Long term causes of World War 1 - year 9 humanities - Home



Long term causes of World War 1ImperialismImperialism is the practice of maintaining an empire, or a collection of colonies. An imperialist nation – sometimes benignly called the ‘mother country’ – acquires new territories through exploration, infiltration or military conquest. Once imperial control was established, the primary purpose of a colony was to benefit the mother country. Usually this involved the supply of precious metals, other raw materials, cheap labour or agricultural land. Britain’s empire was largely based on trade, particularly the importation of raw materials and the commercial sale of manufactured goods. A colony might also offer military advantages, such as a strategic location for naval bases or troops. What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?In the late 1800s there was a rush to colonise parts of Africa. Much of the known world had been colonised by European empires by the end of the 19th Century, Africa was seen as one of the last opportunities for European powers to grab territory and increase their power and prestige. This rush for Africa was known as ‘the scramble for empire’. Many newly formed European countries such as Italy and Germany attempted to compete with more established European powers, such as England and France, for new territory. This competition caused rivalry and tension to develop between the various European empires.What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?How might the things discussed in this article have helped cause WW1?MilitarismMilitarism and the European arms race were contributing factors to the outbreak of World War I. The decades before 1914 saw the development and production of modern new weapons, capable of killing on a massive scale. Using new mass-production techniques, Western nations churned out these weapons and munitions in large quantities and at a rapid pace. But the path to war was not just driven by new weapons and the arms race: it was also fuelled by the pervasive culture of militarism that reigned in many parts of Europe. Militarism saw the governments of Great Powers dominated by military thinking about how to fix problems. This lead to Generals having a lot of influence over Governments and the way Governments thought about solving issues.What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?European military expenditure skyrocketed between 1900 and 1914. In 1870 the combined military spending of the six great powers (Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Italy) totalled 94 million pounds. By 1914 this had quadrupled to 398 million pounds. German defence spending during this period increased by a massive 73 per cent, dwarfing the increases in France (10 per cent) and Britain (13 per cent). Russian defence spending also grew by more than one-third. By the 1910s, 45 per cent of Russian government spending was allocated to the armed forces, while just five per cent went on education. Every European power but Britain increased conscription levels to bolster the size of their armies. Germany alone added 170,000 full-time soldiers to its army in 1913-14.What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?How might the things discussed in this article have helped cause WW1?AlliancesAn alliance is a formal political, military or economic agreement signed by two or more nations. Alliances are binding under international law, though they are frequently broken. Many alliances require signatory nations to provide support to other signatory nations in the event of war with an enemy power. This support may range from financial or logistic backing, such as the supply of materials or weapons, to military support or even a full declaration of war. Alliances may also contain economic conditions, such as trade agreements or investment. What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?Nationalist paranoia, imperial rivalry, military spending and intrigue all created a mood conducive to alliance-building. By 1914 many European governments had shuffled their nations into two opposing groups, held together with stringent military alliances. There were two particularly important alliances. First, the Triple Alliance (1882) was A three-way alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Each signatory was committed to provide military support to the others, if they were attacked by two other powers – or if Germany and Italy were attacked by France. Second, was the Triple Entente (1907) was a three-way agreement, securing friendly relations between Britain, France and Russia. Because of these alliances, In theory, any war between two opposing nations could mean war between them all.What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?How might the things discussed in this article have helped cause WW1?NationalismNationalism and extreme patriotism were significant contributing factors to the outbreak of World War I. Every one of Europe’s Great Powers developed an excessive belief in its own cultural, economic and military supremacy. This over-confidence gave birth to a fatal belief that in the event of war in Europe, one’s own country would be victorious inside a few months. European populations became convinced of two things: that their nations and governments were right and that their military would win any conflict. As these attitudes hardened, the likelihood of war increased. What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?Small nations in a region of Europe called The Balkans were gaining a sense of nationalism. One nation was Serbia where a number of nationalist groups had formed in the early 1900s. Their main aim was to free Serbia from foreign control and influence, particularly from Vienna (the capital of Austria Hungary). In 1908 the Austro-Hungarians formally claimed Bosnia and Herzegovina as its territory. However, this region was also claimed by Serbia. This roused nationalist movements in the region. Nationalist organisations such as the Black Hand began to operate against the Austro-Hungarians. These organisations were secretly supported by the Russian Empire, which was trying to destabilise the Austro-Hungarians. The Balkans became an important part of the road to War as it contributed to tensions between Russia and Austro-Hungary, who blamed the Serbian and Russian governments when the Austrian Arch-duke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo (the capital of Serbia).What is this paragraph mainly telling us about? (main idea)What facts and details tell us more about the main idea?How might the things discussed in this article have helped cause WW1?-116205-8890000 ................
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