Who Was Responsible For World War One

258 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Causes and Effects of WWI

World War One, otherwise known as the "Great War” lasted from 1914 to 1918. The start of the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He was assassinated in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914. Ferdinand's death was at the hands of the Black Hand, a Serbian terrorist society, and these series of events are what sparked the world's first global war. Arguing that the Serbian government was responsible for the actions of the Black Hand, the Austro-Hungarians took the opportunity to stamp its authority upon the Serbians, crushing the nationalist movement there and strengthening Austria-Hungary's influence in the Balkans. It did so by issuing an ultimatum to Serbia, which in the list of its demands, the

Show More
Related

  • Woodrow Wilson and World War I

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    Woodrow Wilson, our 23rd president, became involved in a war that he did not want any part of. Wilson wanted to remain neutral and have peace as in his first term of office. During World War I Wilson’s roles in the war became well known in all countries. Wilson wanted peace more than anything else. In seeking for peace Wilson asked Congress for the U.S. to enter World War I. which may not sound like a peace strategy but Wilson felt it was the only way to stop Germany and gain peace. Wilson wrote his speech for world peace, Fourteen Points, that he was probably most famous for. He attended and played an integral part in The Treaty of Versailles. He was the founder of the League of Nations, which he talked about in his Fourteen Points speech. .

    Read More

  • Nationalism And Imperialism

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War I, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, and had a huge impact on the world throughout the twentieth century. This conflict is commonly referred to as the Great War and primarily involved Europeans. Although, other countries, particularly European colonial holdings, did participate. Before World War I began, no one expected such a destructive conflict, as many nations approached the idea of war with enthusiasm. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, European nations began to expand their colonial holdings, strengthen their militaries, and in 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot. The primary cause of World War I was nationalism, as European imperialism, militarism, and the assassination of Ferdinand are examples of nationalism

    Read More

  • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferninand of Austria

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria visited the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. A group of six assassins, supplied by a Bosnian based terrorist group the Black Hand, had gathered on the streets where the Archduke's motorcade would pass. Some attempted to kill the Archduke, including one who attempted to throw a grenade at the car but missed. Others failed to act as the car drove past them. Later on the route through the city, the motorcade took a wrong turn onto a previously designated street. Gavrilo Princip, a Black Hand assassin, stood waiting with a pistol. Princip shot and killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. However, the assassination received almost disregard back in Austria. Yet, the death of the Archduke and his wife would be the beginning of an all out war in Europe as Austria-Hungary would declare war on Serbia. This declaration would bring in Germany on the side of Austria-Hungarian empire and Russia aiding the Serbians. By joining sides this would convey in France, Great Britain and during the later part of the war, Italy, Japan and the United States. Official war began on July 28, 1914.

    Read More

  • World War I: The Assassination of Austrian Emperor's Nephew

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War one started with the assassination of the Austrian emperor's nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on June 18, 1914, while they were visiting Sarajevo, part of the Austria-Hungary Empire, the province of Bosnia Herzegovina. The assassination by a Serbian Nationalist caused the Austria Hungary Empire to plan to start war against Serbia. Instead of reacting quickly to the incident, Austria Hungary made sure to have a treaty with Germany. This allowed Serbia to create a treaty with Russia. Russia also had a treaty with France and Britain. Austria Hungary declared war on the July 28, 1914, over a month after the assassination. By then most of Europe was involved. The two main sides of this war were the allied forces, and the central powers. The allied forces consisted of France, UK, and Russia, and the central powers were Germany and Austria Hungary. WW1 was from 1914 to 1919, resulting in 10 million military deaths, and 20 million injured. Originally, the allied forces wanted the United States to join the war, but the US was neutral. However, two events changed this opinion. In 1915, a German U-boat sunk the British Ocean liner RMS Lusitania. This was a neutral passenger ship, and the Americans were furious when it was sunk, as 159 of the passengers were American. Also, in 1917, Mexico was sent a coded message from Germany, which was intercepted by the British and shown to the US. The message promised sections of US land in return for entering the war on the German side. On April 6, 1917, the US entered the war. Russia, during this time, was planning on getting out of the war. In 1917, a revolution happened, removing the czar from power. The new communist government wanted to focus on intern...

    Read More

  • The origins of World War One

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    The origins of World War One The Fritz Fisher thesis Fritz Fisher focuses on the Kaiser, Gottlieb von Jagow, Bethmann Hollweg and Helmut von Moltke. These four were the German leading figures at that time; Fischer is convinced that these people were responsible for the outbreak of World War One. Fischer’s three main claims were: 1.     Germany was prepared to launch the First World War in order to become a great power. 2.     Germany encouraged Austria-Hungary to start a war with Serbia, and continued to do so, even when it seemed clear that such a war could not be localized.

    Read More

  • Who is Responsible for Causing World War I?

