Industrialization and Imperialism as Causes of World War I (Free Essay Sample)

How did better factories lead directly to World War One? In the late 1800s, many European countries, mainly Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany, started to industrialize, using machines to do the work instead of people. New machines allowed these European countries to advance very fast, surpassing most of the world in terms of technology. The introduction of more efficient factories and machines led European countries to gain power and allowed them to impose their power on other places, conquering land far from Europe. Industrialization and imperialism had the greatest impact on World War One because they amplified tensions between countries and changed the countries’ goals while fighting. 

Industrialization caused countries to need more resources from other places, which led to imperialism and conflict among industrialized nations in those areas. In order to fuel the production of machines, European countries needed natural resources like minerals, oil, and natural gas that were not found in Europe, so they looked elsewhere, like Africa. Europeans were able to easily take materials and take over land in Africa because they had superior weapons due to industrialization, like machine guns, that could demolish African tribes. For example, in the Congo, King Leopold II of Belgium took over and exploited the native people for rubber and ivory for industries in Europe. He used the land in Africa as a way to improve Belgium’s, and his own, wealth. Better militaries in combination with a racist attitude that validated the European agenda allowed European countries to completely take over Africa. Once European countries had gained power in Africa, conflicts emerged between the European countries that all desired more land and control. For example, In East Africa, a clash occurred between Germany and Britain. The British controlled most of the Eastern part of Africa from the north to the south, except for German East Africa, which split their land into two parts. The British wanted to connect their land, north to south, with a railroad, allowing the British to more easily transport materials and resources needed for their industries. However, German East Africa prevented them from doing so. The Germans’ desire to maintain their power and control and the British’s desire to expand their empire and improve their industries created a dispute between the countries. Conflict emerged again in French-controlled Morocco when the Germans attempted to help Morocco gain independence. The Germans wanted Morocco to be independent so that they could influence trade in the Strait of Gibraltar; however, they also wanted to threaten France’s power and control. If Morocco was no longer controlled by the French, then the French would lose control of the Strait of Gibraltar, causing them to lose power, as they could not control trade routes. Germany had no desire of gaining land and controlling Morocco; they just wanted to weaken France. The original urge for natural resources by European countries developed into them trying to hurt each other, just to have more control.

After the conflicts between the European countries developed into a war, the countries continued to fight to control resources. The countries saw control of resources as the way to win the war, as more resources meant more materials, people, and land, and therefore a better capacity to fight the war. For instance, by the start of World War One, the Ottoman Empire was losing power, so many countries aimed to take control of the Balkans. Germany wanted control of the Balkans in order to build a railroad to Baghdad, which contained a lot of oil and natural gases that the Germans needed to keep their industries working. The Italians wanted control of the Balkans so that they could control both sides of the Adriatic Sea and the trade occurring there. Finally, Russia wanted control of the Balkans, as it provided access to the Mediterranean Sea, allowing them to participate in commerce and naval warfare they were closed off to previously. Although for different reasons, Germany, Italy, and Russia, along with many other European countries, all wanted to control the Balkans’ resources. Similar to Russia’s desire to reach the Mediterranean, Russia’s allies, Britain and France, attacked the Dardanelles Strait in Turkey during the Gallipoli Campaign in an attempt to connect the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, which would supply Russia with resources. Britain and France wanted control of the Dardanelles Strait because it would allow them to transport resources to Russia, allowing Russia to keep fighting the Germans. The desire for resources was not only important to countries actively involved in the war, but also persuaded inactive European countries to join the war. For example, Italy became neutral after leaving the Triple Alliance because it did not support Germany’s offensive attacks. Yet, with the Triple Entente’s promise of land from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Italy became an active member of the war. Possession of resources allowed countries to increase their power and win the war.