Why World War I Occurred
World War I took place from 1914 to 1918 and was the first major war that involved different nations. Before then, the world was relatively peaceful with only a few confrontations mainly between countries that shared borders. Previously, countries fought on their own because they had not formed alliances with one another (Wilde, 2016). However, World War I happened at the time when countries formed alliances with common interests. It was time to test the strength of those alliances. Most importantly, the World War I was triggered by various reasons with the prominent reason of the naval activities of Germany. Other reasons included the rivalry over the control of empires, as well as, issues to do with nationalism.
To begin with the first reason, Germany’s attempt to build a strong naval force in the late 1890s was viewed by Britain as a threat to its establishment. Britain by then prided in having one of the best navies in the world, and Germany’s efforts of trying to become a sea power made it an enemy of Great Britain. The tension between the two countries made them to go to war in 1914 (Pavlac, 2011). Apart from the naval competition, Germany had also become a major competitor in weapons to Great Britain. Despite the British having many navy officers, historians argue that the Germany army was properly trained and was very powerful. Britain and France saw the threat and decided to increase their efforts of making weapons. Germany also responded by increasing the number of army personnel, as well as, weapons to defend themselves. As a result, tension increased, forcing the countries to enter war.
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Secondly, the war broke out because of the grapple to control different important empires in the world. Various countries had formed alliances to protect these areas, and more importantly, to ensure that peace prevails in Europe. One of the alliance systems was that of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy against that of Russia and France. Tension was caused when Germany took Alsace-Lorraine, an important industrial area that was being controlled by France. Germany promptly formed an alliance with Italy, and Austria-Hungary to protect herself from revenge attacks from France. German leaders did not also like the friendship between France and Russia. The friendship was seen as an attempt to surround and intimidate Germany. Germany was also attempting to establish colonies in different parts of the world just like France and Britain. Britain and France made all attempts to stop Germany from getting a lot of power and influence.
The third reason was because of issues of nationalism. Various countries in Europe were not comfortable with the way they interacted with others. There was the need to look strong so that they are not vulnerable to attacks. One of the prominent examples was the Austria-Hungary relationship which was one of the biggest empires in Central Europe. However, the empire was made up of people with diverse ethnic backgrounds. That means that people had different customs and languages. As a result, many people wanted independence from the Austria-Hungary relationship. The Czech people in the North wanted to rule themselves, as well as, the people of Slav in the southwest. As a result, the Austria-Hungary Empire was very unstable making it to ultimately split up after World War I.
Summarily, World War I was caused by the interests of various countries and individuals. Although it is arguable, the war was caused so that the interests of the Great Britain and France could be safeguarded. Great Britain and France had considerable power at the moment and had even established colonies in different parts of the world, especially in Africa. Germany, on the contrary, did not have much influence, and was attempting to consolidate power to itself. The only way Germany could establish its authority was to strengthen its army by increasing the number of its personnel and weapons. Britain and France responded by increasing their armament too. The war had to break out to test the strength of each country, as well as, the alliances that had been formed.
The War and the War-Time Society
War usually involves many people and elements. The most important are the people to fight during the war and the weapons to be used. Previously, inferior weapons had been used but the growing tensions between the different nations necessitated the development of superior weapons and increase in the number of army personnel. War often involves creativity apart from having superior weapons and a large number of personnel. The most creative side that is able to coordinate various resources always emerges victorious. Various individuals have attempted to describe and speculate how the war, as well as, the war-time society looked like. The existing accounts are drawn from both the experiences of those who participated in the war and those who witnessed it.
First, World War I depended on the strength of the alliances that had been formed. Unlike in the previous local wars in which ethnic groups fought on their own, World War 1 experienced a major shift in the way people fought. Countries that shared common interests joined efforts to fight those that threatened their stability or the stability of their allies. Therefore, it is arguable to point out that World War 1 was a solidarity war (Wilson, 2017). First, France and Britain fought on the same frontier because they both had established colonies in the world, Africa in particular. They had to be in solidarity so that the strength of Germany does not prevail to affect their rule in different colonies. As already mentioned, one of the reasons Germany was trying to strengthen itself was to also establish colonies just like Britain and France. Unlike in the contemporary world where the winner of a particular war is determined by the country that controls the air, the most powerful country was determined by the country that controlled the sea. It was the reason why Germany was trying to challenge Britain to control the sea.
One of the most prominent aspects of World War I is that it was carried out in trenches and weapons were transported using both the soldiers and animals such as the horses. Although better weapons such as the guns had been developed, land transport systems were still primitive. Just to speculate, perhaps the countries dwelled so much on improving their control of the sea and neglected constructing superior means of transport on land. The trenches acted as crucial shields for the soldiers and even places where they would bury the dead soldiers. The existence of the trenches also demonstrates how hard the war was. Soldiers had to dig up the trenches first before they started fighting. The trenches also hindered the mobility of the soldiers because they could only move along the trenches. Additionally, unlike in the modern world where ground troops construct tents where they sleep and organize themselves, soldiers during World War I slept in the trenches and also organized their activities there. It became difficult especially when it trained because the trenches became breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other deadly insects.
