“The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime”
- Edward Grey
Why Do People Do Wars?
History has witnessed many wars, in which countries have had to endure great hardships and suffer immensely. War is typically fought by a country or group of countries against an opposing force to seek an objective. Wars are fought for a variety of reasons including economic, territorial, religious, political, civil, revenge and ideological.
Economic wars are when one country seeks to take control of another country’s wealth and resources. Religious wars are when a war occurs when people are targeted for their religious beliefs. Civil wars are when a war occurs between citizens of the same country. Political wars are when a nation's political interests differ with that of other nations.
Revenge wars are when there is a desire to seek revenge on another nation for an act that has already happened. Ideological wars are when a war of ideas or ideologies exists. Territorial wars are when a country wishes to gain more land for housing, agriculture or working space.
What was World War I?
World War I, often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. It was fought between two coalitions, the Allies and the Central Powers. Fighting took place throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia.
World War I was a war of trenches. After the early war of movement in the late summer of 1914, artillery and machine guns forced the armies on the Western Front to dig trenches to protect themselves.
World War I, also called the First World War or Great War, an international conflict that in 1914–18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East, and other regions. The war pitted the Central Powers—mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey—against the Allies—mainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United States. It ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war was virtually unprecedented in the slaughter, carnage, and destruction it caused.
A number of alliances involving European powers, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties had existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (particularly Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements.
World War I was one of the great watersheds of 20th-century political history. It led to the fall of four great imperial dynasties (in Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey), resulted in the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and, in its destabilisation of European society, laid the groundwork for World War II.
What led to the outbreak of World War I?
The event that sparked the conflagration was the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in 1914. But historians say that World War I actually was the culmination of a long series of events, stretching back to the late 1800s. The path to war included plenty of miscalculations and actions that turned out to have unforeseen consequences.
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand set off a rapidly escalating chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Serbian nationalism once and for all.
Convinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilise and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers quickly collapsed.
Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun.
The Bottom Line
We have learnt a lot from history, and by looking back at World War I, we can reflect and see how wars even started in the first place. Wars are primarily caused by a fight for power, to control the world.
Written by Vidita Sachdeva
What was World War I?
World War I, often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. It was fought between two coalitions, the Allies and the Central Powers. Fighting took place throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia.
World War I was a war of trenches. After the early war of movement in the late summer of 1914, artillery and machine guns forced the armies on the Western Front to dig trenches to protect themselves.
World War I, also called the First World War or Great War, an international conflict that in 1914–18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East, and other regions. The war pitted the Central Powers—mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey—against the Allies—mainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United States. It ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war was virtually unprecedented in the slaughter, carnage, and destruction it caused.
A number of alliances involving European powers, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties had existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (particularly Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements.
World War I was one of the great watersheds of 20th-century political history. It led to the fall of four great imperial dynasties (in Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey), resulted in the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and, in its destabilisation of European society, laid the groundwork for World War II.
What led to the outbreak of World War I?
The event that sparked the conflagration was the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in 1914. But historians say that World War I actually was the culmination of a long series of events, stretching back to the late 1800s. The path to war included plenty of miscalculations and actions that turned out to have unforeseen consequences.
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand set off a rapidly escalating chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Serbian nationalism once and for all.
Convinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilise and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers quickly collapsed.
Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun.
The Bottom Line
We have learnt a lot from history, and by looking back at World War I, we can reflect and see how wars even started in the first place. Wars are primarily caused by a fight for power, to control the world.
Written by Vidita Sachdeva
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