Causes and consequences of 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) .

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).

Unfortunately, this treaty failed due to a number of reasons. Firstly, The League of Nations faced strong antagonism. The Central Powers were suspicious of the intentions of the Allies. They were not, in any way, ready to accept the terms and conditions of the Versailles Treaty. Secondly, the disarmament was demanded from the defeated countries. This was not acceptable as the successful Allies did not disarm themselves. Thirdly, Germany did not accept to compensate such an excessive amount of money as it was in the process of rebuilding itself. These reasons contributed to the Treaty of Versailles failure.

Conclusion

The World War I distorted the continent of Europe by every means. It is impossible to determine and estimate the loss of lives and destruction the war caused. The people were shocked and considered the world a living hell. However, they had high hopes that the League of Nations would make efforts to create as better an environment as it was, before the commencement of War. Unfortunately, they were unknown of the fact that they will be facing another atrocious and cruel World War II in the approaching years.