World War I

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World War I

World War I involved more countries and caused greater destruction than any other

war, except World War II. An assassin's bullet set off the war, and a system of military

agreements plunged the main European powers into the fight. Each side expected a quick

victory; but the war lasted four years and took the lives of nearly ten million military

troops.

Military drafts raised larger armies than ever before, and extreme patriotism gave men

a cause they were willing to die for. Progaganda whipped up support for the war by

making the enemy seem villainous.

On June 28, 1914, an assassin gunned down Archduke Francis Ferdinard of

Austria-Hungary in Sarejevo, the capital of Austria-Hungary's province of Bornia. The

killer, Gavrilo Princip, had ties to a terrorist organization in Serbia. Austria-Hungary

believed that Serbia?s government was behind the assassination. It seized the

opportunity to declare war on Serbia and settle an old feud.

Austria-Hungary decided to use this assassination as an excuse to settle its fight with

Serbia. Germany backed Austria, and on July 23 Austria presented a warlike ultimatum

to Serbia. It allowed forty-eight hours for a reply. On July 28, Austria refused Serbia?s

reply and declared war on Serbia.

All nations in Europe had been expecting war and rival groups had been making

treaties and alliances for many years. Europe was divided into two camps. Germany,

Austria-Hungary, and Italy were members of the Triple Alliance, or Central Powers. ...

... middle of paper ...

...y historians have stated,

?The actuality of harsh compromises in the treaties along with continued violence in some

nations, distrust among the peoples, and a sharp recession produced a widespread sense of

disillustionment.? Peace agreements after the war did change the map of the world.

New governments appeared in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland, Germany,

Hungary, Latvia, Lithunia, Poland, Russia, Yugoslavia, and several countries of western

Asia. However this war did not solve the world?s problems. The peace settlements that

followed created conditions that plunged the world into another war less than twenty

years later. (Tuchman)

Works Cited

Bender,David L. World War I. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998.

Tuchman, Barbara W. The Guns of August: Macmillan, 1962.

World Book Encyclopedia. Copyright 1996, V.21 World Book, Inc.

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