Imperialism And The Alliance System: The Great War
The Great War stems from complex beginnings, though the tragic outcome remains relatively simple. Death and decay littered Europe in response to the pride and promises of some rather unruly nations. Imperialism and it’s brother Militarism were mostly responsible for the vast spread of World War I, but also lay in the powder keg that ignited the war. In addition, “the keg” included nationalism and the alliance system, whose occupations imparted on the wide grasp of war as well. With such tensions beginning to multiply, the assassination of Austria-Hungary’s leader provided the perfect spark to ignite the keg of total warfare. Perhaps the second most significant factor in the beginning of World War I, in its own right, nationalism was the pride
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The alliance system between multiple nations is a system in which these nations agree to support and/or protect each other in the case of attack or war. Depending on exact documentation, alliances may also entail political and economic support as well. The original intention of the alliance system was to help balance the power levels between countries. With such fellowship, the nations involved could hold each other accountable when the justice scales began to tip. On the contrary, this system, when coupled with imperialism and rising tensions, incorporated the domino effect of World War I. For example, the Central Powers (one of the two major alliances in the early 1900’s) consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and later, the Ottoman Empire. Originally, Germany and Austria-Hungary were held in a tight alliance and almost dependence on each other. So when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany honored their alliance and also started warring with Serbia through declaration on all of Russia. When Japan later attacked Germany, Austria-Hungary returned the favor by declaring war on Japan. And so the domino affect ensued, as nations began to fight, not only their enemies, but their allies’ enemies as well, until most of Europe and some other countries were
The alliance system between multiple nations is a system in which these nations agree to support and/or protect each other in the case of attack or war. Depending on exact documentation, alliances may also entail political and economic support as well. The original intention of the alliance system was to help balance the power levels between countries. With such fellowship, the nations involved could hold each other accountable when the justice scales began to tip. On the contrary, this system, when coupled with imperialism and rising tensions, incorporated the domino effect of World War I. For example, the Central Powers (one of the two major alliances in the early 1900’s) consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and later, the Ottoman Empire. Originally, Germany and Austria-Hungary were held in a tight alliance and almost dependence on each other. So when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany honored their alliance and also started warring with Serbia through declaration on all of Russia. When Japan later attacked Germany, Austria-Hungary returned the favor by declaring war on Japan. And so the domino affect ensued, as nations began to fight, not only their enemies, but their allies’ enemies as well, until most of Europe and some other countries were