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WORLD WAR I.
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Examines events leading up to the start of World War I in 1914.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines events leading up to the start of World War I in 1914. Background. Causes of the conflict. Course of development. International relations and political development. Austro-Hungarian Empire's treatement of the Balkan nations. Conflicting goals of European alliances. Germany's political goals and quet for world power. Consequences of the War.
Paper Introduction:
FIRST WORLD WAR: BACKGROUND, CAUSES, COURSE, & CONSEQUENCES
Introduction
This study investigates the events leading up to the initiation of the First World War in 1914. The objectives of this study are as follows:
The first objective is to develop necessary background information on the First World War for the reader.
The second objective is to identify a factor or a combination of factors as the cause of the conflict.
The third objective is to provide a brief explanation of the course of the conflict.
The fourth objective is to draw conclusions relevant to the consequences of the conflict.
Text of the Paper:
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Trachtenberg, M. References Abbot, W. War or the threat of the use of force is the traditional approach toconflict resolution in the conduct of international relations. Politics and history. Conclusions Relevant to Consequences The most important conclusion drawn from this study is that the FirstWorld War was entirely preventable. > The third objective is to provide a brief explanation of the course of the conflict. International Review of History and Political Science 26, 1-78. (199 ). R., Jr. > The second objective is to identify a factor or a combination of factors as the cause of the conflict. Historian Dan Lazarescu(1989) attributes the "pathological vanity" of German Emperor William II asa prime causal factor for the conflict (p. In historical research, however, a primary source ofinformation is a record that must be contemporary with the event. The findings of this study supported this hypothesis. The nations at war. Abbot (1914) attributed the cause of the conflict in muchbroader terms to what he termed human thought and what he defined as racialantagonisms and national fears. In this study, the data collected fromvarious sources were compared, as a means of providing an independentwitness test. Hypothesis It is hypothesized that a combination of factors led to the initiationof the hostilities that became the First World War. The German government, therefore, offered carte-blanche support to Austria-Hungary, because the initiation of hostilitiesin the Balkans seemed to the Germany to serve their own best interests(Palmer, 197 ). The meaning of mobilization in 1914.International Security 199 15, 191-24 . Although the Balkans did notfigure prominently in the objectives of either alliance, the conflictinvolving Serbia and Austria-Hungary provided a convenient opportunity foreach of the alliances to improve its position in relation to the other(Meyer, 1991). The data collected for use in this study were subjected to bothexternal and internal validation. (1989, February). Glasgow,Scotland: Moffat. Hostilities in the Balkans offered an opportunity thatGermany did not desire to waste.Summary of the Findings The hypothesis tested in this study held that a combination of factors- (1) the insensitive, arbitrary, and ineffective conduct of internationalrelations by the Austria-Hungarian Empire in relation to the Balkan states,(2) the conflicting goals of the two major international alliances inEurope in 1914, and (3) the national goal of Germany to become the leaderof a Middle European political sphere - led to the hostilities that becamethe First World War. Meyer, E. Warfare, thus, is a form of participation in the process of politicaldevelopment. The second conclusion drawn is thatnations are likely to engage in hostilities if they think such action is totheir advantage. (1914). Either of the major alliances could have precluded the hostilitiesthat became the First World War. Oxford, England: OxfordUniversity Press. Revista de Istorie 42, 1225-1244. London: Syndicate PublishingCompany. Other historians offered solutions that differ fromTrachtenberg's (199 ) assertions (Levy, 1991). Robbins, K. (199 , January). Cooperation may be considered as a foundation of humancivilization; however, cooperation in transnational conflict resolution hastraditionally been noticeably absent in the conduct of internationalrelations. Can it be taken at facevalue? (1991). Background Information In very late-1914, military historian Willis J. Withinthis context, the testimony of an eyewitness to an event may be considereda primary source. This combination offactors included (1) the insensitive, arbitrary, and ineffective conduct ofinternational relations by the Austria-Hungarian Empire in relation to theBalkan states, (2) the conflicting goals of the two major internationalalliances in Europe in 1914, and (3) the national goal of Germany to becomethe leader of a Middle European political sphere. Gelfand, L. war guiltlie. (1991). Cuddy (1989), with thebenefit of hindsight, however, identified the causal factors, as (indescending order of importance) (1) the incompetence of the Serbiangovernment, (2) an almost complete lack of understanding of the conceptsand principles of international relations on the part of Austro-Hungarianforeign minister Count von Berchtold, (3) Germany's carte-blanche offer ofsupport to Austria-Hungary following the Sarajevo assassination, and (4)the hesitancy and inappropriate reactions of the British Foreign SecretarySir Edward Grey in the crisis that followed in the wake of theassassination. Rohl, J. Through the prism of seven decades.Diplomatic History 199 14, 115-121. > The fourth objective is to draw conclusions relevant to the consequences of the conflict. Historyka 21, 59-78. 