Information Paper on World War I Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information on World War I - Research Paper Example Historians have identified three direct main causes that led to the war. They are the conflict between the Central Powers like Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire and the Allied Powers like France, Russia, Britain, Italy and the United States. Widespread militarism and economic imperialism pushed the ambitious leadership of the countries to the warzone. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the flashpoint that sparked the war. That was on June 28, 1914 when a Bosnian Serb student by name Gavrilo Princip, shot and killed him. Ferdinand was heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. That student wanted Serbia to be independent from the domain of Austria Hungary. The latter demanded that those responsible for the assignation must be punished .Stewart Ross writes â€Å"On 23rd July, 1914 Vienna sent Serbia an ultimatum that, if accepted, would have made Serbia virtually an Austro-Hungarian province. The Serbs had 48 hours to accept it—or face the consequences.à ¢â‚¬ (p.7)When Serbia did not comply with the demand and Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia. Serbia, as the ally of the Allied Powers, declared war on Austria Hungary. Central Powers intervened on behalf of the later and thus a chain reaction resulted and a full-fledged war was in the offing. Widespread militarism initiated the mind war first. The upper class with the stockpile of weapons and wealth in abundance remained suspect about the power of the other. Desire for maintaining the superior level of military power bothered them much. The Royal Navy of Britain was the envy of Germany and Austria Hungary as it was much superior to theirs. They thought that the ideal strategy to contain the naval might of Britain was to declare war. Economic imperialism empowered by trade with the foreign colonies was the strong point with Great Britain and France. Germany and Austria Hungary had few foreign colonies