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The Infographics Show, How Did World War 1 Start?

How Did World War 1 Start?

It was called the war to end all wars.

Unfortunately, World War I didn't deliver on that promise.

It was however the first time in the history of planet Earth that nations from around the

world fought in a single war.

It started with an assassination and a series of questionable decisions.

We can point fingers and play the blame game, but really there is no single person or country

that holds all of the responsibility.

Could the war that killed millions have been prevented?

Most definitely.

Let's take a look at what caused the Great War, explore how it could have been prevented,

and learn how to not repeat the mistakes of the past.

World War I lasted from 1914 to 1918 and included countries in Europe, Russia, the United States,

and countries in the Middle East.

The two main sides of the war were the Central Powers which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary,

Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria, who fought against the Allied Powers of France,

Britain, Russia, Portugal and Japan.

Later in the war the United States would also join the side of the Allies.

But what happened?

Why did all of these nations get involved in one of the most disastrous wars in history?

Let's explore the mechanisms and missteps that led to the first World War.

Although there were many players in World War 1, the conflict started with Serbia and

Austria-Hungary.

The Serbian government was eager to claim more territory for the nation.

Serbia was already in a state of aggression due to the Balkan Wars that ended just a year

before the start of World War I.

After the Balkan War, Serbian nationalists wanted to liberate the South Slavs of Austria-Hungary,

thus unifying the Slavic peoples under one nation.

This extreme nationalism led to the assissnation of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was heir

to the Astro-Hungarian Empire.

At 11:15 AM on June 28, 1914 Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg,

were shot to death in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip.

Princip was a Serbian extremist who had connections to a secret society called the Black Hand.

The assaisnation was the match that ignited the first world war, however, there were many

other factors that led to the powderkeg that would explode.

Should the assassination of Franz Ferdinand have led to an all out War?

Probably not.

There is more to the story here.

In the shadows lurked Kaiser Wilhelm II, who may be as much to blame as Gavrilo Princip

in starting World War I. Wilhelm II was the leader of Germany and he was diabolical.

Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted a strong Germany that dominated Europe both economically and

militarily in strength.

He did not want Russia or Great Britain to have more influence and power than he did.

Therefore, Wilhelm II allied himself, and Germany, with Austria-Hungary.

He knew that if Austria-Hungary went to war with Serbia, then Russia would come to Serbia's

aid.

This would drag Russia's ally France into the conflict.

We will examine later why Wilhelm wanted this war to happen so badly.

Kaiser Wilhelm II secretly funded Austria-Hungary in their endeavor to suppress Serbia.

He allowed Germany to give Austria-Hungary a carte blanche, or “blank check.”

Basically Germany would fund the war effort using their wealthy economy to ensure Austria-Hungary

came out on top.

With the assassination of their heir, and the backing of Germany, Austria-Hungary felt

empowered to start their war with Serbia.

They sent Serbia an ultimatum with such harsh terms that it was impossible to accept.

There was only one alternative.

War.

But there was more to the story.

The decisions of Austria-Hungary and Germany were clearly geared towards war.

It is undeniable that World War I started because of these aggressive decisions.

But could the whole conflict have been avoided if other countries had made better decisions?

Were there strings being pulled behind the scenes by the countries on both sides of the

war?

Let's find out.

First let's take a look at the Triple Entente nations, which consisted of a secret pact

between Great Britain, France, and Russia.

Could any of these nations have secretly wanted a world war to heighten their power?

Could there have been a secret plot by the Allies to set up a war they would eventually

win?

Russia is, and always has been, a large, powerful nation.

What could Russia gain from a war against the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary,

and Italy?

At first glance Russia's role in World War I seems to be based around supporting their

ally of Serbia.

But as we look closer it seems that Russia's alliance only played a superficial role in

their decisions to go to war.

In fact Russia barely even tried to find a diplomatic solution to prevent this conflict.

Instead, they immediately started to deploy troops and ramp up military production once

Austria-Hungary showed aggression towards Serbia.

It would seem Russia had no intentions on working out the conflict diplomatically.

History shows it was Russia, not Germany, that mobilized its military first.

Russia may have wanted war to claim more territory and power for the nation.

But there was another player on the Triple Entente side who may have played a behind

the scenes role of starting World War I. France did not make any outwardly aggressive moves

in the months that led to the outbreak of war, but they were making secret strategic

moves.

France may be the only reason that Russia prepared for war in the first place.

During talks of what was to be done about the Central Powers, France offered Russia

its own blank cheque.

The stipulation was that Russia would help Europeanise the Austrian-Hungry Empire.

France had an idea of what this part of the world should look like, and rather than entering

directly into conflict, they funded the Russian military to start a war that they could benefit

from.

France encouraged Russia's aggression towards Austria-Hungary and Germany.

French leaders seemed not to like the idea of having the powerful nation of Germany right

next door.

If Germany was focused on fighting Russia on the Eastern front, it would provide France

with the opportunity to either protect itself, or launch an uncontested invasion into Germany

from the western front.

It would seem that things did not play out exactly as France predicted because of Germany's

deployment of troops to fight on both the Russian and French fronts simultaneously.

If the shady actions of France leading up to the start of World War I surprised you

then what Great Britain did may shock you even more.

Britain was a dominant force in colonization and had control of the seas with their powerful

Navy.

Would they benefit from an all out war in Europe?

Germany was becoming powerful, both economically and militarily.

Britain knew that this was a threat to their empire.

In the eyes of Great Britain's leaders the world wasn't big enough for both a German

empire and British empire.

If Germany continued on the path it was headed, Britain's global dominance of the seas and

financial system would be threatened, and perhaps lost.

This was unacceptable to the leaders of Great Britain.

These notions of loss of dominance may have driven Great Britain to stay out of diplomatic

talks, and instead encourage Russian aggression.

It would seem that at the time Great Britain had an inferiority complex when it came to

Germany.

They had failed to meditate during the Balkan Wars and they refused to meditate during the

lead up to World War I.

The thought process may have been that the more conflicts Germany was a part of, the

more likely they were to be weakened.

Great Britain had clearly won the naval arm race by 1910, it just seemed that it wasn't

enough.

They were still living in fear of Germany's threats.

And it would appear rightfully so as history showed over the next several decades.

It needs to be said that if Great Britain wanted to prevent war, they should have contributed

to the mediation discussions.

The fact that they actively avoided the mediations shows Britain may have had other motives.

Especially if war meant a weakened Germany.

History is written by the victors.

Therefore, history textbooks tend to attribute most of, if not all of, the blame for World

War I to Austria-Hungary and Germany.

You have to wonder who would be blamed if the outcome of the war was reversed.

We discussed how the nations of the Triple Entente were by no means free of blame for

the start of this conflict.

But let's take a closer look at the motives and actions of the Triple Alliance, which

was the secret pact between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Let's find out if they really are to blame like so many textbooks say.

Other than retaliation, what was Austria-Hungary after?

In a word, territory.

Austria-Hungary wanted to add more land and people to its already large empire.

More land equals more resources, and more men for their military.

Austria-Hungary had its sights set on Serbia for a while.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand allowed them the perfect opportunity to make

their dreams of taking over Serbian lands a reality.

Austria-Hungary's desires were made clear when they offered an obscene ultimatum to

Serbia.

The ultimatum itself was delivered on July 23, 1914.

It required Serbia to accept an Austro-Hungarian inquiry into the assassination of Archduke

Ferdinand.

The inquiry would be conducted solely by Austria-Hungarian investigators.

Serbia also needed to suppress all anti-Austrian propaganda and eliminate any terrorist or

extremist organizations within its borders.

The leaders of Austria-Hungary demanded that an answer to the ultimatum be sent within

48 hours.

However, the ambassador to Serbia delivered the ultimatum and immediately left the country

to return back to Austria-Hungary.

He already knew what was going to happen next.

There was no way that Serbia would accept the ultimatum.

This meant war.

The ultimatum served one purpose.

Austria-Hungary knew Serbia would never accept their terms, but they also knew if they attacked

without warning it would make Serbia look like the victim.

By sending the ultimatum it pushed the burden of avoiding war onto the Serbian government.

This way Austria-Hungary created the illusion of giving Serbia a chance to stop the war.

When they didn't, Serbia would look like the bad guy.

But the ridiculous ultimatum did not stand up to the test of history, and Austria-Hungary

is still seen as the aggressors.

Really what it came down to was that Austria-Hungary wanted to control more territory in the Balkan

region.

They needed a reason to go to war with Serbia to secure that land and they found it in the

assassination of their Archduke.

Was the assassination a reason to conduct an all out war?

Probably not, but it was sufficient enough reason for the Austria-Hungary government

at the time.

However, none of this would have been possible without one key player.

I am sure you can guess what is coming next.

Germany.

In the eyes of many historians Germany is to blame for the first world war.

Why was Germany considered the most responsible in a conflict that they did not directly start?

It is mostly because they alone had the power to stop the war between Austria-Hungary and

Serbia.

All they needed to do was withdraw their blank cheque, and Austria-Hungary would not have

had the financial ability to support a war with Serbia.

This would have kept Austria-Hungary in check and they would never have issued their ultimatum.

Germany also knew that if Austria-Hungary went to war with Serbia, Russia and France

would both get pulled in.

It was almost as if Germany needed to find a way to declare war on their competitors

in the region without doing it themselves.

Germany could never just outright declare war on the other nations or they would risk

unifying the entire continent of Europe against them.

But by strategically destabilizing the Balkans they could gode Russia, and therefore France,

into a war with their ally, thus allowing Germany to start a war to suit their needs.

The other reason that Germany wanted war was because it had peaked as a nation.

If Germany allowed the rest of Europe to catch up they would lose power and prestige.

This upset no one more than Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was an angry militaristic autocrat.

He believed that he was predestined by God to lead his country to greatness.

He hated diplomats and maintained that the only way to ensure Germany's spot of power

was through war.

He knew it was now or never if Germany was going to become the predominant world power.

When a power hungry autocrat is in charge of one of the world's most wealthy and armed

nations there is only one outcome.

War.

In the end World War I was caused by many different factors and countries.

There is not just one person or nation to blame.

However, some are more responsible than others.

If the leaders of Europe were less hungry for power, and more willing to sit down and

negotiate, the war could have been avoided.

Make no mistake, World War I was not unavoidable.

But the leaders in charge saw war as a desirable outcome, or were forced into it by allies.

A situation that would repeat itself again 21 years later.

If you are interested in more World War I information check out 50 Insane World War

1 Facts That Will Shock You!

Or if you want to know how World War I and World War II stack up watch World War 1 VS

World War 2 - How Do They Compare?

Learn languages from TV shows, movies, news, articles and more! Try LingQ for FREE

How Did World War 1 Start? Wie begann der 1. Weltkrieg? Πώς ξεκίνησε ο 1ος Παγκόσμιος Πόλεμος; How Did World War 1 Start? ¿Cómo empezó la Primera Guerra Mundial? Comment la première guerre mondiale a-t-elle commencé ? Come è iniziata la Prima Guerra Mondiale? 第一次世界大戦はどのようにして始まったのか? Kaip prasidėjo Pirmasis pasaulinis karas? Jak rozpoczęła się pierwsza wojna światowa? Como começou a Primeira Guerra Mundial? Как началась Первая мировая война? 1. Dünya Savaşı Nasıl Başladı? 第一次世界大战是如何开始的? 第一次世界大戰是如何開始的?

It was called the war to end all wars. ||||||||войн ||||||||війни ||||||||guerras It was called the war to end all wars. Foi chamada a guerra para acabar com todas as guerras. 它被称为结束所有战争的战争。

Unfortunately, World War I didn't deliver on that promise. |||||兑现承诺||| На жаль|||||виконати|||обіцянці Infelizmente, a Primeira Guerra Mundial não cumpriu essa promessa. 不幸的是,第一次世界大战没有实现这一承诺。

It was however the first time in the history of planet Earth that nations from around the |||||||||||||нації|з яких|| ||||||||||planeta Tierra|||naciones||| 然而,这是地球历史上首次来自世界各地国家的

world fought in a single war. mundo lutou numa única guerra.

It started with an assassination and a series of questionable decisions. ||||targeted killing|||||| ||||اغتيال|||||| ||||asesinato|||||cuestionables| ||||вбивство|||||сумнівні рішення|рішення Tudo começou com um assassinato e uma série de decisões questionáveis. 它始于一次暗杀和一系列具有疑问性的决定。

We can point fingers and play the blame game, but really there is no single person or country |||||||culpa|||||||||| ||вказувати|пальці||||покладання провини|||||||||| We can point fingers and play the blame game, but really there is no single person or country Podemos apontar o dedo e jogar o jogo da culpa, mas, na verdade, não existe uma única pessoa ou país 我们可以指责和玩责任游戏,但实际上没有一个人或国家

that holds all of the responsibility. |asume||||toda la responsabilidad |несе||||відповідальність que detém toda a responsabilidade. 能够承担所有责任。

Could the war that killed millions have been prevented? ||||||||Stopped from happening ||||||||evitado ||||||||відвернено A guerra que matou milhões de pessoas poderia ter sido evitada? 那场导致数百万人丧生的战争能够被预防吗?

Most definitely. 绝对| |однозначно Definitivamente. 绝对可以。

Let's take a look at what caused the Great War, explore how it could have been prevented, ||||||викликало||||дослідити||||||запобігти Vejamos o que causou a Grande Guerra e como poderia ter sido evitada, 让我们来看看是什么导致了第一次世界大战,探讨它是如何可以被预防的。

and learn how to not repeat the mistakes of the past. e aprender a não repetir os erros do passado. 并学习如何不重复过去的错误。

World War I lasted from 1914 to 1918 and included countries in Europe, Russia, the United States, |||тривав||||||||||| |||duró||||incluyó a||||||| 第一次世界大战始于1914年,结束于1918年,涉及欧洲、俄罗斯、美国,

and countries in the Middle East. e países do Médio Oriente. 以及中东国家。

The two main sides of the war were the Central Powers which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, ||||||||||||包括|||| ||||||||||||bestand|||| ||||||||||||consistían|||Austria-Hungría|Hungría |||сторони|||||||Центральні держави||складалися з|||Австрія|Австро-Угорщина 战争的两个主要方面是由德国、奥地利-匈牙利组成的中央同盟国。

Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria, who fought against the Allied Powers of France, |||||保加利亚|||||||| ||||||||||ฝ่ายพันธมิตร||| ||otomano|||Bulgaria|||||Aliados||| ||Османський|||Болгарія|||||Союзницький||| 意大利、奥斯曼帝国和保加利亚是反抗法国等同盟国的国家。

Britain, Russia, Portugal and Japan.

Later in the war the United States would also join the side of the Allies. ||||||||||||||Aliados ||||||Сполучені Штати||||||||союзники Mais tarde, durante a guerra, os Estados Unidos também se juntariam ao lado dos Aliados.

But what happened? Mas o que é que aconteceu?

Why did all of these nations get involved in one of the most disastrous wars in history? |||||||||||||katastrophal||| |||||||||||||desastrosas||| ||||||||в|||||катастрофічних||| 为什么所有这些国家卷入了历史上最灾难性的战争之一?

