Many European countries were concerned about the future power of Germany when it was formed as an independent country in 1871. Several different alliances were created in the late 1800s as a result, often created in secret. These mutual defense agreements were considered to add additional security...
However, other causes such as the formation of alliances with common goals and the growing military and economic power of Germany that threatened English and French rule also contributed to triggering the war. During World War I, the Entente Powers: Great Britain, France, Serbia, and Russia (...
The Western Front The map shows the geographical position of the Western Front stretching from Belgium in the north to Switzerland in the south. Each colored square represents 50,000 men. Yellow represents the German army, blue the French, red the British and orange the Belgian army. The Weste...
Europe was an interlocking clockwork of alliances and military mobilization plans that, once set in motion, ticked inevitably toward all out warfare. The assassination of the Archduke was merely the excuse to set that clockwork in motion, and the resulting “July crisis” of diplomatic...
expansionism was accompanied by fluid international alliances and secret negotiations -- a self-proclaimed "realpolitik" that in fact systematically undermined the foundations of security and prosperity. In such a competitive environment, fear and suspicion were important psychological factors in foreign po...
The First World War had foundations in the radical nationalism of the different countries, the colonialism, the military and economic growth of Germany, the formation of alliances, and the conflicts of the 19th century. What ultimately sparked WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in...