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The beginning of the 20th century could be characterized by the great tension in the international relations. The leading states of that period of time had entered the new century with their own goals and intentions, trying to promote the increase of their power and preserve the current position.
For this reason, the conflict of objectives was one of the major concerns of that period of time. Additionally, the further development of the opposition was promoted by the existence of Entente and Triple alliance, which were comprised of the states with similar goals and objectives. In these regards, the World War I was inevitable as it resulted from the existing differences, leaders personal ambitions, and the unstable international situation.
Yet, there are some factors which are traditionally taken as the main reasons for the war. First, the assassination of Archduke Franc Ferdinand in Sarajevo could be considered the formal cause for the initiation of the war. The heir to the throne was killed by Serbian nationalist, and this fact introduced the necessity to provide some actions to punish the participants of the assassination and restore peace in the region (Kagan, Ozment and Turner 835).
Being supported by the other members of Triple Alliance, the Austro-Hungarian empire proclaimed war to Serbia, which was protected by the Russian Empire and Entente. This event triggered the beginning of military conflicts and the further development of the opposition of two blocks.
However, one also realizes the fact that the above-mentioned assassination resulted from the general deterioration of the international relations. Nevertheless, the young German state also aimed at the reconsideration of the existing word order to guarantee its further evolution. Moreover, the nation needed the expansion space to survive. The combination of these facts made the conflict obvious as Russian Empire, Britain and France were not ready to withdraw from the current model that provided a number of benefits for them. The war became the only chance for Germany to attain success and become one of the leading states.
Finally, the accession of Wilhelm II to the German throne was another event that impacted the beginning of the WW I. Being the ruler of a powerful state he accepted the war as the main method to attain the shift of priorities and establish the new world order. He dismissed Otto von Bismarck, who adhered to the peaceful policy and laid a course for the increase of the military power of Germany (“Outbreak of World War I” para. 5). His decision not to renew Reinsurance Treaty with Russia contributed to the creation of Entente and resulted in the appearance of the opposite blocks which tried to advocate their interests and achieve certain goals.
The consideration of the main reasons for war promotes the recognition of the fact that the German nation deserves the main responsibility for leading Europe into war as its ambitions and desire to reconsider the existing world order resulted in the usage of force to achieve certain goals and redraw a map.
In conclusion, the WWI was the unique phenomenon in the history of humanity as it was the first military conflict that involved the greater part of leading states of that period of time. It is difficult to distinguish the main events that triggered the war as a number of aspects impacted the formation of that international situation. However, I believe that the Wilhelm and Germanys ambitions combined with the unstable situation served as the background for the development of opposition.
Works Cited
Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment and Frank Turner. The Western Heritage. London: Pearson. 2012. Print.
Outbreak of World War I. n.d. Web.
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