Cause of World War

Cause of World War I

Unlike World War II, the causes of World War I are not as clear cut.

Historians say the war had been building up for some time prior to

1914. The "Great War" was not caused by megalomaniacs hungry for power

as in the case of Mussolini and Hitler during World War II. The

origins are more complex.

First one is the alliance Systems The causes can be explained,

more in political terms than human terms.

From the end of the Franco-Prussian War, a system of

secret alliances developed in Europe. This eventually split the

continent into two hostile sides. Because so many different powers

were involved in mutual defense agreements, when the war did happen,

it involved nearly every country of Europe. Due to the alliances, some

powers were forced to support policies followed by their partners,

which they didn't really condone. Lastly, the secret alliances led to

suspicion and the belief that far more secret agreements existed, then

was in fact, the case.

Secondly competition The competition for colonies was another

source of international antagonism.

The great powers sectioned off Africa among them,

established spheres of influence in China and sought protectorates

elsewhere. Sooner or later this rush to appropriate new territories

was bound to spark disagreements over boundaries of control.

Thirdly, militarism All the countries within the hostile camps were

building large armies and navies during the pre-war years.

As a by-product, a class of professional and powerful military

officers developed and tended to dominate the civil authorities.

In addition, before the conflict happened,

the militaries of each country had drawn up complete plans

for mobilization. These plans only awaited the go-ahead signal.

The existence of secret battle plans stimulated espionage,

which in turn aroused greater hatred and fear.

Thirdly the nationalistic Beliefs Strong feelings of nationalism

fed the fires of hatred in pre-war Europe.

It turned Frenchman against German and

Russian against Austrian.