MmmSkyscraper
Diamond Member
- Jul 6, 2004
- 9,475
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Originally posted by: Soviet
Wow this is conclusive :roll:
Do some reading then, it's not difficult.
Originally posted by: Soviet
Wow this is conclusive :roll:
Originally posted by: mugs
The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand is what set it off, but really I think they were all just looking for an excuse to fight.
Originally posted by: waggy
anyway sounds like a crappy homework question.
Originally posted by: Soviet
Originally posted by: waggy
anyway sounds like a crappy homework question.
Nope, i just cant be bothered reading the entire article and need a summing up of it.
:thumbsup:Originally posted by: foghorn67
Originally posted by: Kazaam
Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Franz Ferdinand.
Well he did sing, "Take me out."
Originally posted by: OdiN
Originally posted by: michaelsslave
franz ferdinand didnt start it, the guy who killed franz did
It was more than just the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. That was more of the spark that blew up the powder keg.
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
<snip>
Originally posted by: RichUK
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
<snip>
You seem to have omitted one of the most impacting facts from the first World War, the fact that 10 million people died.
Originally posted by: K1052
Gavrilo Princip
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
Originally posted by: RichUK
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
<snip>
You seem to have omitted one of the most impacting facts from the first World War, the fact that 10 million people died.
huh? He asked who started World War I, not what its impact was.
Originally posted by: Firebot
A rich guy was killed in Austria-Hungary, Austria-Hungary didn't like it so they declared war on Serbia, Russia's czar was sleeping with a Serbian woman and wanted to show her his bravado so he declared war on Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire wanted dibs on more empire territory so they joined in, Germany just really hated the French and marched in saying that Serbia and France are almost the same in the war against terror, Britain said 'OH NO YOU DID-NT" and declared war once France was attacked even though Germany thought the British hated the French too. Canada being a slave country fought as a British colony, the US decided to wait a few years until a bunch of people died to swoop in and take credit for winning the war. Russia had a brain fart thinking that socialism was the way to salvation and proceeds to kill each other, Germany said 'this isn't going so good' and surrendered.
Treaty of Versailles is signed, making sure that the Germans are mad enough to try and take over the world a 2nd time at a later date.
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
World War I is extremely complicated. You have a number of factors involved in its outbreak, many of which date back fifty or sixty years. First, Germany defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, took Alsace and Lorraine, and declared an independent, united German empire. Despite being unified, Germany lacked the overseas colonies of her competitors and lacked secure access to the sea and to trade. Their engagement in Weltpolitik or a global strategy designed to bring glory tot he German empire, basically resulted in the acquisition of lackluster colonies.
Second, Austria-Hungry, which for years had been a stable, dependable power was finally being hit by waves of nationalism and discontent. The country, while not completely unstable by 1914, was clearly in a lot of trouble. Its close relationship with Germany, as the only great power which hadn't shunned the country certainly caused concern for the Germans. Feeling as though their only ally was about to plunge down the drain, and being surrounded by countries which wanted nothing more than to see her dismantled, it would have been extremely difficult for the Germans to sit by and let Austria-Hungary collapse.
Meanwhile, France and Russia's close alliance, particularly over issues concerning Germany further fueled the belief within the country that they were surrounded on all sides. On top of that, recent French military reforms, as well as Russian military prowess rising fed the fear that the German empire was about to be eclipsed by her rivals.
In 1914, Germany certainly felt as though she was at the peak of her power. The Balkans disaster (assassination of Ferdinand) must have been viewed with trepidation within Germany because of the rising fears of nationalism. Their "blank check" issued to Austria reflected their desire to see Austria-Hungry remain united. The great miscalculation was that the Russians also had a vested interest in the Balkans.
Like the Germans, the Russians had no clear port access to the high seas. Their best bet, they thought, was to gain control of the Balkans and, with Austria-Hungary's war in Serbia, they saw two Great Powers (Germany / Austria) infringing on their sphere influence, perhaps even actively trying to deny the Russians the warm-water port they had desired for so long.
Meanwhile, the Germans realized that if they went to war they would have to fight both Russia and France (because of their pledges of support). They calculated that it would take the Russians six weeks to fully mobilize their forces and deploy them to the front. The length of time, they felt, hinged on the poor infrastructure of the Russian Empire. Hence, they decided they would eliminate the French as quickly as possible (less than six weeks with the infamous Schlieffen Plan) then wheel Eastward to meet the Russians.
Something else that is key to remember - every nation thought the next great war would be over very fast. They thought each nation would mobilize as quickly as possible and send their forces out into a few very bloody, but brief, battles and then the war would be over. They believed that the nation capable of striking first would be at a huge advantage and that for each day they delayed in mobilization the enemy gained an even greater advantage. Hence, all nations were eager to mobilize first and all nations saw mobilization by an enemy as a declaration of war.
Hence, the question is a complicated one. Germany is certainly the aggressor, but the other great powers also share the blame for 'boxing in' Germany. Russia shares blame for panicking over the Balkans and all the generals are partly to blame for their eagerness to mobilize. You can't simply place one nation or person at fault, because the situation was rife with complexities.
edit: if this is homework, do your own work! Second, the Kaiser is the German Emperor or King and, no, he is not to blame. Nobody is.
