WWI

3 Pages 784 Words

The protracted, horrific carnage executed during the First World War forever changed the course of events and mentality of the twentieth century. The war was expected to last for weeks or for months, like all previous wars had lasted; however this war had devolved into a prolonged stalemate where millions upon millions of lives were lost. Why this war took place is not an easy an easy question. Many believe that the war had started because of the murder of Prince Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Duchess Sophie von Chotkova. Many are under the false assumption that this alone was what the primary reason as to why the war had broken out. It is safe to believe that this event was in fact something that fed fuel to a fire that was burning due to other more serious issues as it sort of worked as a catalyst in the beginning. In order to better understand WWI and the reasons behind it taking place, an accurate account of the circumstances leading to war requires a concise analysis of several key areas some going as far back as the 1800’s. Four of the major reasons that pressed the great powers to this explosive war were nationalism, militarism, imperialism and formation and systems of alliances.


Nationalism, as defined in the Encarta online dictionary means, “the desire to achieve political independence, especially by a country under foreign control or by a people with a separate identity and culture but no state of their own.” The love and support of one's country, is something that has existed throughout time. However, in this time period, it played a major role in the outbreak of one of the most famous and deadliest wars in history. The nationalistic pride that existed with various nations, made the possibilities of peace between rival powers all the less probable. In ninetieth and twentieth centuries, especially after the French Revolution nationalism was becoming a powerful force in Europe. The belief tha...