World War 1

World War 1

Some of the major causes of world war one include the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914. He was assassinated together with his wife by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo. The assassination was retaliation by the Serbians to the control that Austria-Hungary had in their region. It was Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia that started the First World War. Mutual defense alliances between countries extended the war. This meant that allied countries defended themselves in times of attacks. When Austria-Hungary posted a war declaration on Serbia, Russia got involved to protect Serbia and Germany declared war on Russia. France, Britain, Japan, Italy and the United States also got involved because of their alliances.

Imperialism fueled the war as more European countries fought to increase their power through conquering territories. The competition was due to the availability of raw materials in the weaker nations. Militarism was responsible for the First World War because of competition and confrontation in arms race between Germany, Great Britain and Russia. Nationalism contributed to the First World War, as more peoples that are Slavic did not fancy the Austria-Hungarian control. Nationalism of all the involved countries led to the beginning and extension of the war in Europe. It was a struggle for dominance and power between the countries.

United States of America entered the First World War in April 1917 because it conducted business with the countries involved in the War. This trade contributed to its involvement in the war because it started sending more materials and help to Britain and France. These two countries financed their war with loans from the US. Politics played a part in the US involvement, in the war given by tension between Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt. When Roosevelt made the decision to seek re-election, Wilson felt threatened and announced that the country might go to war. After Wilson won the presidential election on November 7 1916, he had idealistic reasons for making the world safer. War was declared after sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 and the occupation of Belgium. The “Zimmerman Telegram” stating that the US had to stay neutral and that Germany proposed an alliance with Mexico pushed the US to war. This telegram was transmitted to the US by the British.

In 1914, the German invasion on Belgium caused Britain to declare war on them. The year 1915 saw the war spreading as the Lusitania liner was sunk and London was attacked by German zeppelins. In 1916 came the battle of Jutland at sea, the number of casualties rose to ten million and there was an arms uprising in Dublin. The German army retreated to the Hindenburg Line in 1917. This was the same year the United States joined the war by assisting its allies. The war intensifies with gas, submarine and tank warfare and the royal family had a name-change to Windsor in a bid to appear British. In 1918, Germany launched an offensive on the western front, Britain elected a coalition government and the Armistice was signed on November 11 ending the war.

The war affected the US at home in taking extra measures to improve security within the country. The war drove the US foreign policies such as the Washington farewell address and manifest destiny and improved its position on democracy and liberty. The US emerged as a global player because of the war especially through the impact it made during the peace discussions in Versailles, France after the war.