Feature Articles: The Causes of World War One

Feature Articles: The Causes of World War One Updated - Saturday, 27 March, 2004 June 28 in Sarajevo We'll start with the facts and work back: it may make it all the easier to understand how World War One actually happened. The events of July and early August 1914 are a classic case of "one thing led to another" - otherwise known as the treaty alliance system. The explosive that was World War One had been long in the stockpiling; the spark was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. Ferdinand's death at the hands of the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist secret society, set in train a mindlessly mechanical series of events that culminated in the world's first global war. Austria-Hungary's Reaction Austria-Hungary's reaction to the death of their heir (who was in any case not greatly beloved by the Emperor, Franz Josef, or his government) was three weeks in coming. Arguing that the Serbian government was implicated in the machinations of the Black Hand (whether she was or not remains unclear, but it appears unlikely), the Austro-Hungarians opted to take the opportunity to stamp its authority upon the Serbians, crushing the nationalist movement there and cementing Austria-Hungary's influence in the Balkans. It did so by issuing an ultimatum to Serbia which, in the extent of its demand that the

  • Word count: 842
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Questions on World War One.

Questions on World War One To what extent did nationalism within the Austria-Hungarian Empire contribute to the outbreak of war in 1914? Nationalism within Austria-Hungary: a struggle for self-determination. But Austria-Hungary was brave to meet the challenge and to struggle for preservation of the Empire. Result: internally, proposal of extending the dual rule to a triple or a quadruple one; externally, nationalistic rivalries started between Austria and Serbia, between Austria and Russia. Her solution was to annex neighbouring states having fellow peoples within the Empire. It contributed to the outbreak of Austro-Serbian War. But the extension of these rivalries was caused by the alliance system and militarism. If nationalism within Austria-Hungary contributed, so did nationalism of other powers (Pan-Slavism, Greater Serbia Movement, French Revanchism, Pan-Germanism, etc.) The Great War was caused by a complexity of conflicts. To what extent was nationalism a disruptive force in Europe during the period 1900-1914? Nationalism . Nationalism aimed at national independence in initial stage 2. It looked to national expansion and domination National conflicts in the period of 1900-1914 . Nationalism in the Balkans to struggle to remain independent. - they wanted to dismember the Ottoman Empire and drive the Turks from Europe. To save the Empire, the Young Turks

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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To what extent can Germany be blamed for causing World War One?

To What Extent can Germany be Blamed for Causing World War One? There were many factors causing the First World War Germany; however was to accept full responsibility in the treaty of Versailles. All the countries played some role and it is unfair to say Germany is the sole cause of the war. However it is reasonable to say Germany was more responsible than the other countries at starting the war. This goes back years before the start of the war. Bismarck originally formed the three Emperor's League in 1872 to diplomatically isolate France. He then antagonized France, which resulted in the "war in sight" crisis. Unfortunately for him, he then realised that there could be a real possibility of war on two fronts since both Russia and Britain condemned this incident provocative, and at the same time proved that this alliance was very thin. By this alliance Germany was then drawn into the Austro-Russian clash over the Balkans in 1877. Nationalism was threatening the Austrian Empire, and Russian had to aid her fellow Slavs. Germany supported Austria in an attempt to prevent France form getting a potential ally. Later Austria and Russia made an agreement and so Austria stayed neutral and Russia then imposed the San Stefano treaty. This was declared to harsh by Britain and Austria. This left Russia humiliated and angry at Germany for failing them in support at the Congress of

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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World War One

The first line in his poem describes the troops as being "like old beggars under sacks". This not only says that the men are tired but that they are so tired they have been compared to old beggers. "Coughing like hags" suggests that these young men who were in their teens were suffering from illness due to the damp, and fumes from the decaying bodies of their soldiers. Another simile Wilfred used is "His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin'' suggests that his face is probably covered with blood which is the colour representing the devil. He also used a very powerful metaphor "vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues'' this metaphor tell you that the troops will never forget these horrific experiences. As you can see Wilfred Owen has used figurative language so effectively that the reader gets drawn into the poem. The lines Wilfred Owen uses create a image in your mind and can make you feel the pain and sickness for example in one of hes lines he says "If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud'' this shows us that so many men were brutally killed during this war, their death was so painful and slow it seemed like cancer. Lines like this one play a massiv role in poem it creates such a disturbing image to the reader that it makes them feel bad for sending people to war. . In

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Should any one nation be held responsible for the outbreak of the First World War?

History Essay Should any one nation be held responsible for the outbreak of the First World War? By Edward Smirnoff From 1870 to 1914 was a time in history where tensions were high between the major nations of Europe. The major reasons for these tensions to occur were: The Imperial Rivalry where Europeans colonised parts of Africa and Asia for reasons such as economy and ideological reasons. The Arms Race where Germany began building a large navy as a sign of strength. The British saw this as a threat of invasion and therefore began to build a larger navy themselves. Nationalism Larger countries wanted to expand their boundaries, while groups such as the Serbs, Slavs, Czechs, and the Bulgarians wanted their independence from Austria - Hungary, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Alliance System where Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary became known as the Triple Alliance and France, Russia and Britain became known as the Triple Entente. The situation in the Balkans where wars were constantly fought between the Balkan countries, also Austria wanted to use the land to expand, Russia wanted an outlet to the Mediterranean through the lands and so did not like the power Austria had in the Balkans because it saw herself as a natural leader of the Balkans as the people living there were Slavs and from the same background. Serbia was the strongest Balkan country and did not let

