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World War 1 Dbq

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Mini-Q Essay In 1914, European countries went to war with themselves. When the war broke out, it was expected to be done with quickly. However, much to Europe’s dismay, the war lasted for over four long years, with the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians being lost in the battle. After the war, Europeans questioned how this war came to be. There were many speculations and opinions on what caused the event known as World War One. However, only three of the most important reasons will be discussed. The first of the three main causes of World War One was the alliances between countries. In the years before the war, several European countries had formed alliances with each other to ensure the protection of their own nations. This created two systems; the Triple Alliance, which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and the Triple Entente, which consisted of France, Russia, and Great Britain. The system made it so that if an allied country …show more content…

Militarism is the aggressive mobilization of soldiers and military strength. It is often used by countries that rely on armed forces and plan to increase the power of their nation. An example of a country using militarism would be when Germany announced a speech known as “The Hammer or the Anvil.” In this speech, the German Chancellor states that England’s colonial empire has become one of the largest in the world. German Chancellor Bernhard von Bulow states that if Germany does not create a powerful empire, then it will be crushed by its neighboring nations. Bernhard says that Germany will either crush enemy powers like a hammer, or be crushed like an anvil. The reason why this could create tension is because the mobilization of armed forces was often perceived as an act of war. By building up armed forces, Germany, and various other countries, caused each European nation to become uneased. This would later be contributing to the start of World War

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