Mira Patel Causes of World War One World War One or 'The Great War' as it became known, occurred

due to many causes, some of which still remain unexposed today. The obvious trigger for the war was the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie on 28th June 1914. The assassination occurred during the Archduke's visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Causes of the war also dealt with such ideologies as Nationalism, Imperialism and militarism along with the prominent alliance systems in Europe all strongly affected the outbreak of the war. All of these factors where established in many of Europe's 'Great Powers' which consisted of Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The First Balkan War was started by an alliance made up of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro. It was a desire to liberate their kinsman and a response to repressive policies of the Young Turks (Ottoman Empire). The Balkan League agreed to ally themselves to take the offensive. The First Balkan Crisis, otherwise known as the Bosnian Crisis, erupted when Austria-Hungary annexed the province of Bosnia-Herzegovina, a part of the deteriorating Ottoman Empire though Austria-Hungary had been occupying the province since 1878. This snatch took place in May, 1908, and upset nearly everyone--the Ottoman Empire, of course, but also Britain, Serbia, Russia, and France. The important point is that Austria's actions in this Balkan Crisis inflamed Russian and Slavic nationalism against the Austrians. Encouraged by Russian backing, Serbia began to make military preparations and the Austrians followed suit. Europe appeared to be on the brink of a full European war, but in March of 1909, the German government sent a note to Russia demanding it abandon its support of Serbia and recognize Austria's claim to Bosnia and Herzegovina. With Russia still to weak to risk a war against the great European powers, she gave in and withdrew her support of Serbia. Finally, the Treaty of Berlin, signed in 1909, officially recognized the AustrianHungarian annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The crisis was over but relations between Austria-Hungary on the one hand and Serbia and Russia on the other were permanently damaged. Though war was averted by Russia backing down, the Bosnian Crisis was significant in that it made Germany and Russia direct opponents and ended all ideas of a German-Russian alliance. The Balkan League understood that none of the members states were to start a war against Turkey without Russia's consent. Yet, there was no restraining of the ardent nationalism of those states. To quote a member of the French government: Russia had started the motor but she couldn't apply the brakes. And it was little Montenegro who got out of hand. Spurred on by Turkey's humiliation at the hands of Italy in Tripoli, on October 8, 1912, Montenegro declared war on Turkey soon to be joined by Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece. That was the beginning of the Second Balkan War. The worst fears of the diplomats had been realized. The Balkan states had broken loose and taken matters into their own hands.

Mira Patel Supported by Italy, Austria insisted that the Balkan states should not be allowed to settle things for themselves. The Concert of Europe was called into action, and at the insistence of Austria and Italy set up the independent state of Albania so as to block Serbia's access to the sea. Serbia was hot with anger and turned to Russia for help. But Russia felt the time was not ripe to encourage a Serbian attack on Austria. As Serbia was forced to yield to the creation of an independent Albania, her hatred against Austria grew and grew and grew. Serbia derived some solace from a Russian statesman who suggested that the day for revenge was not too far in the future. Since Serbia had been deprived of what was not Albania--not to mention her access to the sea--she insisted that her new-found comrade and former enemy Bulgaria hand over a part of Macedonia. Bulgaria not only refused. She launched a sudden attack on Serbia. Bulgaria's attack against Serbia on June 16, 1913, marked a new stage in the Second Balkan War. Greece and Montenegro came to Serbia's help. Romania, jealous of Bulgaria's growing power and herself long for more territory, joined in as well. Even Turkey, hoping to save something from the wreckage, started fighting Bulgaria. After a month of fighting, Bulgaria was forced to sue for peace. The Treaty of Bucharest ended the war in August of 1913. Bulgaria ceded territory to all her neighbors. Turkey got Adrianople while Serbia also obtained compensation for the loss of Albania. No matter what sort of compensation Serbia received, nothing could stop the belligerent spirit that was building upon her soil. A member of the Serbia government best expressed this belligerency to a Greek Colleague: The first round is won; now we must prepare for the second against Austria. The Second Balkan Crisis was a precursor to World War I in that AustriaHungary became deeply alarmed at Serbia's gains through the wars. Serbia's growth in power, territory, and prestige also worried Germany, who saw Serbia as a pawn of Russia. Serbia's rise in power after the two Balkan wars was so significant that the two powers were willing to risk war following the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria by a Serbian gunman. After 1913, Russia could not afford losing its last ally in this crucial area and thus had no alternatives but to unconditionally support Serbia when the crisis between Serbia and Austria broke out in 1914. This was a position that inevitably drew her, although unwillingly, into a World War with devastating results for her, since she was less prepared (both militarily and socially) for that event than any other Great Power. A Group of Alliances gave European powers a sense of security before World War 1.They formed these alliances with eachother for protection and to guarantee that other members of the alliance would come to the country's aid if attacked. Although alliances provided protection, the system also created certain dangers. If war came, the alliance system meant that a number of nations would

Mira Patel fight, not only the two involved in a dispute. Alliances could force a country to go to war against a nation it had no quarrel with. In addition, the terms of many alliances were kept secret. The secrecy also increased the chances that a county might guess wrong about the consequences of its actions. The colonial rivalries withering Europe evolved into a complex set of alliance systems that would be an integral cause of WWI. Germany allied with Austria- Hungary to protect Germany from France, who wanted Alsace-Lorraine along the French-German border. In return, Germany would help protect Austria-Hungary from Russia over the Balkans. In 1882 this dual alliance turned into a Triple Alliance when Italy joined, agreeing to protect Germany and Austria Hungary against France over Tunis. They all agreed to go to war if attacked by Russia. While these three powers sought to maintain a status quo, the rest of Europe saw the situation very differently. Bismarck also brought Austria and Germany into alliance with Russia. The agreement was known as the "Three Emperor's League" and it was formed in 1881. They all agreed to remain neutral if any of them went to war with another country. In 1890 when Bismarck left office it gave a chance for Russia and France to form an alliance. In 1894, France and Russia agreed to call up troops if any nation in the Triple Alliance mobilized. Russia and France also agreed to help each other if either were attacked be Germany. In response to the Triple Alliance, France and Russia formed their own alliance in 1894, with the dual purpose of protecting themselves against the Triple Alliance and resisting Great Britain in ever present colonial disputes. However by 1907 Great Britain had joined with them, forming the Triple Entente. The alliances quickly blew even minor problems out of proportion, since everyone felt obligated to "take sides." The countries of Europe thought that the alliance system would act as a deterrent to war; in fact it tied the countries together so that, when one country went to war, the others felt themselves obliged to follow. It is therefore reasonable to suggest that the Alliance System was a significant cause of the war in Europe escalating into a world war. A number of other factors were also significant, including nationalism, imperialism, militarism, the Moroccan crisis, the Balkans War and the assassination of the Austrian Archduke. Although the immediate trigger of WWI was the assassination, the war would never have happened without the pre-war tension buildup.