World War I lasted for four years, from 1914 to 1918, and resulted in the death of millions of people that include troops from the United States of America (Stevenson 206). World history experts argue that there was no specific cause responsible for the eruption of the war, although a number of subsequent events triggered its outbreak. Scholars argue that the battle for supremacy between various European powers created a lot of tension, which resulted in fighting (Clark 161). They have identified certain events that they believe had the most influence with regard to the eruption of the conflict. Some of the events that influenced the eruption of World War I include the Franco-Prussian war, the Moroccan crisis, the Balkan wars, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from Austria (Stevenson 211). One of the factors that had a great influence on the war was the creation of mutual defense alliances that made countries in one camp view the others as enemies. The main motivation for forming the alliances was to offer support to members in case of an attack. Some of the common alliances include Russia and Serbia, France and Russia, as well as Japan, France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom (Clark 166).
Another factor that led to World War I was the growth of imperialism, as the European powers fought for colonies in Africa and Asia. The growth of militarism during the turn of the 20th Century also played a major role in the eruption of World War I. Germany and Great Britain had the strongest military power, which enabled them to have a greater influence on the development of public policies (Stevenson 227). This did not ogre well with the other countries, thus leading to huge differences that resulted in a war. This element best explains the theory behind World War I. The reason for this the because the inability of the other European powers to have the same level of influence over important issues such as social policy made them realize that the status quo would be lost (Clark 180). It is important to note that even all the events and factors that had an influence on the war were all geared towards maintaining the status quo in Europe.
Works Cited
Clark, Christopher. The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. New York: HarperCollins, 2014. Print.
Stevenson, David. An Improbable War? : The Outbreak of World War I and European Political Culture before 1914. New York: Berghahn Books, 2007, Print.