Factor of World War I

1. Imperialism
Imperialism is a system where a powerful nation controls and exploits one or more colonies.
One of the most significant causes of World War one was Imperialism, which is where a system
where powerful nation rules and exploits one or more colonies. There are two main crisis’s that
occurred in Morocco in 1905 and 1911. In 1905, Kaiser visited Morocco in North Africa, where
Germany was building up its own Empire. An international conference was held in 1906. At
the conference Kaiser was humiliated, this made him fill with rage because he wanted to be
seen as Major power in Africa. Instead, he was treated as if he had no right in speaking at the
conference that was made global news. In 1911 France tried to take over Morocco again.
Britain feared that Kaiser wanted to set up a naval base in Agadir. Another conference was held
and the British and French stood up against Germany once again. France took control of
Morocco and Germany was given land in central Africa as an act of compensation. These two
events lead directly to Militarism. This was a significant cause of World War one because
Kaiser was humiliated and could have felt determined to fight Britain and France earlier as an
act of Revenge. Also, at the time he would have been more hostile.

2. Militarism

Militarism could have cause the war due to the naval and arms race. The main event of
Militarism causing World War one was the naval rivalry which was made after 1900. Britain
had the most powerful navy in the world. The new Keiser Wilhelm announced his intention to
build a bigger German navy than Britain. Britain felt very threatened by this. Germany’s navy
was much smaller than Britain’s navy but the British army was put all over its colonies so they
can be protected. Germany didn’t have a big Empire like Britain but most people agreed, at the
time, they were the best trained and the most powerful. The Kaiser felt he needed a bigger navy
than Britain to protect its country.

3. Alliances

Alliances showed a great dent in World War one. In 1914 the six most powerful countries in
Europe divided into two opposing Alliances (sides/teams). The Triple Alliance consisted of
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy which was formed in 1882. The Triple Entente included
Britain, France and Russia which was formed in 1907. Each country was heavily armed and
each one had reasons for distrusting each other’s countries in Europe. In the nineteenth century,
Britain had tried to not get involved in European Politics. It’s attitude towards this decision
became known as ‘splendid isolation’ as it concentrated on its huge oversea colonies.

Britain had regarded France and Russia as its most dangerous rivals at the time. Meanwhile,
Britain’s real ally was Japan at the time. Britain was very worried about Germany to have an
Empire and a strong navy, which Britain saw as a serious threat to its own Empire and Navy.
The central powers alliance was a collection of small independent states of which Prussia was
the most powerful. In 1870 the Prussian statesman Bismarck won a war against France, after
which he united the many German states into a new and powerful German empire. This all
leads to the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This shows how the use of creating
Alliances was an advantaged and disadvantaged idea between the global nations.

4. Nationalism

Nationalism was a great cause of World War one because of countries being greedy and not
negotiating. Nationalism shows you are proud of your country and want it to be the best. A lot
of causes all linked back to countries all wanted to be better than each other. Nationalist groups
in Austria-Hungary and Serbia wanted independence. France wanted Alsace Lorraine back
from Germany who was lost in 1871 Franco-Prussian war. The use of Nationalism gave nations
false hope and aggressive to win the war. Even if they weren’t able to win a war due to their
strength and understanding of plans and leaders. This leads to Imperialism. As you can see
Nationalism had made a big dent in Countries understanding and strength of war. Also how
different countries wanted land to help their plan succeed in winning the war.

5. World War I relation to theories.

In explaining patterns of war, for example, liberals do not look to inter-state imbalances of
power, bargaining failure due to private look instead to conflicting state preferences derived
from hostile nationalist or political ideologies information or uncertainty, societies, or
organizations. Liberals, disputes over appropriable economic resources, or exploitation of
unrepresented political constituencies. For liberals, a necessary condition for war is that social
pressures lead one or more "aggressor" states to possess "progressive" preferences so extreme
or risk-acceptant that other states are unwilling to submit.

For example, the further development of liberalism in Europe was brutally interrupted in 1914–
18 by the prolonged slaughter of World War I. The war overturned four of Europe’s great
imperial dynasties—Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Ottoman Turkey—and thus at
first appeared to give added impetus to liberal democracy. Europe was reshaped by the Treaty
of Versailles on the principle of national self-determination, which in practice meant the
breakup of the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman empires into nationally homogeneous
states. The League of Nations was created in the hope that negotiation would replace war as a
means of settling international disputes.
Reference

Ross. S. (2003). Causes and consequences of World War I. Chiltern street. England, Evans
brothers Limited.

Duffy. M. (2009). The causes of World War I. Retrieved from

http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm.