Essay on World War I

Submitted By nchuang14
Words: 1642
Pages: 7
Open Document
World War I was the first major war involving many countries. One of these countries was Serbia, which wanted their independence from Austria-Hungary. This anger that built up over time in Serbia and it lead to the killing of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary Francis Ferdinand, and his wife by Gavrillo Princip, a Serbian. The killing lead to war between Serbia who was allies with Russia called for help. Russia was also allies with France, Great Britain, and the later turned from neutral United States, had a lot of power to bring in defense of the Serbians. On the other side, Austria-Hungary was allies with Germany, who later in World War I became a powerhouse, and thus World War I begun. World War I was the result of the need for power between European countries and the United States joined because they wanted to stimulate their economy.
One of these needs for power was the fight over Africa for their resources. Africa had all kinds of resources coming from the earth as well as agricultural production. It was rich with mineral resources including diamond and gold which provided many establishments for mining by various European countries. Africa’s agricultural production was huge for the Europeans because the products were valuable cash crops. These crops included coffee in both Angola and Kenya, tea also from Kenya, and tobacco from Southern Rhodesia or today known as Zimbabwe. Even with all of the crop production there were still huge rubber and cocoa plantations. These crops were a great help to the Europeans because these crops could not be grown in the climate of Europe.
The need for power was a huge factor throughout both Europe and the war. The allied Powers had a bigger population then the Central Powers. The Allied Powers were the countries of the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. The Central Powers were the countries of Germany, Austria-Hungary, The Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The Allied Powers had 265.5 million and the Central Powers had 115.2 million. The Allied Powers also had 212 army divisions available at the beginning of the war and the Central Powers had a significantly less amount of 146. Even though they had a bigger population, and more soldiers the allied powers did not have as many resources. The Central Powers had 17 million metric tons of steel production and the Allied Powers only had 15.3 million tons. Even though the Central Powers had more steel then the Allied Powers, the Allied Powers had more battleships. The Allied Powers had 39 battleships and the Central Powers only had 20. The Allied Powers looked to have more power than the Central Powers.
The Central Powers were looking to expand their power. The Austria-Hungary government wanted to get back at Serbia for the killing of their Archduke and Duchess. Serbia which was a member of the Allied Powers had the Allied Powers as backups. Each would go to each other’s need if the other country was dealing with hardships. The Austria-Hungary Government sent a list of ultimatums to Serbia which said that the Austria-Hungary army would march if the demand weren’t met. In a letter to one of his close friends, Prime Minister Sir Herbert Asquith of Great Britain said “Austria has sent a bullying and humiliating ultimatum to Serbia, who cannot possibly comply with it, and demanded an answer within forty-eight hours-failing which she (Austria) will march. This means, almost inevitably, that Russia will come to the scene in defense of Serbia and in defiance of Austria, and if so, it is difficult for Germany and France to refrain from lending a hand to one side or the other.” which shows that he knows what is coming. That letter was just one way in which the two powers fought for power.
Even some of these ideas of power came to the head of Charles Darwin. In his book, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Darwin says “We must therefore bear the undoubtedly bad effects of the weak surviving and propagating their kind; but there appears
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on World War I

The Music Of War On World War I

The Music of War July 28, 1914 was the start of The Great War, World War I. For the soldiers it was an emotional and terrifying time. Tens of thousands of men were dying every day from machine gun fire, shells, or gas. The soldiers could not get away from the death as it was all around them, everywhere, every minute. One of the ways they could cope with it, however, was by singing. Singing raised their spirits, let them voice their frustration, and pushed their fear from their minds, even if only…

Words 1578 - Pages 7

The Importance Of World War I

Part I World War I was a monumental war that shifted the geopolitical landscape of Europe, and ultimately the world, forever. It was the world’s first completely global conflict that saw the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire square off against the Allied Powers of the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. The outcome of World War I, specifically the measures taken by the victorious nations in their treatment of Germany, laid the foundation for the outbreak…

Words 9785 - Pages 40

World War I and War Essay

its pictures.” (4) atmosphere - description of people very shy and unassuming. - pictures alter as war goes on – people are waving at camera (5) - on the picture of the dazed Robert: “You know it will obtrude again and again until you find its meaning – here.” (6) - Robert “doubts the validity in all this martialling of men but the doubt is inarticulate.” That Robert opposed the war says a lot about the circumstances – Rowena’s death, his mother – that drove him to enlist - Rowena…

Words 2812 - Pages 12

World War I Essay

History: World War 1 Knowing (1 point) – List the contents of a soldiers backpack.Socks - Paper & Pen (For letters) - Emergency money Knife - Coil of rope Spare Blanket - Matches Spare Uniform - Canned Food Bar of soap - Bottle Spare Helmet - Compass Understanding (2 points) – Summarise important world events leading up to WWI.Alliances and Politics In the years leading up to the war, the nations…

Words 1042 - Pages 5

World War I Essay

Nationalist. Austria-Hungary had taken over Bosnia a couple years earlier. Princip was furious so he shot Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungary empire. The assassination sparked the first world war but the main reasons started well before hand. Imperialism was one of the first conflicts that lead up to World War I. Europe rushed to claim un\colonized land in China and Africa, in the 1800s. It caused tension in Europe and rivalries became stronger between countries. With rivalries between countries…

Words 308 - Pages 2

World War I Essay

World War I I will discuss the system of alliances between countries and the causes of World War I. What was the position of the United States at the beginning of the war? Why did the United States eventually end the war? How was the United States affected after the war? The best known cause of World War I was the alliance system that developed in Europe in the half-century before World War I. An alliance is a formal political, military or economic agreement signed by two or more nations. Alliances…

Words 666 - Pages 3

Essay on World War I

catastrophe – World War I (1914-18) Cause –a revolver that was used by a Serbian nationalist to assassinate the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. Powers divided: The Allies (Russia, France and Britain) against The Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey) The US joined in 1917 “to make the world safe for democracy” according to President Woodrow Wilson Part 1-Explosion/Stalemate: Prior to the war, this part of the world had accomplished…

Words 1072 - Pages 5

Essay on World War I and War

The First World War; The Arms Race Or The Assassination Of Archduke Ferdinand In Sarajevo In 1914? The First World War was the product of years of tension and competition between the Great Powers. There were many separate disputes between the different countries. However these disputes had not led to war. The arms race was a very significant cause to the war, however all this nationalism needed a trigger to ignite the smoldering hostilities and led to the outbreak of the First World War. Two bullets…

Words 1479 - Pages 6

Causes Of World War I

Gun fire everywhere. Yelling, screaming and Wars. This was World War One. WW1 was a conflict between the Allied Powers (France, Russia, Britain, Italy and the United States), and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria Hungary and the Ottoman Empire). The three main causes of the war were the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, militarism and imperialism. The first cause of World War One was on June 28, 1914. A Serbian shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to Austria-Hungary's…

Words 315 - Pages 2

Speech: World War I and War Essay

For The Fallen The First World War, or the Great War, was a war that spread globally. It began the 28th July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. Robert Binyon’s most famous poem is, For The Fallen, was written just after the beginning of the first world war, after England had taken many casualties from the German Army. Binyon himself had been too old to enlist in the war; however he did assist the Red Cross and still felt the blow of death from war with the deaths of his brother-in-law and multiple…

Words 753 - Pages 4