Causes of World War I: Militarism, Alliances and Nationalism

“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime” - Ernest Hemingway. The first World War was one of the most vicious and relentless events in history. Over nine million soldiers and a large number of innocent civilians lost their lives. Empires crumbled, revolution engulfed Russia, and America rose to become a dominant world power. The three most important causes of World War I were militarism, alliances, and nationalism. Here I want share militarism examples and what impact thet had. 

Militarism was one of the main causes of World War I. Militarism is a term used to describe a policy of glorifying the armed forces and keeping an army prepared for war. Militarism made countries feel patriotic but also elevated distrust among countries of Europe. So the example of militarism in ww1 were when huge armies deployed new weapons of devastating effect from rifles and pistols to torpedoes and flame throwers. During the Industrial Revolution, many European countries greatly improved their capacity to produce weaponry. All of Europe’s countries had built up their navies and armies. According to the Background to the War, Germany had 2,200,000 soldiers and 97 warships, Austria-Hungary had 810,000 soldiers and 28 warships, Italy had 750,000 soldiers and 36 warships, France had 1,125,000 soldiers and 62 warships, Russia had 1,200,000 soldiers and 30 warships, and Great Britain had 711,000 and 185 warships - this information can also be a militarism examples ww1.

The two main countries that started making use of their weaponry to an arms race were Britain and Germany. The British carried ‘bolt action rifles’ in which fired 15 rounds per minute at a minimum range of 1,400 meters away. This allowed the British to take out foes at a far greater range. Alliances were another of the main reasons for World War I. Alliances were essential in the time of war in case a country’s resources were used up or needed help and protection. If any member of the alliance was attacked, the other member or members of the alliance would help protect it. There were many alliances formed. In 1873 Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia formed The League of the Three Emperors. In 1879, after Russia left, Germany and Austria Hungary formed the Dual Alliance, in which they would protect each other if Russia were to attack either of them. Later, in 1882, Italy joined the alliance making it the Triple Alliance, where they would protect each other from France. What they did not know about is that Italy had allied with the French. In 1893, France and Russia formed the Franco-Russian alliance. Britain later allied with Japan, The Anglo-Japanese Alliance, to prevent Germany to expand to the east. In 1904, Britain and France formed diplomatic cooperation called the Entente Cordial. Lastly, in 1912, Britain, France, and Russia allied together and formed the Triple Entente. 

Nationalism also led to the beginning of World War I. Nationalism is the belief that one’s country is superior to all others. “Nationalism led European nations to compete to build the largest army and navy. It also gave groups of subject peoples the idea of forming independent nations of their own. Serbians, Czechs, Slovaks, Bosnians and many other people living under the rule of the Ottoman or Austro-Hungarian Empires wanted freedom from “foreign” rule” . It resulted in long term cultural hatred. For example, the Ottomans hated the Greeks, the Russians hated the Germans, and the Bosnians hated the Serbs. To conclude, militarism, alliances, and nationalism are the utmost significant reasons for World War I. Due to example of militarism that was showed above, on 11 November 1918, the guns fell silent and the war came to an end, but its impact was felt for many, many years after. As for the alliances, new weapons and technologies were developed and used that led to more destruction than any war had seen in the past. As a result, the first world war became known as the Great War because it affected people all over the world and was the biggest war anyone had ever known. It elevated the nationalistic spirit among all the citizens in different countries all over the world.