Causes of World War 1

. . .0. Causes of World War 1. Is self-interest the root for war?.

WAS SELF-INTEREST ULTAMITLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE START OF WORLD WAR 1?.

WHAT IS SELF-INTEREST. Self interest is a focus of one’s own interests and desires..

.'GRAB-. THE MAIN CAUSES. Militarism Alliances Imperialism Nationalism.

DEFINITIONS OF EACH CAUSE. What is militarism? Militarism is a want or belief, made by a government or others, to maintain a strong military that is capable and ready to aggressively defend or promote their nation. What is an alliance? An alliance is a union or association created to make a mutual benefit, particularly between countries or organizations. What is imperialism? Imperialism is a policy for extending a country’s power either through diplomacy or military force. What is nationalism? Nationalism is identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially if it means exclusion of interests in another nation..

COUNTRY LEADERS. Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany Tsar Nicholas ll of Russia President of France Raymond Poincaré.

EMPORER FRANZ JOSEF OF AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. Franz Josef was the reigning monarch of Austria-Hungary at the time of WW1. His nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the only heir to the throne, was assassinated in June of 1914. This was less than 2 months before the war broke out..

HIS CONTRIBUTION TO WAR. In June of 1914 Franz Josef was receiving word that Russia was almost in full control of their enemy Serbia, shortly after his nephew Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by the Serbian group called the Black Hand. Franz Josef and the country of Austria-Hungary was angered by this event and soon they sent a unacceptable ultimatum to Serbia. Serbia agreed to all but one item on the ultimatum, with Serbia’s disagreement Franz Josef and the government of Austria-Hungary responded with a declaration of war, which was backed up by Germany..

. KAISER WILHELM II OF GERMANY. Kaiser Wilhelm ll was king of Germany at the time of World War 1, and grandson to Queen Victoria of England. Once World War 1 ended in 1918, Wilhelm abdicated the throne and sought exile in Holland where he lived the rest of his life..

HIS CONTRIBUTION TO WAR. Kaiser Wilhelm ll , after hearing about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand supported Austria’s ultimatum to Serbia and wanted Austria to do more. He later allowed Germany to help fight Austria’s war against Serbia, additionally, declaring war on Serbia’s ally Russia and Russia’s ally France. This drew Britain, Canada, and Italy into the conflict creating a world wide conflict..

. TSAR NICHOLAS ll OF RUSSIA. Tsar Nicholas ll was the last Emperor of Russia who succeeded his father’s throne after his death in 1894. Tsar Nicholas ll married Princess Alexandra of Hesse-Darmstadt, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. This meant that he was cousin to Kaiser Wilhelm ll of Germany. In July of 1918 Tsar and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks in Serbia..

HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE WAR. Tsar Nicholas despite being cousins with Kaiser Wilhelm ll , felt that Germany was a potential enemy of Russia. In August of 1914, after Germany’s declaration of war on France and Russia, Tsar joined forces with Britain and France to protect them from Germany. He later took personal command over the Russian army on the Eastern Front and lost much popularity after much defeat..

PRESIDENT OF FRANCE RAYMOND POINCARÉ. Raymond Poincaré was a lawyer, who later was elected into the Chamber of Deputies where he served in the ministries of finance, education, the senate, and the history of the republic. At the age of 33 he was the youngest person to hold this position. He later became premier, foreign minister, and then became president of France in January of 1913..

HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE WAR. President Raymond Poincaré started his time as president by strengthening his military for a possible war. Additionally he continued to build strong alliances with Britain and Russia..

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. ASSASSINATION OF THE ARCHDUKE. Who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand? The Archduke was the nephew to the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary and the only heir to the Habsburg throne. His assassination Franz Ferdinand was going for a visit to the capital of Bosnia, a province of Austria-Hungary. On the way to the town hall a grenade was throne at their car, however, it landed in the car behind them injuring the occupants. After going to the town hall, Ferdinand and his wife changed their plans and wanted to visit the occupants of the car that got hit by the grenade in the local hospital. While driving through the city their driver was not informed of the reroute and had to reverse the car. Additionally the car stalled while in reverse. When the car stalled it stopped near the front of a local café, Gavrilo Princip a Black Hand member, took the moment to walk across the street and shoot the Archduke and his beloved wife Sophie. The Archduke passed away due to a hemorrhage and Sophie passed due to internal bleeding minutes after the attack..

AUSTRIA’S ULTIMATUM AND DECLORATION OF WAR. There was a standing feud between Austria-Hungary and Serbia for years. Serbia felt that they should have some of the land Austria had but failed to gain it after several small wars. After the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, the country was outraged, as a result Emperor Franz Josef and his government sent a ultimatum that was entirely unacceptable. When Serbia gave their response Austria was not pleased, in return they declared war..

SERBIA’S RESPONCE. After Serbia having received Austria’s ultimatum agreed to all the terms accept one. This left Austria outraged..

RUSSIA’S DECLORATION. Due to the fact that Russia was allies with Serbia they were immediately drawn into the war. With Serbia going to war Russia join quickly, starting with a declaration of war on Austria-Hungary..

GERMANY’S DECLORATION. After Russia joined the conflict Germany felt that their only option was to join Austria. Germany felt that with Russia involved in the war it’s allies would later join and not only try to take Austria but also Germany. As a result Germany declared war on Russia and France..

IN CONCLUSION, IS SELF-INTEREST THE OVERALL MAIN CAUSE OF WORLD WAR 1?.

YES!. The information presented to you has one thing in common, self-interest. How do we know this? We know this because looking back through the information provided we see that the MAIN causes, country leaders contributions, and the events leading up to the war all show elements of desiring or wanting something. In example I believe that the main cause out of the MAIN cause list is imperialism, why, because the countries at the time of World War 1 all wanted power. In conclusion we see that the real cause of World War 1 is ultimately self-interest due to the fact that all the causes, events, and leaders actions were all rooted with a desire for more and a thirst to prove themselves on the international stage..

CITATIONS. “Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.” Wikipedia , Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Oct. 2021, https:// en.wikipedia.org /wiki/ Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria . “ Firstworldwar.com .” First World War.com - Who's Who - Emperor Franz Josef I , https:// www.firstworldwar.com /bio/ franzjosef.htm . “ Firstworldwar.com .” First World War.com - Who's Who - Kaiser Wilhelm II , https:// www.firstworldwar.com /bio/ wilhelmii.htm . “ Firstworldwar.com .” First World War.com - Who's Who - Raymond Poincare , https:// www.firstworldwar.com /bio/ poincare.htm . “ Firstworldwar.com .” First World War.com - Who's Who - Tsar Nicholas II , https:// www.firstworldwar.com /bio/ nicholasii.htm ..