Causes+of+World+War+One

It is difficult to analyse why the assassination in Sarajevo developed into a world war, and even now historians cannot agree. Some blame Austria; some blame the Russians; some blame Germany, and others blame Britain.

Why did war break out in 1914 when previous crises in the Balkans and Morocco had not led to conflict between the Dual Alliance and the Triple //Entente?// Arguably, each crisis increased the likelihood of war. The two Moroccan crises did much to bring together Britain and France, while France's failure to back Russia in the Bosnian crisis of 1908, and Russia's subsequent humiliation at the hands of Austria and Germany, strengthened both Poincaré's resolve to support Russia next time and Russia's determination to stop the destruction of Serbia in July 1914.

The Great Powers did co-operate in containing the fall-out from the two Balkan wars, but nevertheless the emergence of a greatly strengthened Serbia in 1913with its claims on Bosnia and Herzegovina was a deadly threat to the Habsburg Empire, and the following year Austria went to war to crush it.

The constant international tension had created a mood throughout Europe that war was sooner or later inevitable, and that the main thing was to choose the right moment for the struggle to start. For differing reasons and at different stages that moment seemed to have been reached in JuIy 1914. The Sarajevo assassinations brought together all the explosive tensions in Europe. Germany couId not allow its only reliable ally to be humiliated by Serbia and Russia. Once Germany declared war on Russia, France could not stand back and see Russia defeated, while Britain, despite initiaI hesitations, couId not afford to run the risk of a German victory.The decisions of the statesmen were backed for the most part by their peopIe, who saw the war as a struggle and a matter of honour and principIe to preserve their nations' independence, greatness and future development.

//The point which is beyond dispute is that the quarrel between Austria-Hungary and Serbia sparked off the outbreak of war.// Austro-Serb quarrel explains the outbreak of the war, but not why it became a world war.

__**European Diplomacy and the Alliance System caused WWI **__

__**Germany was to blame for the outbreak of WWI **__

__**Marxists historians: the unwanted consequences of imperialism and the capitalist system **__

__**The arms race as a cause for war **__

__**The United Kingdom was responsible **__

__**BIBLIOGRAPHY**__  Williamson, David. //War and Peace: International Relations 1878-1941//. Hodder Education, London, 2009, Third Edition. Page 56. Lowe, Norman. //Mastering Modern World History//. Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2005, Fouth Edition. Pages 12-15. Morris, T. & Murphy, D. //Europe 1870-1991.// HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., London, 2007. Pages 164-166. Cannon, M. et. al. //20th Century World History Course Companion.// Oxford University Press, Glasglow, 2009. Page 215