It is also important to mention that the various governments relied on the members of the public to contribute funds to support the war. Some of the countries had forced their citizens while others requested their citizens. From the treaty of Versailles, one can learn that Germany forced their citizens to raise funds to fund her soldiers. The treaty of Versailles demanded that Germany compensates those civilians it had unjustly fined or imposed levies. In the US, the government requested people to lend it money by purchasing the government bonds. One of the prominent adverts that was created was “Lend your five shillings to your country and crush the Germans” (Class lecture, n.d). Although people were not coerced to become soldiers in the US, the World War I period saw the US increase its efforts of wooing young people to join the military. Definitely, the US was supporting its allies, Great Britain and France.
In summary, World War I was the first time in which different countries were teaming up to protect their interests, as well as, the interests of their allies. Arguably, most of the countries were against Germany because it was proving to be lethal. Although the Germans did not have many army personnel, they focusing on developing weapons and giving their officers the best training. The development of superior assault weapons necessitated the creation of a defense mechanism. Most of the time, assaults had previously been carried at sea and it is likely that various countries knew how to shield themselves at sea. It became necessary for the soldiers to construct trenches first where they would hide and sleep. However, the trenches reduced their mobility and were often places where many would fall sick, die and buried. Lastly, because many countries had not participated in a war of that magnitude, most of them did not know its cost. It turned out that the war strained the various countries’ resources, forcing them to turn to the public for funding.
Significant Effects of the War.
Conventionally, war has many and varying effects. The most common effects of war are loss of lives and property. However, most people forget that war has both physical and psychological effects. Although, it is only those soldiers who participated in the war that can tell exactly what they suffered individuals can only speculate and rely on the few accounts that were narrated by the soldiers who took part in the war. One of the most significant sources of information in regards to the effects of the war is the Versailles treaty. Although, the treaty is arguably biased because the writers were mostly pro-Britain and France, individuals can have a snippet of what transpired and the losses incurred. Unfortunately, individuals cannot tell what the Germans suffered using the treaty.
First, there was loss of life. That included the lives of civilians and the soldiers. According to the PowerPoint class lecture, one of the British soldiers, Leonard Thompson, gave one of the most appalling accounts of what they incurred in the war. He narrates that they buried people in the trenches (Class lecture, n.d). The bodies of the dead people were so badly exposed that some of the soldiers freaked out. Thompson further points out that the dead bodies made the trenches have a springy feel. Thompson’s description gives only a snippet of how the war caused deaths of soldiers especially on the British side. Apart from dying from gun wounds, the soldiers also died from diseases such as Malaria and water-borne diseases. From the Versailles treaty, the Germans were demanded to pay for the loss of both the soldiers’ and the civilian. Although the German account has not provided, they must have also suffered casualties.
Secondly, the war put a strain on the resources of the participating countries. As mentioned earlier, the participating countries must have likely underestimated the cost of the war because they had not participated in a war of such magnitude previously. It turns out that no country was spared from the cost. The Germans and its allies imposed heavy fines and levies on their citizens to fund their side. On the contrary, the US and the countries it supported tried different means to convince their citizens to fund the war and to get recruited in the army. Because of the deaths and casualties suffered from the war, young people even below the age of eighteen years were recruited in the army.
Thirdly, the war caused the movement and dislocation of people, especially in the regions where the battle was intense. The heavy artillery caused damage to people’s property, meaning that people did not have places to live. The intense battle also meant that people could not carry out any economic activity. In the Versailles treaty, the Germans are expected to compensate people for the agony they suffered during the displacement. Especially, on the German side, people did not move because of their own will but were forcefully evicted. It was difficult for people to establish new lives because they had lost almost all their property.
To conclude, the war affected both the governments and the citizens. On the government side, the governments ran out of resources (both manpower and financial) to sustain the war. The various governments were forced to turn to their citizens for funds. While the British and its allies requested their citizens for support, German and its allies coerced its citizens to fund the war. The citizens lost property and life, making them to consider moving to safer regions. Many soldiers were killed while others sustained gunshot wounds. Overly, the war had severe undesirable effects than it had been anticipated.
References
Class lecture. (n.d). World War 1 . Powerpoint
Pavlac, B. A. (2011). A concise survey of western civilization: Supremacies and diversities throughout history . Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield.
Wilde, R. (2016). The Treaty of Versailles-An Overview. About Education .
Wilson, W. (2017). The Fourteen Points Speech. Diplomatic History , 35 (3), 445-481.
