World War I: Causes and Characteristics

Posted on Feb 9, 2025 in History

Causes of World War I

Political Causes

  • Abandonment of the policy of balance between the great powers (realpolitik) by Germany following the resignation of Bismarck.
  • Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to seize political and economic leadership in Europe, leading to an aggressive and dangerous foreign policy.
  • Formation of two rival power blocs: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in 1882) and the Triple Entente (France, Britain, and Russia in 1907).
  • Naval arms race (1905-1914): Major powers prepared for war, greatly increasing spending on weapons.

Economic Causes

  • Germany became a major industrial power after 1871.
  • Great Britain saw Germany as a formidable commercial rival.

Territorial Reasons

  • First Moroccan Crisis (1905-1906): Germany opposed France’s occupation of Morocco. At the Conference of Algeciras (1906), France obtained a protectorate over Morocco despite German protests.
  • Second Moroccan Crisis (1911): Germany sent a warship to Agadir to harass France after French troops were sent to Fez to suppress a riot. Germany accepted a French protectorate in Morocco for a share of the French Congo.
  • Franco-German rivalry since 1871 over Alsace and Lorraine (ceded by France to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871).

Nationalist Cause and Balkan Instability

  • Political instability in the Balkans (former territory of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire).
  • In 1908, tension increased when Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina, captivating the Turkish Empire.
  • First Balkan War (1912): Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro expelled the Turks from the Balkans. Albania appeared as a new state in 1912.
  • Second Balkan War (1913): Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece to seize territory won from the Turkish Empire in the First Balkan War. Bulgaria was defeated and lost conquered territories.
  • Grave tension between Austria-Hungary (supported by Germany) and Serbia (backed by Russia) to control the Balkans.
  • The secret society “Black Hand” based in Bosnia-Herzegovina, favored expelling the Austrians and uniting Bosnia-Herzegovina into a “Greater Serbia.” Any “spark” could cause war.

Characteristics of World War I

World War I was a confrontation unlike any that had occurred before. Its features include:

  • New weapons and defense systems were used, including toxic gas.
  • New technical developments (telephone) and control systems (naval blockade) were employed.
  • The war caused the massive incorporation of women into the working world.
  • The economy focused on war production. The civilian population suffered rationing, and there was increased state intervention in the economy.
  • Propaganda played an important role in maintaining the morale of the population and troops.