The FIRST WORLD WAR
Introduction
In 1914, a war began in Europe which soon engulfed almost the entire world with the battles fought in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. This war was different from the wars fought earlier in terms of its scale and its repercussions. It was fought on a worldwide scale and affected almost all the countries of the world. During this war, new methods of defense and destruction were used. Moreover, in the earlier wars, the civilian populations were not generally involved. But this war was fought by the people as a whole. Thus, the war marked the turning point in the history of the world. Because of the unprecedented extent of its spread, impact, and damage and its total nature, it is known as the First World War.
CAUSES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
1. Nationalism and Imperialism: Nationalism refers to the sense of unity felt by the people, who share a common history, language, and culture. In the latter half of the 19th century, this feeling of unity turned into extreme pride, which made the people of many countries believe that their country is superior to other countries. This led to the development of aggressive nationalism in Europe.
Aggressive nationalism meant love for one's own country and hatred of other countries. Each nation thought about its own national interests and did not care for the interests of the other nations. For example, France wanted to get back its provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from Germany. Similarly, Italy wanted to get back the territory of Trentino Trieste from Austria and the Balkan States like Serbia wanted that their fellow nationals (Slavs) who lived in other states should come together to form a greater Balkan State. These countries developed expansionist policies in the name of nationalism. Therefore, military strength became synonymous with national prestige and every country began to increase its military power.
This aggressive nationalism also led to the rise of imperialism. Imperialism refers to the state policy or practice by which a powerful nation establishes its control over another country, either by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control Once conquered, this country was claimed as a colony. These colonies were governed and administered by the imperial nation through its representatives or a puppet government. The imperial nations exploited the resources of these colonies for their own economic interest. Colonies provided raw material, cheap labour, agricultural land, and trading ports to the imperial nations.
By the end of the 19th century, England and France had built up a huge colonial empire in Asia and Africa. British imperialism was focused on maintaining and expanding trade by exploiting the resources of its colonies India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Egypt, South Africa, Caribbean Islands, and many parts of Africa.
Britain's imperial power was reinforced by her powerful and the world's largest navy. Some other countries of the world like Germany, Italy, Russia, and Japan also wanted to increase their sphere of influence and create their colonies in Asia and Africa. These colonies were essential for their progress as they could provide raw materials for their industries and markets for their finished products. Besides, acquiring colonies would add to the power and prestige of these countries. This led to a clash of interest among these countries. The European powers began to scramble for expanding their economic and political empire. Thus, aggressive nationalism and fierce economic competition filled the atmosphere with fear, apprehension, mutual hatred, and international tension. People felt convinced that international problems could only be solved through militarism.
2. Race for Armaments: The mad race for armaments which began soon after the Franco-Prussian War was one of the reasons which led to the First World War. Every major power began stockpiling armaments in the name of self-defense and preservation of peace. As a result, if one country increased its armaments, other countries were compelled to do the same. It filled the atmosphere with fear, apprehension, and mutual hatred.
In order to protect her colonies in Africa and a few islands in the Pacific, Germany began to build a powerful navy with a view to achieving parity with Britain. By 1914, Germany had left Britain and France far behind in the production of iron and steel and in many other manufactures. One of its ships, the Imperator. built-in 1912 was the largest in the world. The Germans dug the Kiel Canal deeper so that battleships could enter its waters. Britain and France were concerned with Germany's growing military strength. This led to fierce competition among the European countries and gave rise to the race for armaments.
3. Division of Europe Into Two Hostile Groups: There were two kinds of States in Europe in the early 20th century. On the one hand, there were single Nation-States like France, Holland, and Germany whose national identities were based on their common language and traditions. On the other, there were imperial States like the Austria-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire. The Austria-Hungarian Empire was ruled by the Hapsburg dynasty of Austria and included in its territory Hungarian, Serb, Bosnian, and Croat populations, who spoke different languages and had different cultural traditions. Germany entered into an alliance with Austria-Hungary. In 1882 Italy joined the alliance and it came to be known as the Triple Alliance.
After the death of Bismarck, France was able to establish friendly relations with Russia and England. The Russian empire included territories populated by Polish, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Mongol populations. The three countries entered into the Triple Entente in 1907 to counter the Triple Alliance. Later Japan joined the Triple Entente. Thus, Europe was divided into two hostile camps.
Britain had created a vast British Empire by acquiring colonies in Asia and Africa. It grew rich from its success in trade in foreign resources, markets, territories, and people. Other countries of the world like Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and the USA too wanted to acquire colonies in Asia and Africa. This led to a scramble for colonies and therefore, rivalries and wars.
Rivalries between nations happened not just for colonies but for colonial trade and trade routes as well. These rivalries created suspicion, tension, and wars, which finally culminated in the First World War.
4. Sarajevo Crisis (Immediate Cause): Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was assassinated at Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia on June 28, 1914. The assassination was organized by a secret society called 'Black Hand' or 'Union of Death' formed by extremist Serbian nationalists whose aim was to unite all Serbians into a single Serbian State.
Austria served an ultimatum on Serbia on July 23 making eleven demands. Serbia accepted most of the demands except those that would have led to the loss of her sovereignty.
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| Assassination Of Archduke Ferdinand |
Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Russia started preparation for war to support Serbia. On August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia; and on August 3, on France. German troops marched into Belgium to press on to France on August 4 and on the same day Britain declared war on Germany.
Many other countries soon entered the War. Japan declared war on Germany to capture German colonies in the Far East. Turkey and Bulgaria joined on the side of Germany. Italy remained neutral for some time but joined the war against Germany in 1915 breaking the Triple Alliance.
Britain, France, Russia, and their allies were called the Allied powers; while Germany, Austria, and their allies were called the Central Powers. The War was fought in many different areas called fronts. There was a Western Front between Germany and northern France, and an Eastern Front between Germany and the Russian forces. There was fighting at sea and in the Middle East, where the Allied Powers attacked the Ottoman Empire.
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