How Did Imperialism Cause Ww1

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MWH 5 5/1/13
MAIN Causes of WWI: Intro+Imperialism+Nationalism

World War I was an event that caused almost 10 million deaths in Europe, therefore killing off almost a generation of Europeans. It ended empires in Russia, Germany, and
Austria Hungary and caused Russia to turn to communism and become a totalitarian state with Stalin in power. It created more rights for women, and changed the social perspective of life to gloomy and pessimistic. The Congress of Vienna of 1814, created a long lasting peace in Europe completed with regular peace meeting which proposed peaceful solutions to tensions between European nations. This peace was briefly interrupted with the Crimean war and Franco­ Prussian war, but generally, in Europe war was a thing of the past. As the 19th
Imperialism can be seen as a leading cause of WWI because it created tension and competition between nations, helped the Balkan crisis, and truly made WWI a “world” war. In
Europe competition between nations was intense and many nations seeked to be the best and strongest. Imperialism was quite competitive between nations and caused increased tension in Europe. For example during the Crimean war Britain and France openly opposed
Russian imperialization. Britain and Russia also went to war over Afghanistan during the
“Great Game” because of Afghanistan’s geopolitical location. The rise of new nations such as
Germany and Italy during the 18th century also contributed to growing tensions because it created competition for the “old nations”. New nations saw imperialism as a great opportunity to legitimize their status in Europe, and this challenged the old nations such as Britain and
France. The Kruger telegram sent by the Germans to the Boers, for example, congratulated the Boers on opposing the Britain’s attempt to colonize them. This angered the British, who for quite a while had the goal of colonizing South Africa. When WIlhelm II visited Morocco, to support their opposition of French rule angered the French to the point where they were
Imperialism also directly caused WWI, for it caused the crisis in the
Balkan Peninsula. When Austria­ Hungary imperialized/annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina they did it because they feared the growth that was happening in the Balkan Peninsula. This imperialization angered the Serbs because the Austrians took away a large population of
Serbs. Later, in 1914, when the archduke of Austria was visiting Bosnia, he got shot by a member of the Secret Blackhand Committee, a committee dedicated to riding Bosnia of
Austrian rule. This enraged the Austrians and caused them to wage war on them, therefore sucking in all of Europe into a war that was the first total war. Finally, imperialism also made
WWI really a “world” war. Nations needed all the power they could get during the war, so many nations began to bring in their colonies to help them. Britain brought in their colonies

from India and South Africa, and France their colonies from Senegal, Egypt, Indochino.. and so on. Colonies were also seen as opportunities to weaken nations, as seen when the Allies attacked the German colonies in the Pacific Islands. Therefore, imperialism, can be seen as both a direct and indirect cause of WWI because it sparked the event in the Balkan