Why Did The First World War Break Out in 1914?

Why Did The First World War Break Out in 1914? The First World War was the most terrible war ever known due to the number of deaths that took place each day on the gory battlefields of the war. Altogether eight million soldiers lost their lives fighting in the trenches. The system of trenches stretched across Europe from the English Channel to Switzerland and soldiers faced their foe across a few hundred metres of churned up ground with barbed wire known as 'No Man's Land'. The grounds in and around the trenches were turned into a huge ocean of mud because of the rain and exploding bullets. It was impossible to attack the other side's trenches effectively because they were so greatly secured. Twenty million people were wounded and there was an extensive destruction, which ravaged cities and their civilian populations. The First World War lasted for four whole years and broke out in 1914 due to a number of reasons. The reasons that led the nations of Europe and later the world to go to war in 1914 are complex, and it is impossible to say the war started because of one single cause. There are a series of events, which derived in the early 19th century, which engulfed most of Europe by 4th August 1914. Some causes of the war were long-term whereas others were short term. One reason for the outbreak of the war in 1914 was the competition for colonies between the European

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 4337
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

Was Nicholas II Responsible for His Own Downfall? What can you learn from Source A about the situation in February 1917?

James Taylor 11MA Was Nicholas II Responsible for His Own Downfall? a) What can you learn from Source A about the situation in February 1917? Source A is an extract from Tsaritsa Alexandra's diary from the 25th February 1917. After reading through the source I believe it to be inaccurate and not very reliable. This for a number of reasons, the first sentence reads: 'Young people run and shout that there is no bread, simply to create excitement'. This is very incorrect, the workers weren't demonstrating just to create excitement; the workers wanted the price of bread lowered. Also the source says: 'But all this will pass and become calm if only the Duma will behave itself' The truth is the Duma was behaving itself, and although they wanted to take over the Empire, the Duma in fact had nothing to do with the demonstrations led by the peasants. The Duma was the Russian parliament, which Tsar Nicholas II created in an effort to make himself popular, but he later ignored the Duma and led the country using the army. Source A is inaccurate, although I believe there is a simple explanation. Tsaritsa Alexandra has written in her diary what she believes to be true. As the Tsar's palace is far outside Petrograd, I think the information from the centre of the city must have been altered slightly by the time it reached Tsaritsa Alexandra. As source A is quite inaccurate you

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 3411
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

Treaty Of versailles

A) What military restrictions in the Treaty of Versailles were imposed on Germany? The Allies imposed many military restrictions in the Treaty of Versailles to ensure that Germany would never again pose a military threat. The Treaty of Versailles contained a number of provisions to that end. Among them was the requirement that the Rhineland became demilitarized to ensure Germany couldn't attack France. In addition, no German troops were allowed to enter the Rhineland. Strict limits were placed on the size of Germany's armed forces. It was restricted to 100,000 men. The manufacture of military aircraft, tanks and submarines was prohibited. Furthermore, the navy could only build 6 battle ships. The German government also had to ban conscription- all soldiers had to be on a voluntary basis. This meant that people had the choice to join the army instead of being forced. B) Question: Explain why the 'Big Three' disagree over how to treat Germany. The 'Big Three' disagreed on how Germany should be treated on many occasions. As the talks at Versailles went on it became clear that the objectives and outcomes of the Big Three were very different. This was mainly down to the fact that the Big Three had different aims for the treaty. Clemenceau wanted the treaty to be very harsh. Whereas Wilson, wanted the treaty to be fair and wanted world peace. However Lloyd George was often in

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2883
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

Was The Treaty Of Versailles Justified?

