Research Paper on The Origins of War: Militarism, Nationalism & Secret Alliances

Introduction

One of the earliest works addressing the origin of war is that of The Origins of World War by Sydney Bradshaw Fay, who starts his first chapter on the immediate causes of world war. He reviews five of the underlying causes, which include: Militarism, nationalism, a system of secret alliances, economic imperialism, and the newspaper press. These causes appear in most modern-day histories except for the newspaper press which has disappeared.

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Systems of Secret Alliances

A large number of alliances developed in Europe between 1870 and 1914. As a result, there was a creation of two camps, which were the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance, which were bound by commitments of maintaining sovereignty and military intervention. The major conflict between Austria Hungary and Russia was because of their clashing interests over Balkan, and France had their suspicion of Germany based on their defeat in the 1870 war. The system of secret alliances resulted in 1870 when Germany set a precedent by playing its neighbors' imperial endeavors to maintain the balance of power in Europe.

Austria-Hungary signed an alliance with Romania in 1883. The two agreed not to enter into an alliance that was directed against any one of the states. Particularly, Austria-Hungary promised to offer assistance against any assailant that threatened Romania. German later acceded to the treaty, and then Italy joined. Romania was not attacked by an assailant, and therefore there was no need to invoke the 1883 treaty. Many Historians focused on the Austria-Hungary annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908 as the major cause of the war in 1914.

The provisions of article 25 of the treaty of Berlin required the two Turkish provinces to be occupied and administered by Austria-Hungary but to remain Ottoman officially. The position changed in June 1881 when Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Germany agreed under the terms of the Three Emperors' league that Vienna "reserves the right to annex (Bosnia and Herzegovina) at any time considered appropriate.

After the Three emperors' league came to an end, Austria-Hungary and Russia signed an agreement in 1897 where St. Petersburg accepted Vienna's right, "any time considered appropriate," to substitute for the present status of occupation. Later in October 1904, Austria-Hungary and Russia agreed on a "Promise of Mutual Neutrality." Both parties agreed to endure in their policy, which was to be followed in the Balkan countries. Such a policy meant that if one of the two parties was involved in the war with a third party, that is a non-Balkan power, the other would be loyal and be neutral absolutely.

Austria-Hungary's foreign minister, in 1908, proceeded with the annexation, which was after securing an agreement with his Russian counterpart Alexander Izvolskii. However, other Russian government members considered this as a betrayal of the Serbs and the Slav cause, which led to its repudiation.

Concerning the Allies, their alliances would be described as desperate. The agreement between France and Russia of 1892 was reinforced by the Franco-Russian Alliance of January 1894, and this was a declaration of unwavering support. Russia promised to attack Germany if France was attacked by Germany or supported by Italy. France pledged to attack German if Russia was attacked by Germany. Russia promised to put eight hundred thousand men into the field while France promised to give over one million men.

Great Britain did not honor its policy of isolation in January 1902 by agreeing with japan, in which both parties pledged to be neutral should they be involved in the war with another power. Additionally, the two parties promised to assist each other in case other powers joined against that ally. They did not have any other alliance commitments.

France and Britain agreed to burry colonial rivalries in an agreement where France agreed to cooperate with the British occupation of Egypt while Britain agreed to support France in Morocco. Up to 1st of August 1914, neither Russia nor France had attacked either Austria-Hungary or Germany. It is at this moment that Germany declared war on Russia; this was followed by a declaration against France on 3 August.

Berlin treated the French and Russian instances as equal to an attack. Following the Austria-Hungary's forceful act concerning Serbia, Italy withdrew and decided not to join the alliance partners. The leaders of Italy looked for and received offers from both parties and finally entered into the war on the side of the informal alliance.

Russia had no obligation under any alliance to help Serbia. Russia's response was not contractual. The previous Franco-Russian alliance of 1892 was binding. As such, both parties agreed to mobilize their forces in case those of the Triple alliance mobilized. However, this relationship was filled with anxieties. Both parties required each other, and therefore, it was full of uneasy moments.

World War I occurred as a result of changes that were made in the European alliances. For instance, there was a clause which was added in the Dual Alliance in 1910, which was to the effect that Germany would intervene if Austria-Hungary were attacked by Russia. Such modification indicated signs of war.

Nationalism

Nationalism appears in every European country. It was a new and intense source of tension in Europe. It was closely related to militarism, and it collided with the interests of the imperial powers in Europe. Nationalism developed new avenues of interest over which nations could compete. For instance, the Habsburg empire consisted of 11 different nationalities, with large Slavic populations in Galicia and the Balkans whose nationalist aspirations countered imperial cohesion. Nationalism in Balkan also triggered Russia's interest in the region.

Nationalism is considered as a significant cause of World War I. It is defined as an intense form of patriotism to one's country. Such patriotism overstates the value of one's home country; as a result, the country's interests are placed above those of other nations.

Feelings of Supremacy

Most Europeans, specifically citizens of the great powers, convinced themselves of their nation's military, economic and cultural supremacy. Lawrence Rosenthal stated that this was anew and aggressive nationalism, which was different from others because it characterized relations at simpler sociological levels, such as tribe or family.

Sources of Nationalism

The origin of European nationalism is widely debated. Some scholars suggest that it was encouraged by German elites to encourage loyalty and compliance. Other historians believed that nationalism was a result of imperial and economic expansion. Success and growth were interpreted by some to be a sign of destiny. Other states were dismissed as weak rivals. Politicians and diplomats had a great contribution to this thought in their speeches.

The newspapers were full of nationalistic stories, which included predictions about rival nations and their evil intentions. Nationalistic ideas were also found in art, literature, music, among other avenues. The results of this nationalism were the increased confidence in a nation, government, and military power. In issues of foreign affairs, most people were convinced of the righteousness of their country. Nationalists condemned rival states, condemning them as aggressive backward and uncivilized.

Military Over-confidence

Nationalism also led to over-confidence in terms of military strength. Each state considered themselves better organized and equipped than the others. For instance, the British were convinced that its naval power, together with its...