Essay On The Causes Of World War 1

World War 1 was one of the bloodiest wars the world has ever seen. Ten million soldiers died on the battlefields and in the military hospitals; twenty million soldiers were wounded (Intro). At first, Europeans wanted a balanced power, but then alliances started to form. Many things caused World War 1 to happen but some things stuck out as big factors. Alliances, militarism, imperialism and nationalism were all underlying causes of World War 1. Alliances were one of the main causes of World War 1. By the early 20th century Europe was involved in 2 alliances. The Triple Alliance was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Document D). Another alliance was the Triple Entente which was Great Britian, France, and Russia (Document D). Russian alliances were held together by financial and political strategic ties (Document F). Germany entered belgian territory which made Britain mad and they declared war on Germany. If not for the complex alliances, the war wouldn’t have been the same. It was the alliances
Militarism is a belief that a strong military and defense is important for a country to succeed. “War is life itself. Nothing exists in nature, is born, grows or multiplies except by combat.” (Document B). Emile Zola wrote this in The Origins of the First World War. Zola thinks that war is needed for the country to be successful. This is a primary source that helps explain why militarism was a cause of the war because it says that with war you can gain success and prosperity. “We realize without power, without a strong army and a strong navy, there can be no welfare for us” (Document L). This is a primary source that helps me understand militarism and how it was an underlying cause of World War 1, because it says that without powerful defense, there would be no welfare. Militarism is a cause of World War 1 because of how much of an impact it made and how everyone knew that without it there would be no