The twentieth century saw two catastrophic global conflicts. Understanding why they happened means looking at deep, long-term causes as well as the events that finally lit the fuse.
Causes of the First World War
The First World War (1914–1918) grew from four long-term forces: nationalism, imperialism (the race for colonies), militarism (the arms build-up) and a rigid alliance system. Europe had split into two armed camps — the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) and the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia). The spark came on 28 June 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated at Sarajevo, dragging the whole alliance system into war.
Key idea / 要点
Remember the long-term causes as nationalism, imperialism, militarism and alliances; the immediate spark of WWI was the assassination at Sarajevo (1914).
Causes of the Second World War
The Second World War (1939–1945) had roots in the peace that ended the first. The harsh Treaty of Versailles (1919) humiliated and weakened Germany, breeding resentment. The Great Depression of 1929 spread poverty and desperation. In this climate, dictators and militarists rose to power — Adolf Hitler in Germany, Benito Mussolini in Italy, and the military in Japan — all pursuing aggressive expansion. The League of Nations, set up to keep peace, proved too weak to stop them. War finally broke out when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939.
Remember / 记住
- WWI: 1914–1918; spark = Sarajevo assassination.
- WWII causes: Treaty of Versailles, Great Depression, dictators, weak League of Nations.
- WWII began with the invasion of Poland, 1 September 1939.