Running head: WORLD WAR 1

World War 1 Name Institution

WORLD WAR 1 Introduction A world war refers to any war between more than five major powers in the world whose military presence is felt in more than one continent. World War 1 has always been referred to as the Great War. It spanned over a period of 4 years, from 1914 to 1918.By the time this war was ending it had been christened as the War that ended all other wars. This paper will discuss the causes of the first word war, its effects on the different nations as well as how the war ended (Fay, 1966). World War 1

This war begun in July 1914 and ended in 1918.Its start was as a result of the declaration of war on Serbia by Austria-Hungary. What looked like a small inter-country conflict became a large war with countries like Germany and Britain being drawn into the war. The involvement of these other countries was mainly due to the treaties they had with the warring countries requiring them to defend their allies (Fay, 1966). When this war begun, people assumed that it would be over soon and the soldiers who went off to war expected to be home before long. This did not go as planned, the different battle plans that the nations had taken failed and some nations like France discovered that they did not have enough infrastructure to support the Germans (Fay, 1966). There were numerous disagreements in Europe concerning the territories and boundaries. These disagreements were brought to the forefront when Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian in June 1914.A month after this assassination saw the break out of a war and it progressed to become a war of Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria against Britain, Russia, France, Belgium, Serbia as well as Montenegro and Japan (Fay, 1966).

WORLD WAR 1 Causes of World War 1 The different European superpowers were fighting for resources and colonies. This fight for resources and more power contributed to the animosity between the different countries and

this fueled the start of the world war 1.The alliances between different superpowers were shifting and different countries were engaging in secret agreements with other nations (Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). Militarism was also a major cause of the war. Germany had heavy military power and they wanted to use that power to make sure that the other nations were not taking advantage of them. They also viewed their opponents as hostile people and were therefore on guard against any perceived aggression. In addition to this, they believed that war was a short affair that would assert their dominance. As a result, they did not hesitate before engaging their rivals at war because they thought it would be an easy endeavor (Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). The rise of nationalism was a major contribution to the First World War. The different nations fought for their own interests and these interests became more important than international peace. When their interests were challenged by other nations, they tried to uphold these interests by engaging in a war. Liberalism also declined and this led to the rise of racial ideologies that continued even after the war ended (Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). There was an increase in the acquisition of arms in the different European nations. Almost all those nations increased the investments in military tools and weapons. For instance, between 1910 and 1914, some countries tripled their spending. New ships, guns and battalions were purchased and this led to the increased military involvement in policy making within the government. The naval and military officers were allowed to advice the government. As a result,

WORLD WAR 1 many of the policies that the nations made incorporated the mentality of the military. This made it easy for these nations to start resolving their disputed by using war (Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). Effects of the war An immense loss of life was experienced as a result of this war. More than 25 Million people lost their lives, both civilians and soldiers. This earned the war the title of being the bloodiest war in history. This immense loss of life was compounded by the fact that massive weaponry was being used by the different warring sides (Ferguson, 1992). World War 1 ushered a new age that consisted of violence between nations and within

nations. It contributed to the Russian Revolution of 1917.It has also been regarded as the war that precipitated the 1947 cold war, the Vietnam War, the Afghan war, the 1975 rise of Pol Pot as well as the genocide in Cambodia that claimed more than 2 Million lives. The Afghan war led to the rise of the Taliban in 1996 and the effects of the Taliban war are still being felt to date in form of Al Qaida (Ferguson, 1992). Property was lost and many countries suffered economic setbacks following the war. The weaponry that was used in the war comprised of tanks, missiles as well as submarines. When such weapons were launched in different locations, buildings were demolished and lands were destroyed. When the war ended, towns had to be rebuilt and this caused enormous strain on the nations (Ferguson, 1992). In spite of the fact that many countries incurred major financial looses due to the war, America made numerous gains. It emerged as the greatest superpower and became a creditor to

WORLD WAR 1 other nations. The world financial center also shifted from England to the US. This gave US its world leadership position (Ferguson, 1992). World War 1 also stimulated research and technology. It was during this period that innovations and inventions like wireless communication were made. Research on netter weaponry occurred as a result of the war. The atomic bomb for instance was developed after

World War 1 ended. More research was also done on chemical and nuclear weaponry (Ferguson, 1992). World War 1 necessitated the formation of an association of countries or nations that would be used to champion for international peace. This association would ensure that global conflicts were prevented and that all conflicts were resolved amicably. This association was created in 1920 and was referred to as the League of Nations (Ferguson, 1992). End of the War By the beginning of 1918, the soldiers from both sides of the war were demoralized and tired. The extreme loss of lives and the failure of their different battle plans contributed to this. Germans kept losing battles and they were forced to fall back. The influenza outbreak during this period also affected the soldiers on both sides and led to a significant loss of lives. Mutinies within the military structures of both Germany and Austria-Hungary also affected the soldiers activities on the battle grounds (Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). World War 1 finally came to an end in late 1918. By the time it ended, more than 9 million people had lost their lives and different countries had suffered unprecedented damage. November 1918 saw Germany surrender; other nations followed this action by agreeing to stop fighting. This was done while a peace treaty was being negotiated by these nations. On June

WORLD WAR 1 1919, a treaty was signed between Germany and the allied nations, the treaty of Versailles. This formally ended the four year war (Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). This treaty was not signed by the US because they objected to the terms that the treaty

dictated. Such terms included the price that Germany was forced to pay due to its aggressive role in the war. For instance Germany received restrictions in terms of the number of people who could be in its army. The US went ahead to craft its own settlement with Germany in 1921.This was referred to as Fourteen Points and they served to ensure that these countries could never go to war again. After the war ended, an uneasy sense of peace settled between these former rivals (Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). Conclusion The First World War marked the end of the peaceful era and ushered the world into violence that hadnt been witnessed before. The economic effects of this war also led to revolutions and economic depressions of countries that were previously economically stable. Some nations like the US thrived in spite of the war while others fell into a period of economic depression. The creation of the League of Nations ensured that a war of such magnitude would never be witnessed again.

WORLD WAR 1 References Fay, S.B. (1966). The Origins of the World War. London: Collier-Macmillan Limited. Ferguson, N. (1992).Germany and the origins of the First World War: New perspectives. The historical Journal.35:3.pp 725-743.

Hamilton, R. & Herwig, H. (2003).The origins of World war 1.UK: Cambridge University Press.