Michael Phelps

Period 7
April 16th, 2009

What Were the Underlying Causes of World War I?

At the end of World War I ten million soldiers and civilians were killed, nearly all
of Europe was in economic shambles, and no one knew how death on such a scale could
ever have come to fruition. The thick webs of alliances and agreements hung Europe like
a noose as nations were drawn into the war of which they had no stake. Literally, the
“Great War” as it was called began on July 28th, 1914 over the assassination of the
Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand and the subsequent declaration of war against its
perpetrator, Serbia. What followed was a challenge of “oneupmanship” on a global scale
as larger and larger countries were called into the fray by their smaller allies. Truly, an
international community based upon warfare was but a powder keg in a candle shop;
while the assassination was the beginning of the war it was not its cause. Nationalistic
sentiments, which gave feelings of righteous superiority, heavy military spending, which
caused a feedback loop as countries built up more arms as those around them did, and the
proliferation of oversea European colonies, which drew even more into the conflict were
the true reasons behind World War I.
As countries enjoyed the economic prosperity brought upon by industrialization
their opinions of themselves became inflated, (as did their currency), and their national
pride was only overshadowed by their sense of superiority; this is especially well
reflected in their national anthems. The British compared other powers to themselves as,
“…not so blest as thee,”1 and the Russians shared a similar religiously inspired lyric,
“God save the Tsar!”1 The hubris of Serbia and their belief that, “…to live in honor…can
only [be done] by war.”2 was the most immediate cause of the First World War, but it
was attitudes from countries like England and Russia that predestined them.
Prior to the pivotal assassination, Europe had been steadily increasing its arms
production for the past twenty years3 and invested in new technologies, such as planes
and machine guns, which increased their efficiency in killing. However, this spending
was not nonconsensual; the citizens themselves encouraged their governments as
sentiments like, “Better war than this perpetual waiting!”4 became more common among
the populace. Writers of the time reflected on the nature of war, and it became seen as not
only necessary but honorable5, and leaders were quick to reinforce that thought as they
asserted the needs for a strong army and navy as means of protection and not conquest6.
Britain in particular criticized German increases in military spending7 however unjustly
that was as their spending increased on a similar scale as well.
The further countries spread the closer they were to stepping on one another’s
toes. Colonies exacerbated regional conflicts to global affairs with their mother countries
supplying exorbitant amounts of firepower to territories overseas in proxy wars. England
especially, as owning nearly triple the amount of overseas land than the runner up
France8, whom was allied with England, was seen as “The Bloodsucker of the World,” by
German commentators. Their dominance in Africa and Asia helped generator animosity
for the Germans who did not have the vast empires their neighbors did.
 As the smoke cleared and the shrapnel was built over Europe began to question
how such a conflict could arise and took steps to avoid another World War. With the
creation of the League of Nations, countries sought international responsibility and
greater accountability for their actions where there were more repercussions for conflict
than full-out war. Although ultimately failing, the League of Nations eventually give way
to its spiritual successor, the United Nations, and the world has not seen a modern total
war since World War II.
Works Citied

1) Document 3: exact quotes

2) Document 6: exact quote

3) Document 7: obvious increase in the graph height for all participating countries

4) Document 2: exact quote

5) Document 1: “War is the school of discipline, sacrifice, and courage.”

6) Document 8: “…we realize without power, without a strong army and a strong navy,
there can be no welfare for us.”

7) Document 9: Appeared in a London Newspaper

8) Document 11: 33,300,000 to 11,500,000 square km.

9) Document 10: exact quote