Was The Treaty Of Versailles Justified? The Treaty Of Versailles was an agreement between 32 nations deciding the fate of Germany. It was needed badly as war torn Europe was in turmoil. France had been devastated by the effects of war and sought to cripple Germany. The British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, realised the severe implications that this could have and so wanted a more lenient peace treaty. The American public had little interest in Post War Europe but their President, Woodrow Wilson, wanted a Germany that would make a good neighbour in Europe, hence his fourteen points. To reach a compromise a meeting was needed at the small palace of Versailles, not far from the French capital, Paris. Here the leaders of 'The Big Four', Orlando, Clemenceau, Wilson and George, representing Italy, France, Britain and America respectively, tried to find a lasting peace for Europe. This meeting was intended to bring stability ad peace into a crippled Europe. The date set was June 28th, 1919 and the members of 32 nations met up, in a council of 10, to agree on terms of peace for Germany, however none of the defeated nations were present at this meeting including Russia whose Government was not acknowledged by the Allies. The treaty was to last for 12 months and was to be a long and arduous task, even impeding Wilson's health, but what was the outcome and was the treaty justified?

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2706
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

What Were the Consequences of the First World War for the British People 1914 - 1924?

What Were the Consequences of the First World War for the British People 1914 - 1924? There were many consequences and changes to British society because of the war, both positive and negative, however if you look closely some of the changes such as women obtaining the right to vote could have happened naturally - war or no war. The war provided many changes both socially, economically and politically. One such social change was the population of men declining drastically, this was of course because of the death toll as a result of the war. As a result of this the population of women went up from 595 per thousand to 638 per thousand and the proportion of widows went from 38% - 43% and there were also now 3.5 million orphans. (1) So since women now outnumbered men it would be harder to ignore them, which meant since they outnumbered men more than they used to, they would have to be treated better, since women were the ones who had to bring up all the kids to make up for the loss. The other consequence of the great loss of men is that children lost their fathers and people had lost friends and relatives. `It was virtually impossible to avoid losing a relative or close acquaintance' (2). The severe loss was the most important change in society. The sadness of losing loved ones would have been unbearable. It also had a knock on effect towards industry and unemployment, because

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2361
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

Do you agree that Martin Luther King was the most important factor in helping blacks gain more civil rights in the 1960s?

Do you agree that Martin Luther King was the most important factor in helping blacks gain more civil rights in the 1960s? In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed by Lyndon B Johnson, giving black people civil rights for the first time. This was followed by the Voting Bill in 1965, an act which scrapped the literacy tests given to blacks, and gave all black people the right to vote. Many things led up to these acts, such as the work of Martin Luther King, various protest groups and the experiences of many black Americans during the Second World War. Martin Luther King was born on 15th January 1929, the son of a preacher man and a teacher, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a passionate, charismatic man, and was no doubt influenced by the Baptist Church that he grew up with. Whilst a college, Martin Luther King was introduced to the work and ideas of Mahatma Ghandi, another influence on his ideas for peaceful protest. Throughout much of the world outside America, Martin Luther King was seen as a hero and a figurehead for change, however in the eyes of many racist Americans from the southern states, he was nothing more than a trouble maker and someone to be put down. One of the first civil rights groups Martin Luther King was involved with was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). By the time he became involved, he was a preacher, and was named president of the

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2186
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

Why did Alexander II Emancipate the Serfs in 1861?

Why did Alexander II Emancipate the Serfs in 1861? The emancipation of the serfs by Alexander II in 1861 was the inevitable result of a rising tide of liberalism in Russia, supported by the realisation that Russia's economic needs were incompatible with the system, and driven by the fear that that without reform the state itself could be shattered by revolution. Russia's defeat in the Crimean war was also a major influencing factor as "Defeat in the Crimean war laid bare Russia's weakness, so well conceived reforms were set in train and permitted the birth of politics... Russian tsars had learned little during the century: at its end, they were still claiming to be absolute rulers."[1][1] Alexander II came into power in 1855, as the successor of Nicholas I. He started his reign in a difficult position, as the defeat of the Crimean war in 1854 cast a shadow over the beginning of his reign. The peace treaty of Paris finally drew a conclusion to the war in 1856, Russia ultimately being defeated by Britain and France, leaving the Russian state feeling weak and vulnerable. The Russian war effort had been characterised by the bravery of the soldiers, but poor military performance and incompetence in the military leadership "The Crimean war with its record of official incompetence and the heroism of the serf army... put a seal on the matter."[2][2] However, "the