Let's explore the mechanisms and missteps that led to the first World War. |||机制||失误||||||| |||||Fehler||||||| |||mecanismos||errores||||||| |дослідити||механізми||помилки||||||| 让我们探讨导致第一次世界大战的机制和失误。

Although there were many players in World War 1, the conflict started with Serbia and ||||||||||||塞尔维亚| |||||||||conflicto bélico|||Serbia y| ||||гравці||||||||Сербія| Embora houvesse muitos intervenientes na Primeira Guerra Mundial, o conflito começou com a Sérvia e a 尽管在第一次世界大战中有许多参与国,但冲突始于塞尔维亚

Austria-Hungary. 奥匈帝国。

The Serbian government was eager to claim more territory for the nation. ||||||声称||||| |сербський|||прагне||претендувати||територія||| |serbio|||||||territorio||| O governo sérvio estava ansioso por reclamar mais território para a nação. 塞尔维亚政府渴望为国家要求更多领土。

Serbia was already in a state of aggression due to the Balkan Wars that ended just a year |||||||||||巴尔干|||||| |||||||||||Balkan|||||| |||||||агресія|через|||Балканський|||||| |||||||agresión|debido a|||Balcanes|||||| A Sérvia já se encontrava num estado de agressão devido às guerras dos Balcãs, que terminaram há apenas um ano Сербия уже находилась в состоянии агрессии из-за Балканских войн, которые закончились всего через год. 塞尔维亚已经处于侵略状态,因为不过一年前结束了巴尔干战争

before the start of World War I. 在第一次世界大战开始之前。

After the Balkan War, Serbian nationalists wanted to liberate the South Slavs of Austria-Hungary, |||||націоналісти|||визволити|the||||| |||||nacionalistas serbios|||liberar a||Sur de Austria-Hungría|eslavos del sur|de|| 在巴尔干战争之后,塞尔维亚民族主义者希望解放奥匈帝国的南斯拉夫人,

thus unifying the Slavic peoples under one nation. |unificando||eslavo|pueblos eslavos||| |รวมเป็นหนึ่ง||สลาฟ|||| так|об'єднуючи|||слов'янські народи|||націю |||斯拉夫人|||| unificando assim os povos eslavos numa só nação. 从而使斯拉夫人民统一于一个国家。

This extreme nationalism led to the assissnation of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was heir ||民族主义||||刺杀|||大公弗朗茨·斐迪南||||| ||||||Attentat|||||||| ||nacionalismo extremo||||asesinato|||Archiduque|Franz Ferdinand|Ferdinando Francisco|||heredero |екстремальний|націоналізм||||вбивство|||Архікнязь|Франц|Фердинанд|||наступник 这种极端民族主义导致了大公弗朗茨·斐迪南德的暗杀,他是继承人

to the Astro-Hungarian Empire. ||Астрономічний|| ||Astro-Húngaro|húngaro al Imperio| 至奥匈帝国。

At 11:15 AM on June 28, 1914 Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg, ||||||||||公爵夫人|| |||||||||Sofía, duquesa|duquesa de Hohenberg||duquesa de Hohenberg |||червень||||||Софія|герцогиня||Гогенберг 1914年6月28日上午11:15,弗朗茨·斐迪南和他的妻子Sophie,霍亨贝格公爵夫人。

were shot to death in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip. |||||萨拉热窝|波斯尼亚||| |||||Sarajevo, Bosnia|Bosnia y Herzegovina||Gavrilo Princip|fueron asesinados |застрелили в Сараєво||||Сараєво|Боснія||Гаврило|Принцип 在波斯尼亚的萨拉热窝,被加夫里洛·普林西普林兹射杀。

Princip was a Serbian extremist who had connections to a secret society called the Black Hand. ||||极端分子||||||||||| ||||екстреміст|||||||товариство|||| ||||extremista||||||||||| 普林西普林兹是一个塞尔维亚极端分子,与一个叫做黑手党的秘密社团有联系。

The assaisnation was the match that ignited the first world war, however, there were many ||||||引发了|||||||| |Attentat|||||entzündet|||||||| |вбивство|||випадок||спричинила|||||||| |El asesinato|||chispa||encendió|||||||| O assaisnation foi o fósforo que iniciou a primeira guerra mundial, no entanto, houve muitos 这次暗杀是引发第一次世界大战的导火索,然而,仍然有很多其他因素。

other factors that led to the powderkeg that would explode. ||||||volatile situation||| ||||||порохова бочка|||вибухнути ||||||Pulverfass||| ||||||火药桶||| ||||||ปัจจัยระเบิด||| |factores|||||barril de pólvora|||estallar outros fatores que levaram ao barril de pólvora que explodiria. 导致爆炸的引信的其他因素。

Should the assassination of Franz Ferdinand have led to an all out War? |||||||||一个|全面战争|| ||вбивство|||||||||| 弗朗茨·斐迪南的暗杀是否应导致全面战争?

Probably not. 很可能不会。

There is more to the story here.

In the shadows lurked Kaiser Wilhelm II, who may be as much to blame as Gavrilo Princip |||潜伏||||||||||||| |||acechaba|Kaiser Guillermo II|Kaiser Wilhelm II|II -> II|||||||||| ||тіні|підстеріг|кайзер Вільгельм II|Вільгельм|II|||||||вина||| Nas sombras espreitava o Kaiser Wilhelm II, que pode ser tão culpado quanto Gavrilo Princip 暗中潜伏着德皇威廉二世,他可能和加夫里洛·普林西普一样要承担责任

in starting World War I. Wilhelm II was the leader of Germany and he was diabolical. |||||||||||||||恶魔般的 |||||||||||||||diabólico |||||Вільгельм II||||лідер||||||дияволічний в начале Первой мировой войны Вильгельм II был лидером Германии и был дьяволом.

Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted a strong Germany that dominated Europe both economically and |||||||||||económicamente| ||||||||домінувала|||економічно|

militarily in strength. Militarmente en fuerza.|| військовою силою||сила

He did not want Russia or Great Britain to have more influence and power than he did. |||||||||||вплив||||| Ele não queria que a Rússia ou a Grã-Bretanha tivessem mais influência e poder do que ele.

