Why did Peace Fail in 1914 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why did Peace Fail in 1914 - Essay ExampleThe main europiuman countries that had developed considerable power in the continent included Germany, France, grand Britain, Italy and Russia (Keegan, 1999, p38-39). This paper explores various factors that made it virtually impossible for peace to prevail during the beginning World War. First World War broke out shortly after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Hapsburg thr unrivalled by Serbian terrorists in 1914. However, the incident was not the cause, but a catalyst for large scale conflict that had been looming in Europe for a long time. Various factors had contributed significantly to the tardy build up of the war in Europe. Joll and Martel (2006) indentified economic rivalries, increased nationalism, imperialism, and militarism in do-gooder to formation of alliance systems as the major causes of First World War. frugal rivalry among European powers had become intense in the late 19th century a nd at beginning of the 20th century. match to Kennedy (1988, p72), economic competition for overseas markets, especially between Great Britain and Germany had reached epic levels. According to David (2005), Great Britain was the undisputed economic power in much of the 19th century and its strong army forces had galvanized the countrys position as the confidential information superpower in Europe and in the world. However, unification of Germany into a nation state accompanied by ambitious economic policies stimulated unprecedented development, which challenged Great Britains influence in the continent. One of the major causes of economic rivalry was trade disputes, arising from tariffs imposed on goods of competing countries in the overseas markets. According to Fussel (2000), tariff disputes emerged not only between Germany and Britain, but other growing economies in the region, such as Italy and France, Serbia and Austria, in addition to Germany and Russia among other trading partners. The subsequent economic competition resulted into tense and suspicious relations between concerned countries, making war inevitable. Large-scale militarisation was one of the major consequences of increasing competition between rival countries in Europe. According to Keegan (1999), each country attempted to build and strengthen its military power leading to arms race in European continent. Between 1870 and 1914, David (2005, p107) noted that military expenditure among the competing countries in Europe increased by 300 percent. Most countries introduced authorisation conscription of all citizens above eighteen years into the armed forces. Development of Germanys military was particularly phenomenal. According to Kennedy (1988, p69), the country had over 8 one thousand million soldiers compared to Britains 750,000 in 1913. Although Britain had one of the best trained and equipped military, the growth of Germanys defence forces was a major cause of tension in Europe. Accor ding to Fussel (2000), Germanys military power was vastly superior to France, one of Great Britains allies. In addition, Germany naval expansion presented a real threat to Great Britains security. Germanys rapid economic growth and superior military presence aggravated its quest for more power and influence in Europe. Germanys military build up and consistent aggressive rhetoric indicated that the country was prepared for large-scale war, with an intention of challenging other powers in the continent. The period in the lead eruption of First World War was characterized by stiff competition for colonies in other continents especially in Africa and Asia. Industrial revolution in Europe necessitated the need for more natural resources, and