Essay Sample on Causes of World War One

World War one was a conflict that lasted 4 years, 3 months and 14 days of which scale and intensity the world had never seen. There were many reasons why war broke out in 1914. The chain of events started with the assassination and ended when the armistice was signed on 11th November 1918. Almost 20 million people had lost their lives, 135 countries were involved and 60 million soldiers fought.

It is a matter or great debate as to the cause of World War One. In my opinion the blame lies at the feet of Keiser Wilhelm 2nd. It was his overwhelming ambition that led to the war beginning. Keiser Wilhelm 2nd had always been jealous of Britain’s Navy and wanted his own. This sparked the arms race, as countries saw Germany start building up its armed forces, they began to also, which led to countries being more willing to go to war as they had the necessary armed forces. Therefore, without Keiser Wilhelm 2nd, countries would not have been as willing to go to war.

One major cause of World War One was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary had been building its empire for many years this was causing countries like Serbia to want its independence. This led to terrorist groups forming from extreme nationalists. The ‘black hand’ was one such group. Austria-Hungary was very angry after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, and went to Germany who said they would back them up in case of war. Austria-Hungary sent Serbia a long list of demands and when Serbia refused to meet them, Austria-Hungary declared war. Therefore, without the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, the war would not have begun.

Another major cause of World War One is the web of alliances, intended to try to prevent war, which ended up dragging countries into it. For example, if Austria-Hungary had not been allied with Germany and Italy, the Triple Alliance would not have been formed and therefore Britain and the USA would not have entered it either as it was the actions of Germany that made them join. Also, if Serbia had not been allied with Russia, then France would not have joined due to the Franco-Russian alliance. Therefore, a major role was played by the alliances in World War One and they certainly stoked the fire of the ‘Great war’

It is a matter or great debate as to the cause of World War One. One major component as to the war in 1924 was imperialism. It was the ambition of many countries to have a great army that led to the war beginning. For years in Europe tension had been building, since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, many countries were looking to expand their territory, especially Germany, who was a new country.