How the alliance system was the main cause of World War I European. The outbreak began on July 28, 1914 until November 18, 1918. There were two alliances prevalent in the war. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary, while the Triple Entente consisted of Russia, Great Britain and France. The secret agreement of the triple alliance between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary was concluded in 1882 and renewed every 5 years. In 1907 the Triple Entente was formed, an agreement between Russia, Great Britain and France, born from the Franco-Russian alliance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay So many alliances and treaties were formed that every country in both alliance systems was in conflict with another or had agreements with another, which made it that as soon as someone announces and declares war on another country, everyone else is also thrown into war and battles. Therefore the alliance system was the main cause of the First World War. This essay discusses how the expansion and formation of alliances, the loyalty and dedication of mutual alliances, and the coalition between the major powers and their mutual hostility led to the outbreak of the First World War. How the Alliance System Caused World War I Expansion and Alliance Formation The first reason why the alliance system was the most significant cause of World War I is the expansion and formation of alliances. “In 1879 Germany and Austria-Hungary agreed to form a dual alliance. The Triple Alliance then expanded in 1882 to include Italy. The three countries agreed to support each other if attacked by France or Russia. It was renewed at five-year intervals. This shows the rapid and efficient formation and expansion of the triple alliance as it initially started as a dual alliance and within 3 years included Italy, which then formed the full triple alliance. Another example is shown in the same book, “The formation of the Triple Entente in 1907 by Britain, France and Russia strengthened the need for an alliance.” This supports the main thesis as it shows that the Triple Entente was formed to strengthen the need for alliance, which also developed from the Franco-Russian alliance, to counterbalance the threat that the Triple Alliance posed to the alliance at the time Franco-Russian, that's why it strengthened the need for an alliance. This indicates that the formation and expansion of alliances was a major reason for the outbreak of World War I because without it the conflicts would have been limited only to the countries directly involved. Mutual Loyalty of Alliances The second reason why the alliance system was the main cause of World War I was because of the loyalty and dedication of most alliances towards each other. Agreement between France, Great Britain, Russia and Italy providing for Italian naval and military cooperation with the Allied Powers and providing for certain territorial and other agreements. This shows that the Triple Alliance made decisions as a whole, rather than making secret deals with other countries. "Germany's unconditional support for Austria-Hungary in whatever course of action it decides regarding the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand." The reason this supports my point is because theGermany, without a doubt, was in favor of Austria-Hungary as it agreed to invade Serbia. Austria-Hungary would never have entered the war without Germany's support. This shows that the alliances were loyal to each other as they supported each other, which expanded the size of the war due to the tension that was prevalent before the war began. Coalition among major powers The final reason why the alliance system led to the outbreak of World War I is because of the coalition among major powers and their mutual hostility. “In 1914 the six most powerful countries in Europe split into two opposing alliances. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, formed in 1882. The Triple Entente included Britain, France and Russia, formed in 1907. Each country was heavily armed and each had reasons to distrust each other of European countries. .” This shows how all the countries and alliances were ready for war, as they were heavily armed and the alliances supported each other for their own benefit. Another example is: “Austria declared war on Serbia, the Russian army prepared to help Serbia defends itself from the attack, and Germany sends a request to Russia ordering it to refrain from helping Serbia. Then Germany declared war on Russia. The French army is put on a war footing and prepares to fight a German invasion. After all this Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium, Britain orders Germany to withdraw from Belgium and the Germans didn't listen." This shows how all the countries involved in the war are supporting different countries, therefore playing a role in making this war a world war, rather than a conflict between two countries. This system of two rival alliances is the key to explaining the relevance of impersonal factors in the outbreak of the First World War because the decision to wage war was the response of the leaders of the alliances in their “struggle” to ensure the balance of world power. The significance of the bipolar divide in creating the war is that the polarization reflected corresponding interests as well as conflicting ones. Because of the “power vacuum” that the rupture of the Concert of Europe could entail, the same forces that were supposed to serve to “keep the peace” automatically transformed the war into a general conflict once it broke out. Furthermore, the presence of secret alliances and the absence of an informal arbiter revealed cracks in the anarchic international system that increased the likelihood of the scale, duration, and severity of war. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Each alliance system believed itself to be more superior than the other and capable of doing more. This made the Austro-German alliance so aggressive up until the war and throughout the Bosnian crisis of 1909. The Germans of each alliance group thought they were powerful enough to gain the upper hand. Such an alarming thought made the Austro-German alliance so aggressive in the decade before the war and until the Bosnian crisis of 1909. The guarantee of the German government to offer aid to Austria-Hungary and the danger of Russia to counteract if Austria -Hungary had attacked Serbia they made the alliance together constitutes an instrument of animosity. As evidence shows, the hostility between some powers was uncontrollable and this resulted in the outbreak of the First World War. All in all, the main cause that led to the outbreak of the First World War was the alliance system as it created hatred among each other and pushed nations into war. Works Cited:

