to establish military bases. An example of this is Hawaii, which the United States took over and used as a naval base. Other reasons countries imperialized were to gain global prestige, as well as to expand their territory. ● President Wilson's rules for peace after WWI: - After the war, President Woodrow Wilson sought to repair the ill feelings after WWI. Therefore, he developed a program for world peace which were referred to...
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...DBQ: Causes of WWII The road to appeasement, and thus to armed conflict, began in 1932 when the National Socialist party took control of the German government through a congressional election that gave Hitler authoritarian power. Tyranny must be fought when it first occurs as it is a virus that can spread if it is not eliminated. As Winston Churchill said, “I have always held the view that keeping peace depends on holding back the aggressor.” Unfortunately, Churchill’s predecessor believed in appeasement and diplomatic means when dealing with Germany, choosing not to believe that Germany had “made up its mind to dominate the world by fear” already. Unfortunately, by the time Great Britain, France, and Italy, had no choice but to knowledge this, plunging into WWII was their only chance of stopping Germany and Adolf Hitler’s reign of terror. There were many instances where one would hope that the international community would step in. The League of Nations was created by the Treaty of Versailles. However this organization did not react to earlier similar aggressions. For example,Italy attacked Ethiopia in 1935. Haile Selassie was the emperor of Ethiopia at the time. He approached the League of Nations and asked them to defend them with military sanctions. They did nothing. Selassie’s response was that “God and history will remember your...
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...4- The Progressive Era (1890-1920) Who were the Progressives? Urban Middle Class who wanted social reforms Muckrakers Journalists who sensationalized to drive social change Define recall Power to remove public servants What did the 19th Amendment do? Gave women the right to vote What is Americanization? Teaching minorities and immigrants to follow white, middle class ways of life Who were the three Progressive Era presidents? Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson Domestic policies of Progressive Era presidents (match them) Wilson-New Freedom/ Roosevelt- Square Deal Chapter 5- An Emerging World Power (1890-1917) Social Darwinism- Survival of the fittest Alfred T. Mahan and what he argued for a stronger America Strong modern Navy Four main causes of the Spanish-American War Cuban independence movement, Yellow Press, U.S.S. Maine incident, De Lome Letter Open Door Policy (China) – Equal access to trade in China Goal of Roosevelt’s Big Stick Policy- Strong military focus How did the U.S. end up getting the Panama Canal Built? What did it have to support?...
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...1815-Napoleon’s empire ended, and nationalism began its rise. Rising nationalism would eventually be a leading cause of World War I. 11. In the 17th century, witchcraft hysteria took hold in England, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, New England, and various other countries. Many people, mainly old women, were accused of witchcraft with no evidence. In the 1950s, many American people were accused of being communist sympathizers with no evidence. These events mirrored the witchcraft hysteria. 12. In 1648, the Thirty Year’s War ended. The Peace of Westphalia was created, allowing all German states to determine their own religion. 13. In 1699, the Treaty of Karlowitz was created. Austria took control of Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, and Slovenia. The empire never became centralized due to all of the national groups. Austrian nationalism was a driving force...
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...The nineteenth century was a time were countries were mobilizing new languages of freedom, new ideas about equality, new notions of human individualism, and mobilized the language of natural rights during WWI. WWI caused by many events that were long term and short term factors. Some examples of these events include imperialism which is the desire of a country to increase its power by gaining control over another country. Whereas nationalism is the desire of a group of people to form independence from their own nation. In this paper, I will argue that both J. A. Hobson and Rudyard Kipling will encourage that imperialism is related to nationalism. In the primary source Imperialism by J.A. Hobson, Hobson argues that imperialism is unnecessary to the European capitalism wealth. He also feels that imperialism is only effective in assured working classes. He states here that, “We have seen that it is motivated, not by the interests of the nation as a...
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...I wasn’t aware of how much gas explosions in WWI affected the soldiers. I knew they used them, but I didn’t know about all of the facts behind the poison. These chemicals were forbid at both The Hague Declaration and Convention. Since Germany was the leading the world in science, the chemists were experimenting with different combinations of chemicals to make lethal gases. Scientists were also curious on the effects these chemicals would have on the battlefield. Considering these gases were outlawed, but were still used should have never happened in the first place. This relates to the lecture by the Sussex Pledge; Germany was supposed to warn the United States of attacks on passenger lines but after a while they resumed attacking without notice. Personally, I was sickened by the video of the trench warfare. Those soldiers struggled miserably without the gas, it wasn’t necessary. I think biological weapons should be outlawed. Soldiers are coming to fight for their countries, not to get suffocated by...