3). Where external criticism asks if a document is what it purports to be,internal criticism asks what a document means. First World War: Background, Causes, Course, & Consequences Introduction This study investigates the events leading up to the initiation of theFirst World War in 1914. Serbia in particular was treatedas a backward, provincial state that was not worthy of consideration bycivilized society (Robbins, 1984). (1984). The objectives of this study are as follows: > The first objective is to develop necessary background information on the First World War for the reader. Conflict and disagreement are endemic in the internationalenvironment. Germany had its sights set on hegemony in central Europe foritself (Buchan, 1991). Abbot (1914) wrotethat in "a dismal little town of Bosnia, by name of Sarajevo and by reputehardly known to the civilized world, on the 28th of June 1914, the ArchdukeFrancis Ferdinand, heir to the imperial crown of Austria-Hungary, was shotdead by a boy who thought himself a Serbian patriot" (p. (1988, April). Lazarescu, D. It is also hardly surprising, therefore,that Serbia refused to accept two of the conditions that Austria-Hungaryattempted to impose, and it appears to be a virtual certainty that bothAustria-Hungary and Germany were aware that the mobilization of theirmilitary forces in the wake of Serbia's refusal would draw the French,English, and Russians into the conflict (Gelfand, 199 ). 3). C. Unfortunately, considering the generaloutlook of the day of both political leaders and ordinary citizens, neitherof the alliances was eager to avoid conflict (Robbins, 1984).Germany's Goal of Middle European Political Hegemony Germany had political goals that transcended its alliance with Austria-Hungary. London: The Macmillan Company. A history of the First World War. Once this determination is made, itnecessary to determine if the author is willing to tell the truth (was heror his reporting compromised by self-interest, political considerations,and so forth). Indeed, it islikely that all of the potential causes discussed were, to some extent,valid causes of the war. Buchan, J. Traditionally, in many areas of academic research, primary data refers tothat observed and collected first-hand by researchers-often in experimentalsituations. It appears certain that the Austria-Hungary foreign ministry was illequipped to practice international relations in a manner that would avoidarmed conflict. More than anything else within this context, Austria-Hungary saw the dispute as an opportunity to strengthen its weakeningposition, while Britain, France, and Russia viewed the dispute as anopportunity to further weaken Austria-Hungary, and, in the process, thwartGerman ambitions (Williamson, 1988). The lands between. The origins of World War I.Journal of Interdisciplinary History 1988 18, 795-818. In 1989,historian Dennis Cuddy (1989) wrote that is very likely that the FirstWorld War would not have occurred at all in the absence of the Sarajevoassassination; however, it is the reasons that underlie the assassination,rather than the assassination itself to which the cause of the conflictmust be attributed. Imperial Germany. Levy, J. Outright armed conflict is simply the last step in theprocess, when all other efforts at persuasion and diplomacy have failed.Unfortunately, at times little effort is made to avoid internationalconflict.Austro-Hungarian Conduct of International Relations The Austria-Hungarian Empire tended to treat the Balkan nations as somany backward provinces (Palmer, 197 ). Testing for the truth requires the determination that anauthor was close enough in time to the occurrence of and event, and/or thatthe author possessed a sufficient understanding of that which was occurringto be able to tell the truth. Palmer, A. Data The data required for this study were obtained from secondary sources. As this discussion illustrates, there is certainly no scarcity ofpotential candidates for the cause of the First World War. The First World War. Abbot (1914), however, also identifiedconflicting national goals and massive armaments as causes of the war.German historian Eduard Meyer (1991) implicated the system of internationalalliances in Europe in 1914 as a cause of the war. Eachnational state tends to reserve a monopoly on violence for itself; however,through the mutual diplomatic recognition of one another, national stateshave also recognized the legitimacy of the wars they have waged,particularly so the wars they have won. E. It is hardly surprising, thus, that the"Black Hand" organization was formed in that country, and that theorganization played a major role in the assassination in Sarajevo, and inthe fermenting of hostility against Austria-Hungary. Of even greater significance, however, is the strongprobability that conflict avoidance was not a seriously considered optionin Vienna.Conflicting Goals of International Alliances in Europe The Austro-Hungarian/German alliance and the alliance of Britain,France, and Russia had diametrically opposing aims in both southeasternEurope and in central Europe (Robbins, 1984). A secondary source, in historical research, is a reportor interpretation by one not present at the event being discussed. (197 ). L. S. (1991). Modern HistoryReview 199 2, 1 -12. Lastly, where possible, it is desirable to validate sourcesthrough an independent witness. Mobilization and inadvertence in the July Crisis.International Security 1991 16, 189-2 3. G. Williamson, S. (199 , February). Secondary data, by contrast, is that obtained from indirectsources, which are collections of published and unpublished reports fromprevious projects. A. Immediate origins of the First WorldWar. J. Internal criticism requires an assessment of the author, and of theenvironment within which a document was produced, as a means of identifyingany biases that may have distorted the meaning of the document. Causes of the Conflict and Its Course of Development International relations are largely associated with conflictresolution. Germany in 1914 was already embarked on a quest for world power status(Rohl, 199 ). War guilt question ... The research performed for this study, however,was based on an assumption that some of the causal factors were likely ofgreater significance than were others. In this study, external validationprocedures included (1) dating, (2) author identification, and (3) testingfor the truth. 1226). Subsequent to theassassination, the Austro-Hungarian demands on Serbia were both unrealisticand demeaning (Buchan, 1991). Historian MarcTrachtenberg (199 ) argued that the European political leaders of the daywere very much in control of events, and that Austo-Hungarian and Germanpolitical leaders knew well that the aggressive stances taken by theirstates in the weeks following the assassination at Sarajevo would leadinevitably to war. (1989, December). A similar statement had been made back in 1914 byAbbot (1914); however, at that time Abbot (1914) added that perhaps anexact "cause may not be precisely defined" (p. Cuddy, D.
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