Topic > How the alliance system was the main cause of World War I European. The outbreak began on July 28, 1914 until November 18, 1918. There were two alliances prevalent in the war. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary, while the Triple Entente consisted of Russia, Great Britain and France. The secret agreement of the triple alliance between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary was concluded in 1882 and renewed every 5 years. In 1907 the Triple Entente was formed, an agreement between Russia, Great Britain and France, born from the Franco-Russian alliance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay So many alliances and treaties were formed that every country in both alliance systems was in conflict with another or had agreements with another, which made it that as soon as someone announces and declares war on another country, everyone else is also thrown into war and battles. Therefore the alliance system was the main cause of the First World War. This essay discusses how the expansion and formation of alliances, the loyalty and dedication of mutual alliances, and the coalition between the major powers and their mutual hostility led to the outbreak of the First World War. How the Alliance System Caused World War I Expansion and Alliance Formation The first reason why the alliance system was the most significant cause of World War I is the expansion and formation of alliances. “In 1879 Germany and Austria-Hungary agreed to form a dual alliance. The Triple Alliance then expanded in 1882 to include Italy. The three countries agreed to support each other if attacked by France or Russia. It was renewed at five-year intervals. This shows the rapid and efficient formation and expansion of the triple alliance as it initially started as a dual alliance and within 3 years included Italy, which then formed the full triple alliance. Another example is shown in the same book, “The formation of the Triple Entente in 1907 by Britain, France and Russia strengthened the need for an alliance.” This supports the main thesis as it shows that the Triple Entente was formed to strengthen the need for alliance, which also developed from the Franco-Russian alliance, to counterbalance the threat that the Triple Alliance posed to the alliance at the time Franco-Russian, that's why it strengthened the need for an alliance. This indicates that the formation and expansion of alliances was a major reason for the outbreak of World War I because without it the conflicts would have been limited only to the countries directly involved. Mutual Loyalty of Alliances The second reason why the alliance system was the main cause of World War I was because of the loyalty and dedication of most alliances towards each other. Agreement between France, Great Britain, Russia and Italy providing for Italian naval and military cooperation with the Allied Powers and providing for certain territorial and other agreements. This shows that the Triple Alliance made decisions as a whole, rather than making secret deals with other countries. "Germany's unconditional support for Austria-Hungary in whatever course of action it decides regarding the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand." The reason this supports my point is because theGermany, without a doubt, was in favor of Austria-Hungary as it agreed to invade Serbia. Austria-Hungary would never have entered the war without Germany's support. This shows that the alliances were loyal to each other as they supported each other, which expanded the size of the war due to the tension that was prevalent before the war began. Coalition among major powers The final reason why the alliance system led to the outbreak of World War I is because of the coalition among major powers and their mutual hostility. “In 1914 the six most powerful countries in Europe split into two opposing alliances. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, formed in 1882. The Triple Entente included Britain, France and Russia, formed in 1907. Each country was heavily armed and each had reasons to distrust each other of European countries. .” This shows how all the countries and alliances were ready for war, as they were heavily armed and the alliances supported each other for their own benefit. Another example is: “Austria declared war on Serbia, the Russian army prepared to help Serbia defends itself from the attack, and Germany sends a request to Russia ordering it to refrain from helping Serbia. Then Germany declared war on Russia. The French army is put on a war footing and prepares to fight a German invasion. After all this Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium, Britain orders Germany to withdraw from Belgium and the Germans didn't listen." This shows how all the countries involved in the war are supporting different countries, therefore playing a role in making this war a world war, rather than a conflict between two countries. This system of two rival alliances is the key to explaining the relevance of impersonal factors in the outbreak of the First World War because the decision to wage war was the response of the leaders of the alliances in their “struggle” to ensure the balance of world power. The significance of the bipolar divide in creating the war is that the polarization reflected corresponding interests as well as conflicting ones. Because of the “power vacuum” that the rupture of the Concert of Europe could entail, the same forces that were supposed to serve to “keep the peace” automatically transformed the war into a general conflict once it broke out. Furthermore, the presence of secret alliances and the absence of an informal arbiter revealed cracks in the anarchic international system that increased the likelihood of the scale, duration, and severity of war. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Each alliance system believed itself to be more superior than the other and capable of doing more. This made the Austro-German alliance so aggressive up until the war and throughout the Bosnian crisis of 1909. The Germans of each alliance group thought they were powerful enough to gain the upper hand. Such an alarming thought made the Austro-German alliance so aggressive in the decade before the war and until the Bosnian crisis of 1909. The guarantee of the German government to offer aid to Austria-Hungary and the danger of Russia to counteract if Austria -Hungary had attacked Serbia they made the alliance together constitutes an instrument of animosity. As evidence shows, the hostility between some powers was uncontrollable and this resulted in the outbreak of the First World War. All in all, the main cause that led to the outbreak of the First World War was the alliance system as it created hatred among each other and pushed nations into war. Works Cited: