The First World War is considered the seminal catastrophe of the 20th century. The assumptions were made based on the fact that since the Black Death pandemic, Western Nations had not experienced another disaster with a devastating impact. The war had only lasted for four years and three months but had claimed over eight million lives from both sides of the warring alliances (The Seminal Tragedy). Additionally, the war impacted heavily on the psychological welfare of the survivors. It resulted in devastating effects which persisted long after the war was over. There were increased cataclysms in Europe over time; for instance, the war laid a foundation for the rise of Hitler and increased the influence of the Nazism ideology (The Seminal Tragedy). New states were formed while others were absorbed into bigger nations, influencing major continental map changes.
Before the start of WW1, the Western World had undergone extensive growth in terms of infrastructural development, economic growth, political stability, and social development. Even though these developments facilitated better living standards among the people, they also culminated in increasing rivalry and suspicion between countries. Consequently, they resulted in the formation of alliances, thus dividing themselves into two major world blocks. The alliances aimed to ensure that if a country were attacked, its allies would automatically join the world in its defense. Additionally, the alliances allowed countries with similar economic and development goals to unite, thereby rendering themselves strong economic and civilized development blocks. The Central Powers and the Triple Entente were the two major coalitions formed by the European countries.
The Triple Alliance was an agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and it has been subject to periodic renewal since its formation. This treaty was initially formed in 1882 between Germany and Austria-Hungary, and they remained allies; later, Italy joined the treaty to seek support against France. This followed its failed attempt to obtain colonies in North Africa due to increased competition with France. The treaty ensured that Italy would remain neutral if a disagreement between Austria-Hungary and Germany ensued (Western Civilization). Furthermore, if France attacked Italy, these two countries would attack without cause for provocation in defense of Italy. However, Italy made a similar agreement with France secretly; this was aimed at ensuring its safety.
However, as time progressed and tension between states increased, more countries joined the alliance, hence the name Central Powers. Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia, after which Russia began mobilizing its troops. In return, Germany gathered its troops along the Russian border, thus declaring war on Russia if it joined the war against Austria (Western Civilization). Nevertheless, Italy was reluctant to join the war because Austria-Hungary was an aggressive nation since it had gone against the treaty that prohibited it from interfering with the Balkans (Western Civilization). These arrangements were among the fundamental flaws of the western civilization that facilitated the First World War.
Countries that were against the central powers agreement formed an opposing alliance. The Allies included the British Empire, French Republic, and Russia. Italy defected from the Central powers and joined the Allies, citing that Germany and Austria-Hungary were too aggressive and that it was only natural for the Allies to retaliate (Western Civilization). Later on, the United States of America joined the war against the Central Powers following a series of unprovoked attacks. However, this entry was in terms of an associate power and not as part of the agreement (Western Civilization). These alliances were among the primary causes of the WW1 because countries could access support in terms of machinery and military power, thus promoting attacks and increased tensions.
The explanation is not complicated; this is because, with increased growth and development, western nations began to suspect each other, raising tension between different powers. Subsequently, they sought to establish alliances to ensure support if they were ever attacked. These alliances, in turn, created even more tensions and pressure since some countries started provoking others because they knew they had support (The Seminal Tragedy). The war had various effects on the warring societies and the world. Some of these effects included mass deaths and incapacitation of young people; for instance, France lost more than half of its young male population, and more others have maimed; these deaths were experienced on both sides of the warring countries, and this resulted in a serious shortage of both skilled and unskilled labor at a time when it was most needed (The Seminal Tragedy). Another effect of the war was the disruption of economic activities; mechanization was barely developed at the time as such human labor was the primary source of labor. Mandatory enlisting resulted in reduced human power, thereby impacting many economic activities.
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