The Causes of World War I

Few confrontations can come close to the destruction of whole nations and human

lives as did World War I. Its arising, although seemingly rapid, came instead from the

slow militant actions of European countries and their leaders. In addition, breakdowns in

the Alliance System, problems between Imperialist governments, and the assassination of

Archduke Francis Ferdinand sparked the flame of an unavoidable war.

Many causes of WWI stemmed from the European diplomacy after 1871. The end

of the Franco-Prussian War in that year marked the establishment of a strong and unified

German nation. In fact, that was all that Otto Von Bismarck of Germany really wanted.

Its goal was to rebuild from within and unite itself. Bismarck's hope was that a unified

Germany would now be a respected world power (Remak 1).

However, this event had upset the balance of power in Europe. Only Great

Britain, Russia, Prussia-Germany, and Italy seemed to dominate. Once formidable Austria

and France were now relatively weak. Bismarck's actions in response to France's loss of

control was to isolate the French from all other nations. By taking away its allies,

Germany could keep France out its way and thus maintain its own power (Remak 5).

With this new power struggle emerging, the goal of each country was to prevent

others from becoming so powerful so as to be able to take countries by brute force.

Bismarck instinctively decided to unite Germany with Austria-Hungary and Russia which

was known as the Three Emperors League of 1873. Their governments would consult

with one another on certain matters, maintain friendly neutrality, and even actively aid

each other in the event one was attacked (Remak 5). It made sense to join together

because any country of sound mind would not dare to engage in battle against them. In

addition, it paved the way for strong future relations between Germany and Austria

(Lafore 87).

It had been a long desire of the Russians to acquire the Dardonelles. Having them

meant a warm water access to the Mediterranean Sea. However, the Dardonelles

remained in control of the fading Ottoman Empire (Remak 7). Turkey had no chance of

fending off Russia since they were a nation of more than a dozen divided peoples (Lafore

46). Russia seized the opportunity and ran an army right through the rebellious Slavs

(Remak 8). The Treaty of San Stefano, which ended the Russo-Turkish War, had given

Russia complete control of Turkey, with nothing of the Empire remaining. Russia felt a

bond with the Slavic people and wanted to take control of the falling nation (Lafore 88).

This caused both Great Britain and Austria-Hungary to disagree. Mainly because of

public opinion, Great Britain felt that Russia was wrong in its actions (Remak 9). Austria-

Hungary feared the trading power that Russia would now have in the Mediterranean Sea

(Remak 10).

Austria-Hungary was in disagreement with the treaty. They'd rather fight Russia

than to see their people be attracted to living in a newly formed Serbian state (Remak 11).

Bismarck, instrumental in keeping peace, had the powers meet in Germany which formed

the Congress of Berlin during the summer of 1878. One of its purposes was to divide up

certain areas of Turkey among Russia, France, Great Britain, Austria, and Germany.

Russia felt deserted by the Germans for lack of support at the Congress (Remak 12), and

they were angry that their new territory would be decided on by enemies and competitors

(Lafore 91). Together, the Balkan Wars, San Stefano, the Congress of Berlin, and the

diminishing pact between Russia and Germany all provided long range causes of the war.

This disturbance with Russia made Bismarck's work a failure and the Three

Emperors League was ended (Remak 13). However, Germany and Russia did "maintain

towards each other a benevolent neutrality." (Pribram 37). Germany then formed the Dual

Alliance with Austria in 1879. It's purpose was defensive and stated that both would give

aid to each other in case of a Russian attack (Remak 13). The downfall of this agreement

was clear. Bismarck received much criticism over this move because he alienated Russia

and forced them to find another ally, specifically with France (Remak 14).

However, even with this feeling of resentment, Russia had no intention of making

an ally out of France. Instead, Russia looked to Germany once again, this time with

caution. In 1881, after many slow negotiations, the Three Emperors League was

reestablished. The League was significant in the fact that it relieved pressure on Germany

as well as on Russia (Remak 15). Italy, searching for power and after being offended by

France, came to join the Austro-German Dual Alliance. Before Italy could react, though,

France established a Tunisian protectorate, thereby eliminating Italy's goal of having that

territory (Remak 16).

Soon afterward, Russia wanted to move into the Balkans and take control.

However, Austria prevented them which made Russia furious. Despite Bismarck's

attempts to calm the situation, Russia left the Three Emperors League. Russia now

despised both Germany and Austria. It can be said that this League was doomed from

the start because of Russia's reluctance to ally with Austria. Even though the three were

bound by the agreement, it did not demand full and unconditional support of each other

in the case of war (Remak 18).

In 1890, Otto Von Bismarck had to step down as Chancellor of Germany, and

with it went Germany's power (Lafore 102). Instead of Kaiser Wilhelm II taking the

reigns, the domination of Europe was lost to France (Remak 24). Wilhelm decided to use

the concept of preventive war, and it mainly concentrated on internal improvements,

letting foreign relations decline (Geiss 38).

