The Great War, otherwise known as
World War I, came about through a large range of reasons. Preceding the war,
many European nations formed military alliances known as ententes, promising to
aid the other if an invasion were to occur. When a relatively minor war between
Austria and Serbia—over a single assassination—erupted, a chain of allies
calling for aid dragged in the rest of the continent. The Austrian-Serbia
initial conflict itself was caused by arguably the most powerful force in
Modern-Era Europe—nationalism. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was slowly falling
apart, largely because of increasing pressure from marginalized ethnic group within
the empire.
These tensions rose until, finally, the heir to the Austrian throne and his wife were killed in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This prompted Austria to issue an unreasonable ten-point ultimatum, and to declare war on Serbia after part of one point was left unrecognized. It was also caused by deep-seated national rivalries, such as the mutual hatred of France and Prussia. Ultimately, the Great War was caused by too many factors to accurately pin down one, and the international war mongering at the time would have likely caused war with or without an assassination.
Edit: Split into two paragraphs 3/20
These tensions rose until, finally, the heir to the Austrian throne and his wife were killed in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This prompted Austria to issue an unreasonable ten-point ultimatum, and to declare war on Serbia after part of one point was left unrecognized. It was also caused by deep-seated national rivalries, such as the mutual hatred of France and Prussia. Ultimately, the Great War was caused by too many factors to accurately pin down one, and the international war mongering at the time would have likely caused war with or without an assassination.
Edit: Split into two paragraphs 3/20
I like how you explained the regional aspect of the war. The georaphical explanation put the events in perspective for me in terms of how so many counties got involved. Nice!
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog post! I agree with Olivia on how you made it easy to read. It was clearly explained and it was very useful how you explained the rising tensions. Great Job :)
ReplyDeleteI liked that you stated that there wasn't really a single, clear cause for the war and that many points could be argued. I also think it's interesting that you thought that war would've happened whether or not the Archduke was assassinated. I agree.
ReplyDeleteGreat writing! I like how you reasoned that the war may still have happened without the assassination. It definitely was a factor in the cause of the Great War. However, there were lots of other issues involved as well. Austria-Hungary and Serbia were already in serious conflict at the time of the assassination.
ReplyDeleteI agree with eamon here. I love how you included the many reasons the Great War first began. Rather than pinpointing one specific area. You have such good knowledge of how everyone played an important part in the war. It was very insightful yet always good to read.
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