The First World War or the Great War, as the contemporaries described it, was a world conflict that began in early August 1914 as a European war. It engulfed the whole world as European powers used the resources of their empires and colonies while further, Japan and America entered the War. This War brought Europe to the brink of self-destruction. It saw the bombardment of civilians from the sky and was the bloodiest war in history until then. It was a total war in which all sections of people participated and all national resources were directed towards the battlefront. Four empires – German, Austrian, Tsarist and Ottoman disintegrated during or after this War. Its immediate consequences – the Russian Revolution, the political and social upheavals of l 918-22 and redrawing of the map of Europe, have determined the course of the twentieth century. It destroyed forever the hopes and the self-confidence with which the century had begun. Contemporaries called it ‘a war to end all wars’.
Historians have traditionally cited the following long-term causes of the First World War
Nationalism
During the decades preceding the outbreak of this war, nationalism exercised immense power over the European mind. The altitude to the outbreak of war in 1914 showed that the claims of the nation-state and the values it had inculcated remained, for most people and rulers of Europe, stronger than any other loyalty. Additionally, various ethnic groups resented domination by others and wanted independence.
Imperialism –
The period from 1880 to 1914 saw a sudden and dramatic upsurge of expansion of empires in Africa and Asia, and the coming of the War has been linked to imperial rivalries. To some, the coming of this War marked the climax of this ‘age of new imperialism’.
Militarism –
The growth of nationalism and imperialism led to increased military spending. The armament race and the war plans that stressed the importance of striking first and quickly, contributed to the feeling that war would come sooner or later. This race comprised two essential components: a German. French, and Russian race for a bigger army and an Anglo-German naval race.
Alliance system –
The origin of the First World War is attributed to the system of alliances and alignments that led to the division of Europe into two camps – the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente – by 1907. By 1907 there were two major defence alliances in Europe. The Triple Entente, later known as the Allies, consisted of France, Britain, and Russia. The Triple Alliance, later known as the Central Powers, consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Soon joined by the Ottoman Empire).
Industrialism-
War as an evitable outcome of the structure of industrial and capitalist societies. It has been argued that industrialists and merchants stood to gain by war and that they were able to influence the decisions of their governments and promoted war to increase their profits. They have been described as “merchants of death”.
Social and political problems of European countries-
During the last three decades of the twentieth century, historians have intended to look for the causes of this War in the domestic social and political problems of the European countries.
The June/July 1914 crisis-
In June of 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne was gunned down by a Serbian radical igniting a diplomatic crisis. On 28 July, Austria invaded Serbia. Within four weeks, Europe was at war. The Alliance system pulled one nation after another into the conflict – The Great War had begun
The Great War ends –
On November 3, 1918, Germany’s partner, Austria-Hungary, surrendered to the Allies. That same day, German sailors mutinied against their government. Other revolts followed, and Germany was too exhausted to continue. So at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of 1918, Germany signed a truce ending the Great War.
Influence on International Politics-
The harsh conditions inflicted upon Germany-
After 1907, international relations were increasingly discussed in the context of the alliances and alignments in Europe. The First World War ripped apart the contemporary system of states and Empires. The Treaty barred Germany from maintaining an army, required them to give Alsace-Lorraine back to France, and forced them to pay $33 billion in reparations to the Allies. The Treaty humiliated the Germans by forcing them to admit sole responsibility for the war (War-Guilt Clause). Furthermore, Germany would never be able to pay $33 billion in reparations. Restrictions were placed on Germany’s army, navy and air-force, Germany was made to surrender its colonies, overseas investments and merchant fleet. After 15 years, the ill fate was to be decided by plebiscite.
Under the Versailles Treaty, a League of Nations was also set up. The aim and organisation of this League were set out in its Covenant.
The Political conditions Post-War in Europe and the rest of the ruling world-
The First World War ripped apart the contemporary system of states and Empires. The Treaty took a harsh toll on Germany and its allies. The Treaty further disappointed nations like Italy, Japan and China by not allotting them the control over territories that had been promised. Italy was given no control over the Balkan and Ottoman regions while Japan was opposed to the transfer of Jiaozhou. Its proposal for racial equality, too, was dismissed by Australia. China wanted restoration of its sovereign rights over all Chinese territories. China was so disappointed by the terms of the Treaty that it refused to sign it.
Russia was made to surrender most of the territories that it had promised to Germany in March 1918 in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. New states – Finland and the Baltic Republic of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia -were created largely from the region belonging to the Russian empire. At the Paris Conference, a new state of Poland was created out of the ruins of the Russian, Austrian, and German Empires. No battle was fought on American soil but, immediately after the War, businesses that had flourished because of the War were reduced to bankruptcy which led to unemployment, economic discontent, and a wave of strikes.
The Emergence of America as a Super-Power-
Post War, the eminent, unbeatable position of the United Kingdom had been taken over by the United States of America under Woodrow Wilson. In advocating the creation of the League of Nations, President Wilson had hoped that it would become an agent of peaceful conflict-resolution throughout the world. But the US Senate did not ratify the Versailles Treaty and American membership of the League. No battle was fought on American soil. But, immediately after the War, businesses that had flourished because of the War, were reduced to bankruptcy which led to unemployment, economic discontent, and a wave of strikes.
Political conditions of the colonies-
Colonies were used as a reservoir of manpower and material resources. The French raised army units in their colonies in different pans of Africa. The British used the Indian army as an imperial fire-brigade.
In the colonies, the Europeans used coercive methods which they dared not use at home. They drafted labour and procured materials forcibly in Egypt, China, and Vietnam, which strengthened the anti-British feeling there
The War galvanised liberation movements in India, China, Vietnam, Egypt, Algeria, and many other countries. By the time the war ended a new generation of nationalists was emerging in the colonies, specifically in India, which was looking for some new means of expressing itself through effective political action. In Algeria and Vietnam, the anti-French opposition became more widespread.
Conclusion-
The entangling alliances of the European great powers were undeniably a principal factor in the outbreak of hostilities. Aggressive nationalism spilt out of the opposing alliances during this period. Military planners in Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, and, to a lesser extent, Russia, all considered war not only inevitable but desirable.
The imperial rivalries of the great powers—above all, in Africa—helped make the alliance system more rigid, sharpening rivalries between Germany and Britain and France. Military planners in Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, and, to a lesser extent, Russia, all considered war not only inevitable but desirable. The problems of making peace and putting Europe back together again, as well as paying for the war, would not be easily resolved.