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2182
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

Explain why the US withdrew its forces from the Vietnam War in 1973

Explain why the US withdrew its forces from the Vietnam War in 1973. In the early 1960s, the American president, John F. Kennedy pledged financial and military aid to the struggling South Vietnam. As political unrest grew the support from a war in North Vietnam grew and 1963, and with John Kennedy's assassination in 1963, President Johnson felt that, to keep in with the U.S. foreign policy of containment, he would have to send a vast amount of young soldiers into Vietnam to help fight the rising influence of the Viet Cong. For over ten years, the U.S. pledged thousands of young troops and billions in financial aid until public opinion and guerilla tactics forced the U.S. to withdrawal from Vietnam, claiming that they hadn't been defeated but that they had left in their own right. But in reality, a tiny, lesser economically developed country had successfully defeated a new super power. This was due to many reasons, both short and long-term, such as the political unrest in the U.S., fighting conditions, military tactics and lack of trained unity within the U.S. forces, all of which will be dealt with in this essay. In the mid-1800s, Vietnam was colonized by French forces, which imposed dramatic political and cultural changes on to the country. And though they helped boost the country's economy, fuelled by exports, the French government often ignore calls for self-government

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2132
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

''Without the First World War British women would not have gained the right to vote in 1918.'' Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation?

''Without the First World War British women would not have gained the right to vote in 1918.'' Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation? British women over 30 got the vote with the 1918 Representation of the People Act. The law was being changed, to ensure that soldiers coming home from the trenches were able to vote, if they hadn't been changing the law anyway, women were unlikely to have got the vote in 1918. There are many reasons why women got the vote, including: their work during WW1, Lloyd George being a supporter of women's suffrage, the suffragists' campaign of propaganda, the suffragettes' terrorism, the desire of MPs to not alienate potential voters, society's gradually changing attitudes and the fact that Britain did not want to be seen as old-fashioned. During WW1, women undertook jobs that needed doing while men who previously did the jobs were away fighting. They worked in factories making things for the war, like uniforms and shells and took over jobs men had done before the war, like working on farms, driving lorries and delivering coal. This work in factories and other jobs gave women more money and confidence. This confidence meant that women were seen differently, and more able, by many men. This confidence and respect from men helped to gain women the vote in 1918, and was an important contributing factor. The work of women during the war and

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2130
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay

Why did the treaty of versailles provoke widespread hostility among Germans?

"WHY DID THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES PROVOKE WIDESPREAD HOSTILITY AMONG GERMANS? Following the end of the war and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on the 28th June 1919 the German people reacted badly. Although, it is important to note that the widespread hostility among Germans had also preceded the signing of the treaty. A reason for this hostility, as A.J. Nicholls points out, was that the Germans had always been told they were fighting a defensive war and therefore did not regard themselves as responsible for the disaster, which had befallen Europe. After the terms of the treaty were accepted this reinforced the belief that the German people had been stabbed in the back as the army were seen as undefeated heroes. The Germans would demand for the terms to be modified. As J.W. Hiden stated in his book "The Weimar Republic": "The enforced signature of the treaty confirmed the worst of existing fears and confirmed the need for a more long-term and cautious running campaign to modify the peace terms." In this essay it is necessary to examine the mean reasons why the Treaty of Versailles did provoke such widespread hostility among Germans. Firstly, an important reason why the Treaty of Versailles provoked widespread hostility among Germans was that they felt the treaty was a 'Diktat' forced on them rather than a negotiated settlement. As A.J Nicholls argues, the Germans

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 2113
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
Access this essay