World War I was the result of a number of conflicts occurring globally and simultaneously. Firstly, tensions in this time period drew countries to form strong alliances with one another. They assumed that powerful alliances would prevent hostility. However, these ties simply caused fiercer hostility. Secondly, The Great War served as a culmination for the tensions that were building up during Western expansion. European nations coveted land in Africa and Asia, trying to take hold of as much as they could handle for natural resources. As a result of imperialism, dozens of small conflicts sprung up; they would soon be addressed. Finally, an assassination kickstarted tensions that had been brewing for years among strong nations. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was shot down in Serbia nationalist. Soon after the incident, the allies of these countries got involved: Germany and Russia. The Assassination of an archduke ignited growing tensions between countries involving nationalism, imperialism, and loyalties. Thus began The Great War.
Acknowledging the Western expansion and imperialism was very good. Your themes of nationalism, imperialism, and loyalties are strong and convincing.
ReplyDeleteI like how you focused on several different contributing factors to the war, not simply one. I especially like how you point out that the "peaceful" alliances ended up starting the second bloodiest war in human history. Also, as a side note, where did you find that political cartoon? Even though it's a little...strange, it's actually quite helpful in charting the causes of the war.
ReplyDeleteI really liked that you acknowledged the role that colonialism played in aggravating tensions. I agree with Jerell that the cartoon, while somewhat odd, is actually pretty useful for understanding the war's causes. And, gee, what a surprise, they label the Balkans as the powder keg...nothing new here.
ReplyDeleteI like your explanations backing up your themes. The transition between topics--the alliances, competition for land, the internal conflicts and the catalyst of the war-- was smooth and made the post easy to understand. Nice job!
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