Therefore, Wilhelm II allied himself, and Germany, with Austria-Hungary. |||verbündet|||||| |||об'єднався з|||||| Поэтому Вильгельм II заключил союз с Австро-Венгрией и Германией.

He knew that if Austria-Hungary went to war with Serbia, then Russia would come to Serbia's ||||||||||||||||de Serbia ||||||||||||||||Сербії на допомогу 他知道,如果奥匈帝国与塞尔维亚开战,那么俄罗斯就会向塞尔维亚开战。

aid. допомога

This would drag Russia's ally France into the conflict. |||de Rusia|aliado|||| ||втягне|Росії|союзник|||| Isto arrastaria a França, aliada da Rússia, para o conflito.

We will examine later why Wilhelm wanted this war to happen so badly. ||вивчити||||||||статися||погано ||examinaremos||||||||||

Kaiser Wilhelm II secretly funded Austria-Hungary in their endeavor to suppress Serbia. |||||||||attempt to suppress||| ||||financió en secreto|||||esfuerzo||reprimir| |||таємно|фінансував|||||зусилля придушити Сербію||пригнічити| Kaiser Wilhelm II financierde in het geheim Oostenrijk-Hongarije in hun poging om Servië te onderdrukken. O Kaiser Guilherme II financiou secretamente a Áustria-Hungria em seu esforço para suprimir a Sérvia. 德皇威廉二世秘密资助奥匈帝国镇压塞尔维亚。

He allowed Germany to give Austria-Hungary a carte blanche, or “blank check.” ||||||||full freedom|full support||| ||||||||เช็คเปล่า|เช็คเปล่า||| |||||||||||leere Scheck| ||||||||空白支票|空白支票||| ||||||||бланк чек|карт-бланш||| ||||||||cheque en blanco|cheque en blanco||cheque en blanco| Ele permitiu que a Alemanha desse carta branca à Áustria-Hungria, ou "cheque em branco". 他允许德国给予奥匈帝国全权委托,即“空白支票”。

Basically Germany would fund the war effort using their wealthy economy to ensure Austria-Hungary |||financiaría|||||||economía próspera||asegurar el apoyo|| |||фінансувати||||||багатий|||забезпечити Австро-Угорщину|| Basicamente, a Alemanha financiaria o esforço de guerra usando sua rica economia para garantir que a Áustria-Hungria 基本上,德国将利用其富裕的经济来资助战争,以确保奥匈帝国

came out on top. вийшов на перше місце||| saiu por cima. 胜出。

With the assassination of their heir, and the backing of Germany, Austria-Hungary felt ||||||||apoyo de||||| |||||спадкоємець|||підтримка||||| |||||ทายาท|||||||| Com o assassinato de seu herdeiro e o apoio da Alemanha, a Áustria-Hungria sentiu-se

empowered to start their war with Serbia. autorizados a iniciar|||||| уповноважені|||||| autorizados a iniciar a guerra com a Sérvia.

They sent Serbia an ultimatum with such harsh terms that it was impossible to accept. ||||最后通牒|||||||||| ||||ultimátum|||||||||| ||||ультиматум|||жорстокими|||||||прийняти Eles enviaram à Sérvia um ultimato com termos tão duros que foi impossível aceitar.

There was only one alternative. ||||alternativa ||||альтернатива

War.

But there was more to the story. Але|||||| Mas havia mais na história.

The decisions of Austria-Hungary and Germany were clearly geared towards war. |||||||||针对战争|| |||||||||orientadas|| ||||||||очевидно|спрямовані на|| As decisões da Áustria-Hungria e da Alemanha foram claramente voltadas para a guerra. Решения Австро-Венгрии и Германии были явно направлены на войну. 奥匈帝国和德国的决定显然是走向战争的。

It is undeniable that World War I started because of these aggressive decisions. ||innegable|||||||||agresivas| ||безсумнівно|що||||||||| É inegável que a Primeira Guerra Mundial começou por causa dessas decisões agressivas.

But could the whole conflict have been avoided if other countries had made better decisions? |||||||уникнуто||||||| Mas todo o conflito poderia ter sido evitado se outros países tivessem tomado decisões melhores? 但是,如果其他国家做出更好的决定,是否可以避免整个冲突?

Were there strings being pulled behind the scenes by the countries on both sides of the ||cuerdas tiradas|||||bambalinas|||||||| ||нитки впливу|||||сцени|||||||| Havia cordas sendo puxadas nos bastidores pelos países de ambos os lados do

war?

Let's find out. Vamos descobrir.

First let's take a look at the Triple Entente nations, which consisted of a secret pact ||||||||协约国||||||| |||||||Triple Entente|Triple Entente|||||||pacto secreto |||||||Потрійний союз|союз|нації||||||пакт Primeiro vamos dar uma olhada nas nações da Tríplice Entente, que consistiam em um pacto secreto 首先让我们来看看三国协约国,它们由一个秘密协议组成

between Great Britain, France, and Russia.

Could any of these nations have secretly wanted a world war to heighten their power? ||||||||||||steigern|| ||||||||||||aumentar|| ||||||потайки||||||підвищити|| Alguma dessas nações poderia secretamente querer uma guerra mundial para aumentar seu poder?

Could there have been a secret plot by the Allies to set up a war they would eventually ||||||complot secreto||||||||||| |||||секретний|план||||||||||| Poderia ter havido um plano secreto dos Aliados para estabelecer uma guerra que eles acabariam

win? виграти?

Russia is, and always has been, a large, powerful nation. |||||||велика|могутня|нація A Rússia é, e sempre foi, uma nação grande e poderosa.

What could Russia gain from a war against the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, ||||||||||Alianza Triple Alianza|||| |||отримати вигоду|||||||Трійка союзників||||

and Italy?

At first glance Russia's role in World War I seems to be based around supporting their ||||||||||||||apoyando a su| ||На перший погляд|||||||||бути|||підтримуючи їх| À primeira vista, o papel da Rússia na Primeira Guerra Mundial parece basear-se no apoio à sua

ally of Serbia. союзник|союзник Сербії|

But as we look closer it seems that Russia's alliance only played a superficial role in |||||||||||||superficial|| ||||||||росії|союз||||поверхневий|| Mas, olhando mais de perto, parece que a aliança da Rússia desempenhou apenas um papel superficial na

their decisions to go to war.

In fact Russia barely even tried to find a diplomatic solution to prevent this conflict. |||||||||diplomática||||| |||ледь||||знайти||дипломатичний|рішення||запобігти|| Na verdade, a Rússia mal tentou encontrar uma solução diplomática para evitar esse conflito.

Instead, they immediately started to deploy troops and ramp up military production once |||||desplegar tropas|tropas||aumentar||militar|| замість цього||негайно|||розгортати війська|війська||збільшити||військовий|виробництво| Em vez disso, eles imediatamente começaram a enviar tropas e aumentar a produção militar uma vez que

Austria-Hungary showed aggression towards Serbia.

It would seem Russia had no intentions on working out the conflict diplomatically. ||||||||||||auf diplomatische Weise ||||||намірів||||||дипломатичним шляхом ||||||intenciones de resolver||||||diplomáticamente

History shows it was Russia, not Germany, that mobilized its military first. ||||||||мобілізувала||військові сили| |demuestra|||||||movilizó|||

Russia may have wanted war to claim more territory and power for the nation. ||||||претензія||||владу|||нація

But there was another player on the Triple Entente side who may have played a behind

the scenes role of starting World War I. France did not make any outwardly aggressive moves |||||||||||||visibly|| |||||||||||||abiertamente||movimientos agresivos externos |сцени||||||||||||зовнішньо||дії

in the months that led to the outbreak of war, but they were making secret strategic |||||||спалах війни||||||||стратегічні плани |||||||estallido de guerra||||||||estratégico secreto

moves.

France may be the only reason that Russia prepared for war in the first place. A França pode ser a única razão pela qual a Rússia se preparou para a guerra em primeiro lugar. Франция, возможно, единственная причина, по которой Россия готовилась к войне в первую очередь.

During talks of what was to be done about the Central Powers, France offered Russia |||||||||||||пропонувала|

its own blank cheque. |||Scheck |||cheque en blanco ||пустий|чек seu próprio cheque em branco.

The stipulation was that Russia would help Europeanise the Austrian-Hungry Empire. |Vereinbarung|||||||||| |Estipulación||||||europeizar||austrohúngaro|| |Умова||||||європеїзувати|в|Австрійський||

France had an idea of what this part of the world should look like, and rather than entering |||||||||||||||||entrar en |||||||||||||||швидше ніж||входити

directly into conflict, they funded the Russian military to start a war that they could benefit безпосередньо|||||||військові сили||||||||вигоду отримати

from.

France encouraged Russia's aggression towards Austria-Hungary and Germany. |заохочував|||проти||||

French leaders seemed not to like the idea of having the powerful nation of Germany right |лідери|||||||||||||| |líderes franceses||||||||||||||

next door. сусідній|

If Germany was focused on fighting Russia on the Eastern front, it would provide France ||||||||||фронт|||допомогла б| |||enfocada|||||||||||

with the opportunity to either protect itself, or launch an uncontested invasion into Germany ||||||||||غير متنازع عليها||| ||||||||lanzar||sin oposición|invasión no contestada|| ||||або|захистити себе|||розпочати||безперешкодний|вторгнення||

from the western front. ||del oeste|

It would seem that things did not play out exactly as France predicted because of Germany's ||||||||||||predijo Francia|||de Alemania |||||||||точно|||передбачила|||Німеччини

deployment of troops to fight on both the Russian and French fronts simultaneously. despliegue de tropas|||||||||||frentes| розгортання військ||війська||битися|||||||фронти|одночасно

If the shady actions of France leading up to the start of World War I surprised you ||turbias|||||||||||||| |всі|підозрілі||||||||початок війни||світ|||здивовані|

then what Great Britain did may shock you even more. ||||||шокувати|||

Britain was a dominant force in colonization and had control of the seas with their powerful ||||||colonización||||||||| ||||||колонізація||||||моря|||

Navy. флот військово-морський Armada.

Would they benefit from an all out war in Europe? ||отримали б вигоду|||||||

Germany was becoming powerful, both economically and militarily. |||||||військово

Britain knew that this was a threat to their empire. ||||||загроза|||

In the eyes of Great Britain's leaders the world wasn't big enough for both a German |||||de Gran Bretaña|||||||||| |||||Британських|лідерів|||||||||

empire and British empire.

If Germany continued on the path it was headed, Britain's global dominance of the seas and ||||||||||mundial|dominación global|||| ||продовжувала||||||на якому йшла|Британії||панування||||

financial system would be threatened, and perhaps lost. ||||загрожуватиме||| financiero|||||||

This was unacceptable to the leaders of Great Britain. ||неприйнятно||||||

These notions of loss of dominance may have driven Great Britain to stay out of diplomatic |||||||||||||||การทูต |nociones de pérdida||pérdida de dominio|||||||||||| Ці|поняття втрати домінування||втрата влади||домінування|||||||залишатися|||

talks, and instead encourage Russian aggression. переговори||замість|заохочувати||

It would seem that at the time Great Britain had an inferiority complex when it came to |||||||||||complejo de inferioridad||||| |||||||||||комплекс неповноцінності||||| Похоже, что в то время у Великобритании был комплекс неполноценности по отношению к

Germany.

They had failed to meditate during the Balkan Wars and they refused to meditate during the |||||||||||||meditieren|| ||||meditar||||||||||| ||||медитувати|||||||відмовилися||медитувати|| Они не смогли медитировать во время Балканских войн и отказались медитировать во время

lead up to World War I. привести|перед||||

The thought process may have been that the more conflicts Germany was a part of, the |||||||||конфлікти|||||| |||||||||conflictos||||||

more likely they were to be weakened. ||||||debilitados |швидше|||||ослабленими

Great Britain had clearly won the naval arm race by 1910, it just seemed that it wasn't ||||||naval||carrera armamentista naval||||||| |||очевидно|виграв|||гонка озброєнь||||||||

enough.

They were still living in fear of Germany's threats. ||||||||amenazas de Alemania ||||||||загроз Німеччини

And it would appear rightfully so as history showed over the next several decades. ||||con razón|||||||||décadas ||||справедливо|||||||наступні||десятиліття И, как показала история последующих нескольких десятилетий, это было вполне обоснованно.

It needs to be said that if Great Britain wanted to prevent war, they should have contributed ||||||||||||||||contribuido |||||||||||запобігти||вони|||внесли б вклад

to the mediation discussions. ||Vermittlungs-| ||a las discusiones de mediación|discusiones de mediación |до|медіаційні обговорення|

The fact that they actively avoided the mediations shows Britain may have had other motives. |||||||Verhandlungen||||||| |||||||mediaciones|||||||motivos ocultos ||||активно|||посередництво|||||||мотиви O facto de terem evitado ativamente as mediações mostra que a Grã-Bretanha pode ter tido outros motivos.

Especially if war meant a weakened Germany. |||означало||ослаблену|

History is written by the victors. |||||vencedores |||||переможці

Therefore, history textbooks tend to attribute most of, if not all of, the blame for World |||склонны приписывать||приписывать|||||||||| ||підручники з історії||до|атрибутувати|||||||the|вину|| ||libros de historia|||atribuir||||||||||

War I to Austria-Hungary and Germany.

You have to wonder who would be blamed if the outcome of the war was reversed. |||||||звинувачений||the|результат війни|||війна||змінений на протилежний |||||||culpado|||resultado||||| Стоит задуматься, кого бы обвинили, если бы исход войны был обратным.

We discussed how the nations of the Triple Entente were by no means free of blame for ||||||||антанта||||не в жодному разі||з|винини|для

the start of this conflict.

But let's take a closer look at the motives and actions of the Triple Alliance, which але|||||||||||||||

was the secret pact between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Let's find out if they really are to blame like so many textbooks say. ||||||||виноваті||||підручники|

Other than retaliation, what was Austria-Hungary after? ||represalia||||| ||помста|||||

In a word, territory. |||територія |||อาณาเขต

Austria-Hungary wanted to add more land and people to its already large empire.

More land equals more resources, and more men for their military. ||equivale a|||||||| ||дорівнює|||||людей|||військові

Austria-Hungary had its sights set on Serbia for a while. ||||objetivos fijados en|||||| ||мала|свої|погляди|направлені||||| Oostenrijk-Hongarije had een tijdje zijn zinnen gezet op Servië.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand allowed them the perfect opportunity to make |||архікнязя||||||ідеальну|||

their dreams of taking over Serbian lands a reality. ||||||tierras serbias|| |мрії|||||||

Austria-Hungary's desires were made clear when they offered an obscene ultimatum to |Угорщини|бажання||||||предложили||обурливий|| |de Hungría|deseos||||||||ultimátum obsceno||

Serbia.

The ultimatum itself was delivered on July 23, 1914. ||||||julio |ультиматум|||доставлено||липень

It required Serbia to accept an Austro-Hungarian inquiry into the assassination of Archduke ||||||austrohúngaro||investigación||||| |потрібно|||||||розслідування|||||

Ferdinand.

The inquiry would be conducted solely by Austria-Hungarian investigators. ||||проведено|виключно лише||||слідчі ||||llevada a cabo|exclusivamente||||investigadores austrohúngaros

Serbia also needed to suppress all anti-Austrian propaganda and eliminate any terrorist or ||||||||propaganda anti-austriaca||eliminar||terrorista| ||||пригнічувати||||пропаганда||усунути||терористичні дії|

extremist organizations within its borders. ||в межах||кордони країни |organizaciones extremistas|||fronteras

The leaders of Austria-Hungary demanded that an answer to the ultimatum be sent within |||||вимагали|||||||||

48 hours.

However, the ambassador to Serbia delivered the ultimatum and immediately left the country ||embajador|||||||||| ||посол|||||||негайно|||

to return back to Austria-Hungary. |повернутися|назад|в||

He already knew what was going to happen next. |||||||статися|

There was no way that Serbia would accept the ultimatum.

This meant war.

The ultimatum served one purpose. ||cumplió||propósito

Austria-Hungary knew Serbia would never accept their terms, but they also knew if they attacked |||||||||||||||атакували

without warning it would make Serbia look like the victim. |sin advertencia||||||||víctima |без попередження||||||||жертва

By sending the ultimatum it pushed the burden of avoiding war onto the Serbian government. |||||||||evitar||||| |||ультиматум|його|поклав||тягар||уникнення||||сербський| |||คำขาด|||||||||||

This way Austria-Hungary created the illusion of giving Serbia a chance to stop the war. ||||||ілюзія|||||шанс||||

When they didn't, Serbia would look like the bad guy.

But the ridiculous ultimatum did not stand up to the test of history, and Austria-Hungary ||смішний||не витримав||витримати||||випробування||||| Но нелепый ультиматум не выдержал испытания историей, и Австро-Венгрия

is still seen as the aggressors. |||||Aggressoren |||||agresores |||||агресорами

Really what it came down to was that Austria-Hungary wanted to control more territory in the Balkan ||||||||||||контролювати||територія|||

region. регіон

They needed a reason to go to war with Serbia to secure that land and they found it in the |||||||||||asegurar|||||||| |||||||||||захопити||||||||

assassination of their Archduke.

Was the assassination a reason to conduct an all out war? ||||||вести|||| ||||||llevar a cabo|||| Было ли убийство поводом для начала полномасштабной войны?

Probably not, but it was sufficient enough reason for the Austria-Hungary government |||||достатньою|достатньо||||||

at the time.

However, none of this would have been possible without one key player. |ninguno de estos|||||||||| Однак|||||||||||

I am sure you can guess what is coming next.

Germany.

In the eyes of many historians Germany is to blame for the first world war. |||||historiadores|||||||||

Why was Germany considered the most responsible in a conflict that they did not directly start?

It is mostly because they alone had the power to stop the war between Austria-Hungary and

Serbia.

All they needed to do was withdraw their blank cheque, and Austria-Hungary would not have ||||||відкликати||||||||| Bastava-lhes retirar o cheque em branco e a Áustria-Hungria não teria

had the financial ability to support a war with Serbia.

This would have kept Austria-Hungary in check and they would never have issued their ultimatum. |||||||||||||emitido||

Germany also knew that if Austria-Hungary went to war with Serbia, Russia and France

would both get pulled in.

It was almost as if Germany needed to find a way to declare war on their competitors ||||||||||||||||competidores ||||||||||||||||конкуренти

in the region without doing it themselves.

Germany could never just outright declare war on the other nations or they would risk 德国|||||||||||||| ||||directamente||||||||||correrían el riesgo ||||прямо||||||||||

unifying the entire continent of Europe against them. vereinigend|||||||

But by strategically destabilizing the Balkans they could gode Russia, and therefore France, ||||||||anstacheln|||| |||дестабілізуючи|||||провокувати|||| ||estratégicamente|desestabilizar||Balcanes|||incitar a|||| Но стратегически дестабилизировав Балканы, они могли бы ожесточить Россию, а значит, и Францию,

into a war with their ally, thus allowing Germany to start a war to suit their needs.

The other reason that Germany wanted war was because it had peaked as a nation. |||||||||||alcanzado su auge||| |||||||||||досягла вершини||| Другая причина, по которой Германия хотела войны, заключалась в том, что она достигла пика своего развития как нация.

If Germany allowed the rest of Europe to catch up they would lose power and prestige. |||||||||||||||poder e influencia |||||||||||||||престиж і вплив Если бы Германия позволила остальной Европе догнать себя, она потеряла бы власть и престиж.

This upset no one more than Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was an angry militaristic autocrat. |||||||||||||militarista|autócrata militarista O Kaiser Wilhelm II, que era um autocrata militarista furioso, foi o único a ficar aborrecido com este facto.

He believed that he was predestined by God to lead his country to greatness. |||||predestinado||||||||grandeza

He hated diplomats and maintained that the only way to ensure Germany's spot of power ||diplomáticos||sostenía||||||||||

was through war.

He knew it was now or never if Germany was going to become the predominant world power. ||||||||||||||predominante|| ||||||||||||||переважною|| ||||||||||||||มีอำนาจเหนือ||

When a power hungry autocrat is in charge of one of the world's most wealthy and armed ||||||||||||del mundo||||armado

nations there is only one outcome.

War.

In the end World War I was caused by many different factors and countries.

There is not just one person or nation to blame.

However, some are more responsible than others.

If the leaders of Europe were less hungry for power, and more willing to sit down and

negotiate, the war could have been avoided. negociado||||||

Make no mistake, World War I was not unavoidable. ||||||||неминучою

But the leaders in charge saw war as a desirable outcome, or were forced into it by allies. |||||||||deseable||||||||

A situation that would repeat itself again 21 years later.

If you are interested in more World War I information check out 50 Insane World War ||||||||||||50 Guerras Mundiales Asombrosas||

1 Facts That Will Shock You!

Or if you want to know how World War I and World War II stack up watch World War 1 VS |||||||||||||||||||проти ||||||||||||||se comparan|||||contra Ou se você quiser saber como a Primeira Guerra Mundial e a Segunda Guerra Mundial se comparam, assista a Primeira Guerra Mundial VS

World War 2 - How Do They Compare? |||||Comparar