DBQ: Causes of WWI
DBQ: Causes of World War I
World War I—or the Great War as it was known at the time—was the result of a series of events between several nations around the world. The war was massively destructive for all involved, civilians and soldiers alike, and there were very few who were not affected by the worldwide conflict. The war has been considered a mass genocide, taking millions of lives and leaving many nations in shambles. The new, more advanced weaponry provided by the recently industrialized world resulted in one of the deadliest wars in history. There was no single cause of the event. Numerous conflicts and hostile relations between several nations around the globe escalated into a full-blown war that had devastating results. There were three key factors that ultimately led to the outbreak of the war: nationalism, colonial disputes, and a rigid alliance system. Raymond Aron, author of The Century of Total War, wrote that he believed it was the alliance system that brought on the war. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Europe dominated much of the world both economically and politically. In the early 1900s, colonial disputes caused the balance of power to shift. Nationalist movements among ethnic minority groups caused tension with the region, weakening European empires and threatening Europe’s balance of power. The same disputes between ethnic groups were occurring in Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman empires. Clashes between Austria-Hungary and Serbia significantly affected the outbreak of the war. In the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire began to weaken and lost control of many territories. Austria-Hungary and Russia took advantage of the Ottoman’s weakness and took control of some of those territories, while others became independent nations. This further threatened Europe’s balance of power. The tensions among these regions led to the Balkan War in 1912-1913, causing increased hostility among European powers and disrupting diplomatic relations.
World War I—or the Great War as it was known at the time—was the result of a series of events between several nations around the world. The war was massively destructive for all involved, civilians and soldiers alike, and there were very few who were not affected by the worldwide conflict. The war has been considered a mass genocide, taking millions of lives and leaving many nations in shambles. The new, more advanced weaponry provided by the recently industrialized world resulted in one of the deadliest wars in history. There was no single cause of the event. Numerous conflicts and hostile relations between several nations around the globe escalated into a full-blown war that had devastating results. There were three key factors that ultimately led to the outbreak of the war: nationalism, colonial disputes, and a rigid alliance system. Raymond Aron, author of The Century of Total War, wrote that he believed it was the alliance system that brought on the war. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Europe dominated much of the world both economically and politically. In the early 1900s, colonial disputes caused the balance of power to shift. Nationalist movements among ethnic minority groups caused tension with the region, weakening European empires and threatening Europe’s balance of power. The same disputes between ethnic groups were occurring in Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman empires. Clashes between Austria-Hungary and Serbia significantly affected the outbreak of the war. In the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire began to weaken and lost control of many territories. Austria-Hungary and Russia took advantage of the Ottoman’s weakness and took control of some of those territories, while others became independent nations. This further threatened Europe’s balance of power. The tensions among these regions led to the Balkan War in 1912-1913, causing increased hostility among European powers and disrupting diplomatic relations.