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...Language & Literature Autumn Term 1 assessment task: The poem is a sad reflection based on the imagined recollections of the times just before the World War I. It shows a sad picture of society during the time of World War I. Larkin has, quite strangely opted Roman numerals for the title of this poem. That makes the title of the poem instantly capture our attention and makes us ready to read something unusual. Another impact perhaps in store of this title is to show it something relating to olden times. At the same time the title of the poem also suggests a mythological sense. Using the year 1914 for the title of the poem makes it the poem a literary war memorial to commemorate the likes of people before the horrors of World War One. The poem consists of for 8-line stanzas of which only the fourth and eighth lines rhyme, thus creating, two ‘long uneven lines’ in each stanza. Given that this is also the text of his opening lines, this could be an intended pun by Larkin. ‘Those long uneven lines’ describes the people that are standing in line ‘as patiently’ as they can ‘outside the Oval or Villa Park.’ The Oval is a famous London Cricket Ground, and Villa Park is the Birmingham Football Ground. The people who would be standing outside of these venues would be eager and anxious to get inside so they could watch the day's sporting event. This image is also reminiscent of the men lining up outside of the recruiting office around the beginning of WWI; men were anxious and eager to...
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... the surge of the Civil Rights Movement, and the Gender Equality Movement. The author’s examination will consider the works of artists and how his or her creative expression reflected the mood of the era. Political Events: World War I and II World War I (WWI) started in 1914, and lasted through 1918. The political event that triggered this war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The war tactics employed in World War I changed the methods and strategies in future conflicts bringing more devastation. Some of the new strategies included trench warfare, chemical warfare, and upgraded technology; it introduced chemical weapons including chlorine and phosgene, which produced devastating damages. The exposure to high levels of these gases resulted in temporary blindness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, nausea, and vomiting (CGE, n.d.). The implementation of trench warfare during WWI was the result of the advanced technology in the manufacturing of weapons. The machine gun forced military troops from both sides, the Triple Entente and the Central Powers, to dig trenches because employing traditional strategies like cavalry charges were useless (BBC, 2013). WWI showed...
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...AP* World History Study Guide and Graphic Organizers – Unit 5: The Modern World, 1914 CE – present 1. World War I Students are required to know the causes, major events, and consequences of WWI 1) Causes a) Imperialism i) No new lands to expand into – some nations didn’t have many colonies (Germany, Italy) ii) Rivalries as nations competed for colonies iii) Sometimes armed conflict in colonial lands for control over resources b) Nationalism i) Pride in one’s nation, want one’s nation to be the best and most powerful ii) Fostered conflict as nations competed to be the best iii) Justified imperialism, militarism iv) Caused disruptions in multi-ethnic nations (Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire); rebellions, revolts against foreign rule c) Militarism i) Build up of a country’s military; keeping a large standing army ii) Nations expanded their militaries as a show of power iii) Arms race: each nation needed to have a standing army because their neighbors had standing armies d) Alliances i) Bismarck: German chancellor behind alliance system in Europe ii) Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy allied; France, Great Britain, Russia allied 2) Events a) Assassination of Archduke Frantz Ferdinand: Serbian terrorists kill the Austrian duke and his wife as they honeymooned in Sarajevo i) Austria demands Serbian submission ii) Russia offers to back Serbians in defying Austrians iii) Austria and Germany declare war on Serbia and Russia (along with Russia’s allies) b) Schlieffen...
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...World War, many countries were determined to prevent any future conflict. In the 1920s the League of Nations tried to follow the idea of collective security: * the idea that countries acting together could discourage aggression and, if necessary, act together to stop aggressors. * This was not very successful as it proved hard for all the countries in the League of Nations to agree on a common policy. As a result a second idea was considered. Appeasement was a policy adopted by Britain during the 1930s. * This policy developed from the growing belief that some countries, especially Germany, had been unfairly treated in the peace settlement of 1918-1919. * When they began to demand aggressively that some terms in the Versailles treaty be scrapped, some people argued that this was only right. If their grievances could be settled by negotiation, it would avoid the need for the aggression. * Once they were "appeased" in this way, they would act in the same way as others in foreign affairs. This policy was used in the 1930s to try to prevent both Italy and Germany from going to war to achieve their respective objectives....
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...This essay is based on the 2007 book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (1960 - ). It is hardly an obscure tome, having been on the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks. Before I get to the essence of this essay I believe explaining what the term “Black Swan” means and saying a few words about the author would be in order. It was once thought in the Old World that only white swans existed. Then from Australia came the realization that there were black swans. And no, they were not white swans made black by bootblack or any other artificial coloring medium. After millennia of observations in the West of millions of white swans, the sighting of one black swan was enough to invalidate this long and firmly held belief. In a broader sense then A Black Swan is a sudden, monumental, and completely unexpected event. WWI, WWII, and 9/11 were Black Swans. If one were to win a multi-million dollars lottery that would be a personal Black Swan (Black Swans are not all negative, although given the troubles experienced by some of these huge lottery winners, this might also be negative). But a Black Swan is more than this – it goes to the heart of and challenges the putative acceptance of Gaussian probabilities. Least you think Gaussian or bell shaped probability functions are theoretical only and not important in real life, then consider that not only mathematics, but engineering, medicine, social sciences, economomics, the insurance...
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