Nationalism Before World War I

World War I

Causes and Consequences of World War I

World War 1

(Causes, America's Contribution to the War, Role of President Woodrow Wilson, Treaty of Versailles Failure)

The First World War (1914-1918) or the Great War was fought between the Allies and the Central Powers. The Allies included 27 countries of which Russia, the United States of America, France, Japan and Britain are the most prominent. The Central Powers consisted of Turkey, Germany, Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary as the chief combatants. It is the greatest and most atrocious war brawled till date.

Causes

There were a number of causes that initiated the brutality of World War I Major causes include imperialism, nationalism, materialism and alliance systems. However, the immediate cause of the beginning of the War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia. As he was killed by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914, war was declared on Serbia by Austria-Hungary. Later, Germany and Russia got involved in war as they were the allies of Austria-Hungary and Serbia respectively. To capture a clearer picture of the World War I, we must analyze the prominent causes mentioned above.

Alliances -- When two or more countries settle on helping and assisting each other in the time of need, it is called an 'alliance'. The alliances were one of the major reasons why the First World War started and continued for 4 years. There were a number of alliances signed before the Great War by almost every country of Europe. Even if a nation did not want to participate in the War, they had no other option than to aid and support their allies. Japan, Britain, United States, Germany, Russia and Belgium did not intend to involve themselves in the War. However, due to their alliances with the involved nations, they entered in the War afterwards.

Imperialism -- When an area is invaded and ruled by a country, it is said to be imperialized by that country. Due to the growth of industrialism by the 19th century, there was a constant race and rivalry among the European nations (mainly France, Germany and Britain) for the acquirement of new markets. The three countries wanted to take over lands in Asia and Africa because of the availability of raw materials in those areas. They knew that the expansion of their countries would make them the most powerful and superior authorities on the face of the earth. This escalating competition for industrial expansion was one of the major reasons that shoved them and their allies into the greatest war ever fought (World War One- Causes, 2011, para. 5).

Militarism -- When a government prefers to expand its armies and spends a large amount of money in this regard, it is stated as militarism. The European nations, particularly Britain and Germany, started increasing their military expenses and forces by the 20th century. This expansion of arms and ammunition was initiated in order to prove their superiority on the world. Other nations were also concerned and busy in building up their armies at the same time. Thus, this arms competition also led the world to the Great War (World War One -- Causes, 2011, para. 6).

Nationalism -- When a nation strongly believes and advocates its well-being and rights, that nation is said to be nationalistic. In simple words, it is the desire of a nation to prove its national superiority over other nations. Most of the European countries had great pride in their powers and influences on the world. It was the pre-war time when the Slavs inhabiting the Ottoman Empire and Austria woke up and got stimulated by their nationalistic beliefs and feelings. They decided to be a fraction of Serbia. Russia came forward for its Slav brothers to help them promote their national values and characteristics. Seeing this, the German-speaking states also rose up to attain a separate identity as a nation. Thus, a Pan-Slavism movement started which instigated the happenings of World War I (World War I, 2009, p. 52617) .

The United States of America's Contribution to the War

The United States did not take any interest to involve itself in the Great War. It did not participate in the War for the first two and a half years. The Allies expected America to provide them with war material and manpower necessary to achieve success in the War. President Woodrow Wilson made it crystal-clear to the world that America would not be a part of the War and was neutral. He hoped that the conflicts among the involved nations would be settled through negotiations and dialogues. However, as the events occurred, it appeared unavoidable for America to engage itself in the fighting and help its allies. The main causes of the entrance of America into the World War I were the sinking of Lusitania, the Zimmerman telegram and the submarine warfare (America in the Great War, 2000, para. 3).

The Germans sank Lusitania, a passenger ship, using a U-boat in 1915. The death of about 1200 innocent people in this mournful event was the major reason why America decided to come into the Great War formally. Secondly, the Zimmerman telegram proved to be another reason for the entrance of America into the War. It was a coded telegram sent to Mexico by German government. It contained a proposal for Mexico to invade United States with the German help. Fortunately, this telegram was founded and decoded by the American officials. Lastly, the declaration by Germany to attack and sink every ship which would enter in the premises of British Isles annoyed America.

The entrance of America into the War elevated the morale of Allies. They knew that now they would have unlimited availability of resources and manpower needed to gain victory against the Central Powers. In fact, the mentioned declaration from Germany is considered to be the last nail in the coffin for them

President Woodrow Wilson's Role

The role played by Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, during and after the Great War is of major significance. He led his nation through the difficulties and hardships of War in the most appropriate way.

When the World War I broke out, Wilson announced that his nation would adopt the policy of 'neutrality'. He tried to avoid war in every possible way. The sinking of Lusitania not even forced him to involve his nation in the fighting. However, when the Germans announced the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, he found himself in no position to avoid war. "In his war message Wilson stated that "the world must be made safe for democracy" and that the United States would wage war for liberty and peace" (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2009, p. 52262).

However, seeing the brutality and atrocity of the War, he came up with his Fourteen Points in January 1918. He announced his 14 points to initiate a peace settlement between all the nations involved in the Great War. The war ended in Nov 1918. He attended the Peace Conference in Paris and met renowned personalities who had the same intentions of a better world for the humanity. His greatest contribution was the promulgation of Treaty of Versailles of a League of Nations. This League mainly included the Allies who participated in the World War I. According to this treaty, Germany and its allies were responsible and guilty for the war. They were demanded to compensate the damages and loss caused by the fight (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2009, p. 52262).