Causes Of World War I Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Causes Of World War I Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Causes Of World War I On August 1, 1914 one of the worlds greatest tragedies took place. In Harry F. Youngs article entitled, the Misunderstanding of August 1, 1914, Young tries to make sense of the days that took place before the Great War began. In his twenty-one-page article, Young uses many sources to explain the story that had so many twists and turns. The following is an essay examining the work of Harry Young and what really went on August 1, 1914. The main question that the author asks is what happened on August 1st? Young opens his article by saying: Austria had opened fire on Serbia; Russia had begun to mobilize the troops; Berlins ultimatum to St. Petersburg would expire at noon; France was prepared to support her tsarist ally; and so far Englands efforts to mediate had failed. There are very many different explanations that can be given to explain World War I. Predominantly, the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist would be one of the first explanations given. Another important note would be that at the time this spirit of nationalism was alive and well in the heart of Europe, particularly in the empire of Austria-Hungary. Another explanation given is that there was often confusion and conflict between the German ambassador Prince Lichnowsky and the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey. It was said that they were definite additions to the already crowded European tension. Prince Lichnowsky became an ambassador in London in 1912. He gained instant popularity with the people and was soon on friendly terms with Sir Edward Grey and Prime Minister Asquith. It is believed among historians particularly the author of this article that, both wartime governments found it necessary to accept and promote the idea that Licknowsky had misinterpreted what Grey was proposing to him. What Grey was proposing to him is further discussed later on in this paper. However, there was what seemed to be so much confusion and conflict in the European countries that it would be hard to believe that misunderstandings would not take place. In the article Young gives a day-by-day account leading up to August 1st and several days after. He even makes use of references from several documents that were recorded several years before the war, suggesting that the causes had been building up in Europe for quite sometime. Franks main belief is that confusion among Europeans was at the time rampant. So what happened that day? Some historians speculate that the idea of the war was brewing for sometime. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia suggests that hints of the war were evident as early as the Austrian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Balkan Wars. Although the Young article makes no references to the above-sited as a cause, he does believe that Austria played a significant role in the war. Young mentions that on July 23, Serbia was given an ultimatum, which to some was described as unacceptable. With a Russia alliance guaranteed, the Serbs accepted some of the terms but simply dismissed most of them. The alliance upset many countries particularly Britain and France. Tensions were mounting. When Grey learned about this ultimatum, he was talking to all countries fearing that a war would soon break out. Grey was trying to spread the idea of postponed or limited military engagement What he wanted was to keep the possibility of peace alive by holding a conference. Wha t Grey basically wanted to do was to gather the four disinterested governments, which would consist of Britain, Germany, France and Italy. After assembling the countries Grey hoped to some how use them to mediate between the deadlocked Russia and Austria. Greys efforts were met with no success. After Greys attempts failed, the threat of war grew to be almost unbearable. Several of the European countries were pointing fingers and others were being blamed for governmental injustices. Troops from the major countries began entering foreign land and any hope that Grey had for a peaceful solution was fading away. The author speaks of the feeling of impending doom and how it had reached a peak on the morning of August 1st. Hours before the war officially broke out several frantic cable messages