Views on causes of the First World War

Essay by Ahmer KamdarUniversity, Bachelor's February 2005

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There has been numerous occasion when as a society we found ourselves wanting. The outbreak of First World War was surely one of them. The horror of World War 1 still lingers in the minds of people. Leadership faltered, and our strategic vision dismantled. The war was fought on the grounds that never existed. This war was based on deception, lies and manipulation.

History recalls these wars as The First World War of The Great War that proved to be of crucial influence in defining the succeeding history of Europe and the World. Historians argue that there were numerous reasons for the outbreak of war. There were many pressure groups and political figures who contributed to the misery of the whole world. World War I involved nations spanning more than half the globe.

It lasted from 1914 to 1918 and was called The Great War or the war to end all wars until World War II started.

Some scholars believe that the First World War was simply the first phase of a 30-year-long war that entailed the time frame of 1914 to 1945. The outbreak of the clash is often ascribed to the European alliances. Germany-Austria-Italy formed an alliance against France-Russia; Britain and Serbia supported France and Russia. In fact none of the alliances was initiated in the early outbreak, though Russian general mobilization and Germany's declaration of war against France were motivated by fear of the opposing alliance being brought into play. (Background and origins)

Germany's strategy to deal with the Franco-Russian alliance involved delivering a knock-out punch to the French and then making a progress with the more slowly mobilized Russian army. The German Army demanded free passage across Belgium and Luxembourg. Germany invaded when they were denied. They occupied Luxembourg quickly but encountered resistance at the Belgian...