Originally posted by: Soviet
Ok sweet, that explains it, thanks :thumbsup:
Nah its not homework, im in university we dont get much homework. I was asked to find out about the dangers of hydrogen as a fuel with regard to a hydrogen economy and through wikipedia i got to the hindenburg, and from that i clicked on the world war I page because i know what world war II was about but knew nothing about I. So since ive got the cold and im lazy anyways i decided i would ask here for a generalisation
Originally posted by: spidey07
The soviets.
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
World War I is extremely complicated. You have a number of factors involved in its outbreak, many of which date back fifty or sixty years. First, Germany defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, took Alsace and Lorraine, and declared an independent, united German empire. Despite being unified, Germany lacked the overseas colonies of her competitors and lacked secure access to the sea and to trade. Their engagement in Weltpolitik or a global strategy designed to bring glory tot he German empire, basically resulted in the acquisition of lackluster colonies.
Second, Austria-Hungry, which for years had been a stable, dependable power was finally being hit by waves of nationalism and discontent. The country, while not completely unstable by 1914, was clearly in a lot of trouble. Its close relationship with Germany, as the only great power which hadn't shunned the country certainly caused concern for the Germans. Feeling as though their only ally was about to plunge down the drain, and being surrounded by countries which wanted nothing more than to see her dismantled, it would have been extremely difficult for the Germans to sit by and let Austria-Hungary collapse.
Meanwhile, France and Russia's close alliance, particularly over issues concerning Germany further fueled the belief within the country that they were surrounded on all sides. On top of that, recent French military reforms, as well as Russian military prowess rising fed the fear that the German empire was about to be eclipsed by her rivals.
In 1914, Germany certainly felt as though she was at the peak of her power. The Balkans disaster (assassination of Ferdinand) must have been viewed with trepidation within Germany because of the rising fears of nationalism. Their "blank check" issued to Austria reflected their desire to see Austria-Hungry remain united. The great miscalculation was that the Russians also had a vested interest in the Balkans.
Like the Germans, the Russians had no clear port access to the high seas. Their best bet, they thought, was to gain control of the Balkans and, with Austria-Hungary's war in Serbia, they saw two Great Powers (Germany / Austria) infringing on their sphere influence, perhaps even actively trying to deny the Russians the warm-water port they had desired for so long.
Meanwhile, the Germans realized that if they went to war they would have to fight both Russia and France (because of their pledges of support). They calculated that it would take the Russians six weeks to fully mobilize their forces and deploy them to the front. The length of time, they felt, hinged on the poor infrastructure of the Russian Empire. Hence, they decided they would eliminate the French as quickly as possible (less than six weeks with the infamous Schlieffen Plan) then wheel Eastward to meet the Russians.
Something else that is key to remember - every nation thought the next great war would be over very fast. They thought each nation would mobilize as quickly as possible and send their forces out into a few very bloody, but brief, battles and then the war would be over. They believed that the nation capable of striking first would be at a huge advantage and that for each day they delayed in mobilization the enemy gained an even greater advantage. Hence, all nations were eager to mobilize first and all nations saw mobilization by an enemy as a declaration of war.
Hence, the question is a complicated one. Germany is certainly the aggressor, but the other great powers also share the blame for 'boxing in' Germany. Russia shares blame for panicking over the Balkans and all the generals are partly to blame for their eagerness to mobilize. You can't simply place one nation or person at fault, because the situation was rife with complexities.
edit: if this is homework, do your own work! Second, the Kaiser is the German Emperor or King and, no, he is not to blame. Nobody is.
Originally posted by: RichUK
Someone got shot, then loads of people got shot, then the mighty English stepped in, got mired in a stalemate along with the French until the USA entered the war & tipped the balance of power in favor of the good guys.
Originally posted by: Firebot
A rich guy was killed in Austria-Hungary, Austria-Hungary didn't like it so they declared war on Serbia, Russia's czar was sleeping with a Serbian woman and wanted to show her his bravado so he declared war on Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire wanted dibs on more empire territory so they joined in, Germany just really hated the French and marched in saying that Serbia and France are almost the same in the war against terror, Britain said 'OH NO YOU DID-NT" and declared war once France was attacked even though Germany thought the British hated the French too. Canada being a slave country fought as a British colony, the US decided to wait a few years until a bunch of people died to swoop in and take credit for winning the war. Russia had a brain fart thinking that socialism was the way to salvation and proceeds to kill each other, Germany said 'this isn't going so good' and surrendered.
Treaty of Versailles is signed, making sure that the Germans are mad enough to try and take over the world a 2nd time at a later date.
Originally posted by: techs
Wow. Someone who actually studied the causes.
I also have done some real studying on the causes of the war.
Your points on the timetables of mobilization are quite accurate. In fact, some people say the railroads started it, because that was what determined the timetables.
However, I am of the school that it was the lack of communication that started it. The complex treaties and interactions between the countries were all successfully negotiated to result in a peaceful settlement, but the time it took to communicate decisions that were made between the powers was so slow that new actions were being taken that negated the compromises.
Hence, Woodrow Wilsons call for a League of Nations, where all the parties could meet on neutral ground and swiftly communicate compromises.