Even with domestic differences, France and Russia saw the opportunity to unite

against the common enemy, Germany. The basis for the defensive alliance was the

protection of each other in case Germany, Austria, or Italy mobilized for war. This turned

out to be landmark in European affairs. Now both "sides" were even, but neither one

desired war (Remak 27).

France was not in the clear, though. Great Britain had such a vast empire that it

often encountered opposition from all around the world. When French troops wanted to

take a piece of land in the Sudan, they met British forces head on. However, France knew

the complications and decided to back down. From then on, France and Great Britain

lacked any kind of common agreement (Remak 31).

Germany also had no kinship with England after the failed raid of the Boer

controlled area by the British leader, Leander Jameson (Remak 31). The unpleasant

experiences from the Boer War ended Britain's feelings of "splendid isolation" (Lafore

122). Starting in 1898, the Germans built a formidable navy saying that they had to

defend themselves from overseas powers. Great Britain reacted in alarm by building up its

own fleet. Because of the arms race, any chance for friendly relations was lost (Remak

5).

Great Britain still needed an ally for fear that either Russia, France, or Germany

would unite against them. Because of Russia's limitless appetite for land and Germany's

reluctance to for agreement, France seemed to be the best option (Remak 37). The

arrangement, known as the Entente Cordiale, was made to settle all disputes between

themselves. In addition, France agreed to recognize England's share of Egypt, and

England let France intervene in the affairs of Morocco (Lafore 126). Although not a true

alliance, the agreement did decrease hostility for both sides.

Russia and Japan both sought to exploit northern China by taking over Manchuria

and Korea. In 1904, Japan attacked without warning on Port Arthur, marking the start of

the Russo-Japanese War. Then, Russia decided to bring their Baltic fleet half way around

the world in for the rescue. On its way, it spotted what looked like a group of Japanese

U-boats and opened fire. The Russians' aim was terrible, though, sinking only one. To

their astonishment, the mysterious Japanese fleet turned out to be a couple of British

fishing vessels. This outraged Britain, almost going to war with Russia. But France

intervened, stopping the conflict between the two angry nations. In the fall of 1905, the

Peace of Portsmouth, moderated by President Theodore Roosevelt, ended the Russo-

Japanese War (Remak 39). The treaty stated, "There shall henceforth be peace and amity

between their Majesties the Emperor of Japan and the Emperor of all the Russias...Russia

neither obstructs nor interferes with Japan's possession of Korea… Japan and Russia

mutually engage to evacuate completely and simultaneously Manchuria…" (Tyler 564).

Both Britain and Russia, realizing their mistakes, felt the need to settle down and

look for an agreement (Lafore 135). In 1907, the accord between the two also involved

France. Now Russia, England, and France had what became known as the Triple Entente

(Remak 46). The countries of the Triple Alliance had something to fear. As each side

grew in strength, so did the tension.

Although, the Balkan wars were not said to be that crucia, they were.

Expansionist ambitions of new European nations, the unashamed use of blunt force to

settle territorial conflicts, Russia's encouragement of Balkan violence, and Austria's failure

to check on the growth of Serbia all led to the crime of Gavrilo Princip (Remak 54).

There are three major faults in the Alliance system. First, Europe was divided into

two major sides: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. Because sides were chosen

so early, the space for diplomatic maneuvering was lost making peace difficult. Second,

minor powers now had the ability to make major decisions. This meant that any crisis, no

matter how trivial, would spell catastrophe. This ties in with the third fault in that certain

nations that used to be alone would now exhibit less caution in their actions. With the

support of large nations as allies, countries could now do what they wanted (Remak 63).

On the grand scheme, Imperialism also marked good cause for war. During the

last few years of the nineteenth century, many nations sought out new territories overseas.

Which country got which territory depended on the use of brute force. This new mood of

violence helped to create justification for war. In order to use force, countries had to

build up their military strength more than their neighbors. Because of violent attitudes and

large armies, war seemed a small crisis away (Remak 67).

On June 28, 1914, that was exactly what had happened. The Archduke Francis

Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a nineteen year old Bosnian

involved in Serb nationalist activities (Lafore 204). He and a few others had actually

smuggled weapons and grenades across the border illegally (Geiss 112). Outraged,

Austria-Hungary now had reason to go to war with Serbia. But Russia was protecting the

Serbs and mobilized on the Austrian border. What happened soon after marked the start

of World War I (Remak 126).

Despite feudal attempts by many nations, war could not be prevented. Due to the

Imperialistic motives of every European country caused tension between themselves.

Also, the fear of being overtaken by others forced the creation of alliances. Although the

intentions were good, friendly relations were difficult. All it took to start the inevitable

was a single pull of the trigger.

Works Cited

Geiss, Immanuel, ed. July 1914. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 1974.

Lafore, Lawrence. The Long Fuse. New York: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1965.

Pribram, Alfred F. (ed.), The Secret Treaties of Austria-Hungary, 1879-1914. trans. by Archibald C. Collidge, Harvard University Press, 1920. vol. 1, p. 37.

Remak, Joachim. The Origins of World War I. 1871-1914. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1967.

Tyler, Sydney The Japan-Russia War. Harrisburg: The Minter Company, 1905. p. 564-568.