How did World War 1 begin and ... free essay sample

How did World War 1 begin and what happened as a result of the war? It all started over the ownership of Bosnia. It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia wanted to reunion the Bosnian people and lands with Serbia. What sparked the war was the assassination of the Archduke (Franz Ferdinand) of Austro-Hungarian by a group of Serbian nationalists called The Black Hand. Gavrilo Princip was the man who shot the Archduke and his wife. This event initiated the struggle between Serbia and the Austro-Hungarian government. Rivalries started to form and tension between European countries were about to take off. Lines were being drawn and stakes were high, Europe was heading toward war. The atmosphere was extremely tense. Europes greed led to infighting for resources in their respective colonies and the development of independent countries soon took sides and two opposing groups emerged. Entente Powers: Britain / France / Russia / (later the US) Central Powers: Germany / Austria-Hungary /Ottoman Empire Germany therefore supported its ally Austro-Hungary in the war effort and Russia had Serbias back covered. We will write a custom essay sample on How did World War 1 begin and or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These alliances led a ripple effect and other players like France, Belgium and Great Britain became entangle in the war. Great Britains empire was the strongest, largest, wealthiest and had the most sophisticated navy on earth. Germany, strategically built up their empire to compete and challenge Great Britains platform. Germany had conquered two French provinces (Alsace and Lorraine) and this caused a bitter rivalry between France and Germany. The war produced enormous advances in military artillery and communications. # 1 The use of nerve Gas such as Mustard and chlorine. #2 the weaponization of airplanes. #3 the effective use of submarine as commerce raiders. #4 the upgrade of the machine gun. #5 the mechanization of the tank. #6 the use of newly advanced radar. #7 radio usage exploded onto the scene and the invention of cryptography. On a geographical and political note, the war aided the destruction of colonialism and demolished the rule of the Ottoman empire, czarist Russia, and Austro–Hungary. Another aspect was the development of distrust of U.S towards Europe. The U. S practice of isolation was dissolved. There were also the economic chaos and irresponsibility that helped plunge England, Germany, France, and Russia (civil war) into bankruptcy. Eventually The Great Depression would enter the circle of financial strife that further throw the economic downfall into a black hole. The effects of World War 1 helped Russia usher in the worlds first Communist state, by two factions (Bolsheviks and the provisional) fighting a civil war which killed millions. Later on, they would go up against their main adversary Nazi Germany, and then the US superpower during the Cold War. Germany forms a strong sense of Nationalism that begins, after what is considered as an unfair settlement especially the crushing reparation payments and the shrinkage of their military power as well as the lost of land. The Treaty of Versailles humiliated them and they become increasingly furious and wanted someone to fix the problem. Adolf Hitler gave rise to the nazi party and Germany found its way out of the ashes. All of this would pave way to start World War ll. The war caused an overwhelming death toll which included both civilians and military soldiers/personnel. The total of dead was around 16 million. The Great War had changed the way war was fought.