INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1648-1945
BS International Relations
6th semester
Department of Political Science and
International Relations
GCWUF
Maryam Ali
Visiting Lecturer
World War 1
Causes and Consequences
World War 1
World War I often abbreviated as WWI or WW1, also known as the First
World War or the Great War, was a global war originating
in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918.
Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to
the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including
60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is
also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine
million combatant and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of
the war, while resulting genocides and the related 1918 influenza
pandemic caused another 17–50 million deaths worldwide.
Causes of WW1
The real causes of World War I included politics, secret
alliances, imperialism, and nationalistic pride. However, there
was one single event, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of
Austria, which started a chain of events leading to war.
Formally causes of WW1 are named as MAINA
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Militarism
Development of a nation’s military in preparation for a conflict
Accumulation of weapons— arms race
New weapons and technology induction in Military
By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military build up.
Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies in
this time period. Further, in Germany and Russia particularly, the
military establishment began to have a greater influence on public
policy. This increase in militarism helped push the countries
involved into war.
Alliances
Countries formed allies throughout Europe to create a balance of power
Ends up making things unstable—if one country declares war, nearly the
entire continent would be fighting
Over time, countries throughout Europe made mutual defense agreements
that would pull them into battle. These treaties meant that if one country
was attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them.
Before World War 1, the following alliances existed:
Russia and Serbia
Germany and Austria-Hungary
France and Russia
Britain and France and Belgium
Japan and Britain
Imperialism
One nations dominance on others nations on political, social and
economic basis
Looking for natural resources & increased territorial control
The increasing competition and desire for greater empires led to
an increase in confrontation that helped push the world into WW
I.
Imperial rivalry and the consequences of the search for imperial
security or for imperial expansion had important consequences for
the origins of the First World War. Imperial rivalries between France,
Britain, Russia and Germany played an important part in the
creation of the Triple Entente and the relative isolation of Germany.
Nationalism
Extreme pride in one's nation.
Belief that one’s country is superior to others
Countries tried to exert dominance & power over others
In a more general way, the nationalism of the various countries
throughout Europe contributed not only to the beginning but the
extension of the war in Europe. Each country tried to prove their
dominance and power.
Immediate Cause: Assassination
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Killed by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo
Heir apparent to Austria Hungary throne
His wife, Sophie, was also killed
Protesting Austria-Hungary’s control over Serbian regions of
Europe
The immediate cause of World War I that made the aforementioned
items come into play (alliances, imperialism, militarism,
nationalism) was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of
Austria-Hungary.
This assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia.
THE START OF THE WAR
The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28,
1914) was the main catalyst for the start of the Great War (World
War I). After the assassination,
The following series of events took place
The United States (President Wilson) declares that the United States will
remain neutral
July 28 - Austria declared war on Serbia.
August 1 – As Austria’s ally, Germany declares war on Russia, an ally of
Serbia
August 3 – Germany declares war on France, an ally of Russia and
immediately begins an invasion of neutral Belgium
August 4 – Great Britain, an ally of France, declares war against
Germany
August 25-- Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary.
TRENCH WARFARE
The middle part of the war, 1916 and 1917, was dominated by
continued trench warfare in the east. Both sides had built a series
of trenches that went from the North Sea and through Belgium and
France. Soldiers fought from dug-in positions, striking at each other
with machine guns, heavy artillery, and chemical weapons.
The land between the two enemy trench lines was called “No
Man’s Land.” This land was sometimes covered with barbed wire
and land mines. The enemy trenches were generally around 50 to
250 yards apart. Though soldiers died by the millions in brutal
conditions, neither side had any substantive success or gained any
advantage
THE UNITED STATES’ ENTRANCE
Despite the stalemate on both fronts in Europe, two important
developments in the war occurred in 1917. In early April, the United
States, angered by attacks upon its ships in the Atlantic, declared war
on Germany. Then, in November, the Bolshevik Revolution prompted
Russia to pull out of the war
End of WW1
The results of the World War 1 may be summed up as follows
First, the World War I ended up with the defeat of the Central
Powers under the leadership of Germany.
Second, the World War I also saw the collapse of four Empires-German,
Austrian, Turkish and Russian.
Signing of Treaty Of Versailles
References
https://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/guide.pdf
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history
https://www.clearias.com/first-world-war/
Thank You
