Causes of WW1
The interpretations
• “The sheer richness of the material made the task difficult and
rewarding though the results seemed to confirm the old adage that
important historical questions are never finally answered” (Zara
Steiner)
• Enormous impact of war BUT “It is important not to let the sheer
scope of and scale of change blind us to the significant elements of
continuity between the pre 1914 and post 1918 world”(Smith)
The global context…
• 19th century as the ‘long century’ (1789-1914) as more significance
here than 1800 – 1900
• Dominant forces of nationalism, industrialisation, militarism,
science, imperialism – culmination in 1914
• Europeans see themselves as the principle society that all others
should aspire to – true that they held ‘progress’ but with this there
was dangers of destruction
The issue of causation….
• The cliché of the ‘power keg’ (LT) ignited by a ‘spark’ (ST)
• ‘Causes’ broke down into trends from the end of the 19th century
through to 1914
• Causes all linked – eg militarism needed industrialisation , imperialism
needed militarism
• Smith – ‘causes’ is not the right word. LT reasons didn’t make war
inevitable, but they did make war more likely – fuelling suspicions and
increasing tensions between European Powers
• The scale of militarism and empires also made a small war less likely
Summary
LT ‘causes’:
• Colonial rivalry and economic competition –
fuelled by 19th century rivalries
• 1870+ Arms race – nationalism and militarism.
• Alliances and treaties – secured possibility of
world war
ST ‘cause’:
• Decline of the Ottoman Empire – led to unrest
in the Balkans: Balkans wars 1912 – 13
• Assassination as the trigger – alliances pulled
the world into conflict
Industrialisation
• Industrialisation across Europe – needed overseas
markets more
• To protect their own industries – tariffs (excl
Britain)
• Link to militarism
• Economic issues could incite war?
• Japan/ Russia – clashed over Manchuria in 1904
• Scramble for Africa in the 1870s
• Britain and the Boer War (1899)
• BUT again – the roots went deeper…..
LONG TERM CAUSES
Militarism
• All countries after 1870 started building up
their armies – developments in technology
and transport allowed this to happen rapidly
• All making war plans
• Militarisation went alongside nationalism –
longer periods of conscription and more
militarism in schools etc
• Concept of mobilisation as the armies grew –
Like a pringle, Once you pop you can’t stop!
• French anger went back again to
Alsace Lorraine – had natural
resources but also humiliated as it
was rule by Germany
• Austria's invasion of Serbia
triggered war BUT not driven by
economic needs, more about what
they saw as a threat to their
empire
• Economically a tiny amount of
influence – made Austria feel
stronger and more nationalistic
Alliances
• Imperialism, militarism and national rivalries as well as economic
pressures – building of tensions
• Alliances linked the factors together
• By 1914 – Triple Alliance (A, G, I) and Triple Entente(F, R, B)
• 1879 – Austria and Germany – sought by Germany to isolate France
in revenge for defeat in 1870-71 war
• 1882 – Italy joined because it was anti French
Did the alliances lead to war?
• Set up by Bismarck to keep peace
• Were defensive – only to be used if a country was attacked
• No firm commitments between Russia and Britain – Italy joined
them from the opposing alliance in 1915
• BUT alliances encouraged powers to think in ‘opposing’ sides –
meant Germany felt encircled which may have influenced later
action
• Also ensured that small disputes did not stay localised
• IMPERIAL RIVALRY and Nationalism
• ‘Great powers’ and their empires
• Colonial empires across all countries – meant worldwide war
• All fighting outside Europe was because of imperialism
• Lots of colonial conflicts before 1914 that didn’t lead to war?????
• EG France/ Britain – North Africa, Russia/ Britain – India
• France, Russia and Britain even fought on the same side!
So did it have an impact….?
• It exacerbated the tensions
• EG France and Germany clashed over Morocco (1905 and 1911)
• BUT tension went back to Alsace Lorraine in 1871
• Germany craved more colonies – building up of the navy –
intensified things
• Germany’s contact with the Ottoman Empire, Berlin-Baghdad
railway threatened British interests
• BUT Germany and Britain did negotiate about Portugal and little
indication that it led to war on its own
Short term causes: The July Crisis
• This alone is not the explanation for the war but the assassination but
it acts as a trigger
• They were 1 of 8 heads of state killed from 1881 – 1914: so this was
just a trigger
• Smith “It was not the assassination that sparked the war. Rather, the
inability to manage the ensuing crisis in the light of the long term
causes…that tumbled the European powers into four years of
disaster”
War Plans
• It is debateable how important it was….
• All leaders need to prepare for war – plans does not always lead to
war
• EG 1920s Britain and USA planned war with each other!
• After 1945 plans for nuclear war but it never happened!
• National feeling of intense hostility also didn’t necessarily lead to
war – eg Britain and France
• BUT…..(Keegan) “The Schlieffen plan was pregnant with dangerous
uncertainty”
Essay possibilities….
• To what extent was imperialism a cause of two twentieth century
wars?
• What were the LT and ST causes of one twentieth century war?
