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World War One Essay
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Message 1.Â
Posted by Hayley-Ox- (U13792364) on Wednesday, 21st January 2009
ive gotta write an essay about how murder led to war in 1914.
any help ?
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Message 2
Posted by Stepney Boy (U1760040) on Wednesday, 21st January 2009
Hi,
Enjoy
What Really Caused World War 1?
History books record that World War I started when the nations went to war to avenge the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the Habsburg throne, on June 28, 1914.
This is the typical explanation. But the "revisionist historian" knows just what caused and what the purpose was of the conflagration of World War I.
Up until America's entry into this war, the American people had followed the wise advice of President George Washington given in his farewell address, delivered to the nation on September 17, 1796. President Washington said: "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world.... Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humour or caprice?'
President Washington attempted to warn the American people about getting embroiled in the affairs of Europe. But in 1914, it was not to be. There were those who were secretly planning America's involvement in World War I whether the American people wanted it or not.
Perhaps some more research required
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Message 3
Posted by Nielsen2 (U13686196) on Wednesday, 21st January 2009
Hi,
As spike so rightly summarized '... Perhaps some more research required'.
If that's not an option then perhaps a small search backwards on this W & C board.
Some really interesting discussions have evolved here that led to some fine new theories being spun and woven, assembled and disassembled.
Good luck with your homework. -
Message 4
Posted by colinclout (U1717776) on Wednesday, 21st January 2009
I don't know about America's secret plans ... yes there certainly were people who favoured involvement, a minority .... Former President Roosevelt was one example - he made no secret of it. He believed that it was in the interests of America to maintain a balance of power in Europe. But America does not have a tradition of understanding Realpolitik.
But my understanding is that the assassination - the assassination by a specific group of the time - merely started the ball rolling.
The Austrians had signed a treaty with the Germans and the Germans used what happened as a pretext for war (to expand/change their borders, which had been done for hundreds of years before in Europe) - they launched a pre-emptive attack against the French in addition to attacking the Russians - who in addition to defending the Slavic people were interested in expanding and defending what they considered their area of influence.
Russian and German troops were in the field before Austrian or Serbians met each other.
As much as the cause of the Crimean War was the treatment of some Christians in the Ottoman Empire, the death of Ferdinand was the cause of World War One. -
Message 5
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Wednesday, 21st January 2009
Re: Message 4.
Colinclout,
welcome to these historymessageboards (I know you already posted once sometime ago).
I mostly agree with you, but I have always difficulties with the term "cause". I have it already more than fifty years from the beginning of studying history at school. And it is a problem for every description of a conflict. Many schoolbooks did it in my opinion the right way making a distinction between the "causes, reasons" (Dutch: "oorzaak") and the "inducement, motive, occasion" (Dutch: "aanleiding"). In this particular case I find the distinction better explained in Dutch than in English.
See also my message 26 to Nikolaos in the "If there'd been no WW1 etc" thread.
Many historybooks however are sloppy and create a wrong view for the reader.
For instance for WWI: the "causes" (oorzaken) were the growing industrial output from the new German empire that was exceeding the UK, the danger for the British empire from the new German "Flottenverein", the not settled especcially in the eyes of the Germans of the Franco-German settlement (and less in the eyes of the French Third Republic. That's perhaps stuff for a thread apart) There are other causes too. I found them once for this research all on one page).
And the "inducement, motive, occasion" (aanleiding) was Gavrilo (and even that it was an "occasional"! spark is my Greek friend Nikolaos contesting).
Warm regards,
Paul. -
Message 6
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Wednesday, 21st January 2009
Hailey,
as my Danish friend Nielsen said, there is a lot about the causes of WWI on these boards. The archive goes as far as 2005. Click on the several numbers above the last list of discussions on the several messageboards to go back.
If, I wasn't so busy on these messageboards and on a French history messageboard I would do it for you as I took part in nearly every discussion about WWI.
Warm regards,
Paul.
PS: See also my message to Colin. -
Message 7
Posted by peteratwar (U10629558) on Thursday, 22nd January 2009
The trigger was the murder of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo by Serbian extremists. However it was only the trigger
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Message 8
Posted by Mani (U1821129) on Thursday, 22nd January 2009
Hayley,
It is far too simplistic to suggest that the Assassination of Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand led to the start of the Great War.
His assassination was by ‘The Black Hand’ a Serbian Nationalist group, ad specifically by Gavi Princip.
A more reasonable explanation would be that the great war happened as far too many nations wanted war more than peace.
The French wanted revenge for their humiliation in The Franco-Prussian war, The British Empire had been in an Arms race with Imperial Germany for some time, and also had a long standing foreign policy that required a balance of power on the continent.
Smaller (later) nations wanted independence from the Hapsburg/ Austro-Hungarian Empire. Russia was allied to France.