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    In August of 1914, the war to end all wars began. The First World War saw incredible amounts of casualties because of new fighting techniques and technology, among other reasons. While it is clear who the victors of the war were after the battles had been fought and the Peace of Paris signed, what is not clear is who started this war. Historians have debated this question since the very early stages of the war and it is one that still remains without one concrete answer. A common elementary history textbook will explain the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria as the sole cause for World War one, but further research seriously brings this statement into question. I feel as though it was not one single person, or even a single country who/that caused the war, but rather a series of events and situations which include the following: the allying of countries and preparing for war which preceded the fighting itself, the actions of the Black Hand as a message of Serbian nationalists, the persuasion of Austria-Hungary by Germany for a swift retribution for this act, and Russia's swift mobilization of troops along the Central Powers' eastern border in the early stages of the war.

    Read More

  • The origins of the First World War

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Balkan nationalism was a major factor in the outbreak of the WWI .It is one of the long-term causes which caused European powers to declare war to each other. Even if the war between Austria and Serbia was expected to be a short one it culminated into a worldwide conflict that lasted four years. The idea of Pan-Slavism was the result of Serbian’s nationalism and Serbia refused to be oppressed by Austria-Hungary. Serbs demanded for rights of self-governance and unified state. However their neighbor Austria-Hungary wanted to become imperial power and she implied territorial expansion. Historians have different opinions about this subject and because of its complexity it is not possible to say that none of them is completely right. Balkan countries were a big threat for her foreign policy and this led to the culmination of their conflict and the outbreak of the war. Although nationalism is important in understanding the outbreak of WWI, there are many underlying causes that together culminated into a worldwide conflict. It is hard to reach the final answer on the question which relates to the extent of the importance of Balkan nationalism in the outbreak of the war because there are many different perspectives in understanding this question. For example Ruth Henig’s opinion is that Balkan nationalism was extremely important for the war and sees the guilt of Austria-Hungary for its outbreak. On the other hand John Leslie says that the responsible is Germany :“Austria-Hungary can be held responsible for planning a local Austro-Serb conflict, which was linked to its fears about Balkan nationalism, but Germany, which was not interested in this quarrel, quite deliberately used it as an opportunity to launch the European war which Austria-...

    Read More

  • The Underlying Cause Of World War I

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    The underlying cause of World War I was the build up of Nationalism, Imperialism, and Militarism in the 1800s. The “three isms” caused this great war due to the outcry in which they caused within the countries and their citizens including military build up, severe nationalism, patriotism, and extending a country 's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Causes Of The First World War

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first world war started in August 1914. The assassination of the Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife directly triggered the war, but it is believed by most that this was only a spark to start the war, and that there were many other factors leading up to it. These factors include a strong sense of nationalism and militarism within the countries, and the fight for the Balkans between Russia and Austria-Hungary. With imperialism already causing tensions between countries, some believe that the war was inevitable. There is ultimately no main cause or event that triggered the war, but a lot of small tensions that built up over time, eventually coming to a head and starting the war.

    Read More

  • Dbq World War 1

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War I, also referred to as the Great War, was global conflict among the greatest Western powers and beyond. From 1914-1918, this turf war swept across rivaling nations, intensifying oppositions and battling until victory was declared. World War I was immediately triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, however several long-term causes also contributed. The growing development of militarism, the eruption of powerful alliances, as well as the spread of imperialism, and a deepening sense of nationalism, significantly promoted to the outbreak of the Great War.

    Read More

  • Who To Blame for the World War II

    1738 Words  | 4 Pages

    Who To Blame for the World War II World War II began on the 3rd September when Britain and France declared war on Germany after they had invaded Poland. Ever since the end of WWI Europe had been divided into different camps. The ideas of peace during the 1920s and 30s had been designed to eliminate the gaps between the camps. Unfortunately, this never worked and so Europe was still divided into two main camps when war was declared. Britain and France in Western Europe were the leaders of one camp.

    Read More

  • Essay On What Was The Underlying Cause Of World War 1

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Militarism, Imperialism, Nationalism, Alliances, and Assassinations all contributed to cause the World War 1 in 1914. World War 1 was four long and terrible years, which took millions of people lives. In addition, many soldiers died while fighting along the Western and Eastern Fronts. One month after Archduke Franz was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in 1914. The World War 1 wouldn’t had happened with the three main and most important cause which are, militarism, imperialism, and

    Read More

  • The Cause of the Great War: World War I

    2053 Words  | 5 Pages

    World War I was a conflict that claimed over 10 million peoples’ lives, ravaged all of Europe and engineered modern warfare, as it is know today. The Great War has been scrutinized and examined through many complex theories in order to understand how such a conflict escalated to one of the most epic wars in history. This essay, like many works before it, looks to examine WWI and determine its causes through two distinct levels of analysis, individual and systemic. The individual level of analysis locates the cause of conflicts in individual leaders or decision makers within a particular country, focusing on the characteristics of human decision-making. The systemic level of analysis explains the causation of a conflict from a system wide level that includes all states, taking in to account the distribution of power and the interaction of states in the international system.

    Read More

  • The First World War (WWI)

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.

    Read More

  • The Responsibility of Hitler for World War Two

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Responsibility of Hitler for World War Two In this essay I will be looking at the main causes of World War 2 and deciding whether it was all Adolf Hitler's fault that it began. I will be looking at things Hitler did, other causes and then concluding with my opinion. In some ways the war was Hitler's fault.

    Read More

More about Who Was Responsible For World War One

Open Document