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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World War One

History Coursework- World War One . The writer and cartoonist who designed Source A are trying to send the message to British readers that the troops have hit the Somme with succession and are winning the battle. The picture in the source is a map of the Western Front being portrayed as a German or the Kaiser. The outlined face looks as though he is about to swallow Verdun but also has a look of surprise as a fist, which is labelled as 'British Army', is pummelling straight onto the Germans nose, which is where the Somme is marked. This is implying that the Britons are attacking the Somme with force, damaging the German army and having more power than them. The punch is also meant to represent the new attack on the Somme forcing the Kaiser away from Verdun. The title ' The Day Goes Well For Our Patriotic Heroes' is also another piece of lying and misleading propaganda that is giving the idea that the first day of the Battle of the Somme was successful on Britain's behalf. It also shows that we are winning the war giving people at home the thought of joining the army when in fact a considerably large amount of men have had to sacrifice their life with 20,000 dead on the first day. Both sources are propaganda supporting the success of the war when they are untrue and have miss-led readers into thinking the Battle of the Somme was a hard hitting battle when it was a very

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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World War One Poetry

Compare and contrast the purpose and style of Wilfred Owen's First World War poetry with the purpose and style of contemporary recruitment poems. The Ballad of Peace and War- Wilfred Owen Dulce et Decorum Est- Wilfred Owen Anthem for Doomed Youth- Wilfred Owen Who's for the Game?- Jessie Pope Fall In- Harold Begbie "What passing bells for those who die as cattle?" Wilfred Owen, Anthem for Doomed Youth "Who wants a turn to himself in the show?" Jessie Pope, Who's for the Game? The First World War began in 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on the 28th of June. The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was shot by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student. As retribution for this, Austria-Hungary demanded that Serbia

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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World War One Poetry.

World War One Poetry Assignment World War One began on the fourth of August 1914 Troops from Britain, France, Italy and Russia the USA fought troops from Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. There were many reasons for this; Germany and France were quarrelling over who owned the Alsace-Lorraine region. Russia was fighting the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany about who should control the Balkan States and Germany was also eager to gain power over other European nations. There was fighting on land and sea, yet we especially remember the men who fought in the trenches, as they played a major part in this horrific war. We often refer to this as Trench Warfare - a new and shocking type of warfare which characterised the bloody battles of World War One. The trenches were in the Western part of Europe and were home to millions of men between 1914 and 1918, living in horrific conditions for days at a time. They spent their days with nasty medical conditions such as 'Trench Foot' and had to see scarring memories every day of their lives. Over the war time years 8,538,315 men were killed, 21,219,452 were wounded and 7,750,919 were taken prisoner by the enemy or were pronounced missing. Under these awful conditions many men found it hard to cope and needed a way to escape from everyday trench life and explore their feelings more deeply. Many of these men did so by writing

  • Word count: 2045
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Source Based Question on World War One: A model answer.

Source Based Question on World War One: A model answer Answer: Sources B, C, D and E imply that German military planning made it impossible for Germany accept a peaceful solution. On 2nd August 1914, the Schlieffen Plan was put into operation when the German Army invaded Belgium. The successful execution of Germany's Schlieffen Plan was contingent on carrying out the plan meticulously according to its timetabling. On the whole, the said sources imply that the inflexibility of the mobilization plans and preparations for war, more particularly the German Schlieffen Plan made it inevitable that the Austro-Serbian dispute would turn into a general European war. Once priority was given to military factors the momentum towards war seemed irresistible. Source C is the clearest of all the sources, explaining how the Schlieffen Plan involved "advance through Belgium" and "Everything depends on meticulous planning and surprise..." The success of the Schlieffen depended on the Germans achieving victory over France before Russia could fully mobilize. Germany was banking on using the excellent lateral railways that were being built to move masses of troops from a conquered France to the East, and then beat the Russians too. This source sets out in blunt language, pointing out in no uncertain terms how the Liege fortress had to be "taken at once" just as soon as mobilization

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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World War One Poetry

The first world war may have been a time of great suffering and pain for thousands but it was also a time that gave inspiration to some of the greatest poets and helped them write some of the greatest war poetry ever written. In this essay I will look at how the style of poetry and the attitude of the poets changed over the course of the war. The first poem that I'm going to look at is Jessie Pope's who's for the game. Jessie wrote poems for the daily mail she was hated by poet Wilfred Owen for her lack of feeling for soldiers on the western front and the way she supported the war from the safety of the home front. The poem who's for the game is a poem that was written to encourage young men to sign up for the army and help their country in the war. The poem treats war as a game like football or rugby, it starts who's for the game the biggest that's played, this is a total lack of understanding for what war is really like. She calls war a picnic and makes men feel like cowards if they didn't sign up. The volunteer was another poem written to make men sign up for the war. It was written by Herbert Asquith, about a man who all his life had a boring job until he went away to fight for his country. Although he died all his dreams are now complete as he has died with honour and he will go to join the great soldiers of the past. As the course of the war went on the attitude of

  • Word count: 761
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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