Although it is a bit of a myth that Kaiser Wilhelm instigated the war, he did instigate the Arms race with Great Britain after reading the so called ‘Risk Theory Memo’ from Admiral Tirpitz – Look this up.
As said above, Wilhelm didn’t want war, but was obliged to by his general Staff and obligations to Austro-Hungary.
Some more things for you to investigate. -
Message 9
Posted by Amphion (U3338999) on Friday, 23rd January 2009
Oh dear, my wristwatch has stopped!
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Message 10
Posted by Stoggler (U1647829) on Friday, 23rd January 2009
I heard that it started when a bloke called Archie Duke shot an ostrich 'cause he was hungry.
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Message 11
Posted by colinclout (U1717776) on Monday, 2nd February 2009
Re: Message 5.
Hello, Paul - if you happen to see this. Yes, I agree with you too. I tried to condense matters a bit. I initially began writing the few paragraphs by mentioning Aristotle's four causes - but I couldn't write something of that sort in 100 words.
The jump in industrial ouput by Germany, a recently united Germany - definitely as well. And the rest as well, I am not in disagreement with you.
Thanks indeed. -
Message 12
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Monday, 2nd February 2009
Re: Message 11.
Colin,
cheers, Paul. -
Message 13
Posted by delrick53 (U13797078) on Tuesday, 3rd February 2009
Spike, you don't seem to know when the USA entered WW1, I'm shocked!
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Message 14
Posted by DANNY-FRANKS (U2186615) on Wednesday, 4th February 2009
The assassination was the trigger to set the two armed camps fighting, but ironically it was the failure of the Schliffen Plan that made it into a world war. If the Plan was successful and France had been knocked out, the full weight of German forces could have been turned to Russia. The war may have been over in months maybe a year, and the rest of the world wouldn't have been dragged in....
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Message 15
Posted by Mani (U1821129) on Wednesday, 4th February 2009
Danny,
Thety didn't use the Schlieffen plan. The plan they used, which was from Helmuth von Moltke the Younger was different to the original. -
Message 16
Posted by LairigGhru (U5452625) on Wednesday, 4th February 2009
Has anyone mentioned the complicated series of alliances and treaties ("If such and such were ever to happen, then we would ..."). This, too, was a very strong factor in the tragedy.
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Message 17
Posted by Allan D (U1791739) on Wednesday, 4th February 2009
Not really. There was no treaty between Russia and Serbia, the only tie being that of sentiment and Slav ethnicity. The Triple Entente was invalidated by Germany declaring war against both Russia and France and attacking both simultaneously (and anyway the Entente was precisely that, an 'understanding' with no firm committments).
Italy did not feel bound by her committments under the Triple Alliance to enter the war in 1914 (and indeed entered the war a year later on the Allied side). The only alliance that really mattered was that between Germany and Austria-Hungary which enabled AH to issue its ultimatum to Serbia after the so-called 'blank cheque' issued to Austria by the German Government.
The other committment which resulted in war was Britain's (along with other European countries) 1839 guarantee of the borders of Belgium. That this provoked British belligerency should have hardly been a source of surprise since attacks on the Low Countries had provoked British intervention against Spain and France under both Louis XIV and the Jacobins. -
Message 18
Posted by LairigGhru (U5452625) on Friday, 6th February 2009
Many would regard what you have said as too dismissive. I transcribe a paragraph from one book in my possession:
"Austria-Hungary was allied to Germany, Serbia was the protege of Russia, and Russia was the ally of France. Italy and Rumania, although formally allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary, had shown signs of undependability. As for Britain, she had ententes - but not alliances - with France and Russia. These inter-relationships meant that potentially the Sarajevo crisis might escalate into a European war." -
Message 19
Posted by Allan D (U1791739) on Saturday, 7th February 2009
I think your quotation belies your argument. Serbia was the "protege" not the ally of Russia. Two wars had been fought in the Balkans immediately prior to WWI, one against the Ottoman Empire and one against Bulgaria, both involving Serbia but neither involving Russia. Italy and Rumania, whatever their alleged "undependability" were allies of Germany and Austria-Hungary and therefore part of the alliance system that supposedly caused WWI yet both remained firmly neutral on the outbreak of hostilities and eventually entered the conflict on the Allied side.
The author rightly states that Britain had no firm military alliances with either France or Russia although had taken part in military planning with both. The operative word is "might" it only became "did" due to the actions of the German Government and High Command. Germany declared war on France for reasons unconnected with the Balkan crisis (for supposedly bombing Nuremberg) and the British declaration of war resulted from a German plan that had been originally devised 2 decades earlier. -
Message 20
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Sunday, 8th February 2009
"Si pacem vis para bellvm". Result - World War I.
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