World War 1-Who Was to Blame
World War 1-who was to blame?
World War 1 broke out when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in 1914, whose organization implicated members of Serbian military. For this reason, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia, supported by Germany. This triggered chain reaction, nations in Europe declaring war on the other nations, which, with in a month, caused Europe to turn into a battlefield. The Great War was ended, when the Treaty of Versailles and several other treaties were signed in 1919 and Germany was fully held responsible for causing the war. But it is not justified, that Germany, and Germany alone, should be held responsible for the outbreak of the war, even though her military expansion, nationalism and imperialism have built tension throughout Europe. It was not only Germany who wanted to expand their empire or wanted to be the world power and also, the entangled alliance system was another cause of the war, and additionally, made the war ineluctable.
Germany’s new Kaiser’s, Kaiser Wilhelm II, ambitious of Germany becoming the world power (nationalism), envying the British navy and her colonies, has immensely expanded the military, both navy and army, causing tension and, eventually, arms race between nations in Europe. The naval arms race was the so called the Anglo-German arms race, between the Great Britain and Germany. In the early 20th century, a new generation of battleship was invented, the British ‘Dreadnought’. The arms race begun when the German navy responded to the British Dreadnought with their Nassau class in 1907, followed by the Helgoland class in 1909. 4 German ships were constructed in 1908, which made the British navy nervous, fearing that the German fleet would soon become invincible. Since than, the naval arms race begins between Germany and Great Britain. Germany’s act of building a vast fleet has threatened the British Empire, fearing Germany’s fleet would invade
World War 1 broke out when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in 1914, whose organization implicated members of Serbian military. For this reason, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia, supported by Germany. This triggered chain reaction, nations in Europe declaring war on the other nations, which, with in a month, caused Europe to turn into a battlefield. The Great War was ended, when the Treaty of Versailles and several other treaties were signed in 1919 and Germany was fully held responsible for causing the war. But it is not justified, that Germany, and Germany alone, should be held responsible for the outbreak of the war, even though her military expansion, nationalism and imperialism have built tension throughout Europe. It was not only Germany who wanted to expand their empire or wanted to be the world power and also, the entangled alliance system was another cause of the war, and additionally, made the war ineluctable.
Germany’s new Kaiser’s, Kaiser Wilhelm II, ambitious of Germany becoming the world power (nationalism), envying the British navy and her colonies, has immensely expanded the military, both navy and army, causing tension and, eventually, arms race between nations in Europe. The naval arms race was the so called the Anglo-German arms race, between the Great Britain and Germany. In the early 20th century, a new generation of battleship was invented, the British ‘Dreadnought’. The arms race begun when the German navy responded to the British Dreadnought with their Nassau class in 1907, followed by the Helgoland class in 1909. 4 German ships were constructed in 1908, which made the British navy nervous, fearing that the German fleet would soon become invincible. Since than, the naval arms race begins between Germany and Great Britain. Germany’s act of building a vast fleet has threatened the British Empire, fearing Germany’s fleet would invade
Bibliography: Murray, 1996. "Dreadnought." Wikipedia. 8 Sept. 2008. 14 Sept. 2008 . Murray, 1996. "Origins of World War 1." Wikipedia. 9 Sept. 2008. 14 Sept. 2008 . "World War 1." Wikipedia. 12 Sept. 2008. 14 Sept. 2008 . "Source 13." Chart. GCES-Modern World History. 1996. By Ben Walsh. London: Hodder Murray, 2001 "World War One Causes." History on the Net. 15 Mar. 2007. 14 Sept. 2008 .