Industrialisation, Colonialism and Imperialism created intense rivalry among the European nations over their possessions of colonies in Asia and Africa. This competition became more acute by the end of the 19th century when colonies were no longer available in Asia and Africa.
Compromise was not possible due to mutual distrust and hostilities and in 1914 a war began in Europe which soon engulfed the entire world. The murder of Archduke Francis Ferdinand became the immediate cause of the war.
Causes of World War I
- Division of colonies in Asia and Africa created conditions of war.
- In the last quarter of the 19th century, Germany became the main competitor of England.
- In 1882, Germany, Austria and Italy signed the Triple Alliance pledging mutual military assistance against rival powers.
- England, Russia and France signed the Triple Entente in 1907.
- Emergence of two mutually opposed groups divided Europe into hostile camps leading to tension and conflicts among European powers.
Pan Slav Movement and the Balkan Politics
Balkan region of Eastern Europe consisted of many states such as Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and many other smaller states. Originally these states were under the control of the Ottoman Emperor or the ruler of Turkey. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire began to decline.
Europeans powers including Austria and Russia rushed for obtaining a foothold in the region. The matter got complicated with the resurgence of Nationalism among the people in most of these states. They were called Slavs. Their main demand was to unite the Slavs in one state under Serbia, the state which had the largest Slav population in this movement. Serbia was supported by Russia, whereas Austria opposed Serbia and their National Movement. This resulted in rivalry between Russia and Austria.
Course of the War (1914-1918)
World War I which started in August 1914 continued till November 1918. In the course of the war, many new weapons such as machine guns, poison gas, liquid fire, submarine and tanks were used. New strategies and military techniques were experimented by both sides. England used naval and economic blockade, tanks and air raids. The French used trench warfare and Germany used U Boats and submarines to sink ships under the sea.
The year 1917 saw two important developments - one was the entry of USA in the war in April and second was the withdrawal of Russia from the war in November.
Entry of USA
In 1915, a British passenger ship Lusitania was sunk by German U Boats killing 128 US civilians who were travelling in the ship. The US Senate took a very serious view of this. Besides becoming a powerful nation, Germany would pose a threat to US supremacy. Moreover, USA being the major supplier of arms and ammunition, the continuation of war would result in economic advantage for the US. Keeping all these in view, she decided to join the war in 1917.
Withdrawal of Russia
Immediately after the October Revolution under the leadership of Lenin, Russia withdrew from the war and signed a peace treaty with Germany in 1918.
Immediate Consequences of World War I
World War I was one of the most disastrous and frightening events the world had witnessed. There was a large scale damage of property in most of the European countries. A million people including innocent civilians lost their lives. The economy of most of the countries was shattered resulting in social tension, unemployment and poverty.
The Allies signed different treaties with the defeated powers. The most important of them were the Treaty of Versailles signed with Germany, the Treaty of St. Germain with Austria and the Treaty of Serves with Turkey.
The League of Nations
The League was the first international organisation set up in 1920 with its headquarters at Geneva. Its main aims were to maintain peace and security in the world, prevent future war, promote international co-operation, settle international disputes peacefully and improve the conditions of labourers in member countries.
World between the two World Wars
The period of twenty years between the two World Wars experienced tremendous changes. There were positive developments like national awakening in countries of Asia and Africa and popularity of Socialist Movement in the Soviet Union and in other countries. The world also saw the worst form of dictatorship in many countries of Europe, especially in Italy and Germany. A major economic crisis took place which affected almost every part of the world, particularly the most advanced countries of the West. The period also witnessed the worst economic depression in USA in 1929, which affected the economy of the entire world.
Growth of Fascism and Nazism
The dictatorship introduced in Italy by Mussolini is referred to as Fascism. In 1922, Mussolini came to power with the support of the Italian King and ruled like a dictator from 1925 to 1943.
The German version of Fascism is known as Nazism. It was established by Adolf Hitler. He promised to reverse post-war settlements and restore German power and glory.
Developments in Other Parts of the World
England and France too had to face severe economic crisis, scarcity and unemployment but they continued with their democratic governments. Soviet Union emerged as the first Socialist State of the world. It was the only country to remain unaffected while all the Western capitalist countries suffered due to the Economic Depression in 1929.
After the end of World War I, USA suffered the worst economic crisis in 1929 due to overproduction. Prices of commodities declined leading to the fall in share prices. The banks closed down and people lost their lifelong savings. The new government that came to power in USA under Franklin Roosevelt introduced a program of economic recovery called the New Deal.
Japan was the only country in Asia which emerged as an imperialist country. During the two World Wars, Japan became a strong military power and supported Fascism. She signed the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis with the fascist powers.
World War II
The League of Nations failed in its aim of preventing future war. World War II started in 1939.
Causes of World War II
Both the Fascist (in Italy) and Nazi (in Germany) Parties glorified war and promised to their people that they would bring back the lost glory of their countries through war. They began to follow an aggressive policy of expansion through conquests. Germany annexed Rhineland in 1936, Austria in 1938 and Czechoslovakia in 1938, while Italy attacked Ethiopia. This resulted in social tension and conflicts among European nations.
By signing the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, these three powers committed support to each other. Japan was given a free hand to expand control in Asia and the region of the Pacific while Germany and Italy would have a free hand in Europe.
The success of the Soviet Union alarmed the Western Powers. Being capitalist countries, they wanted to check the spread of Communism. So they adopted a systematic policy called Appeasement Policy favouring Italy and Germany, who were anti-communists.
This Appeasement Policy reached its climax when Hitler invited the Prime Ministers of Britain and France to Munich in August 1938. The Munich Pact was signed by them in 1938, allowing Germany to annex Sudetenland in the Northern part of Czechoslovakia. Later, the whole of Czechoslovakia was annexed. The Policy of Appeasement strengthened the fascist powers.
The scene was set for World War II when Germany attacked Poland on 1September 1939. Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939.
Consequences of the War
The war came to an end in September 1945. It caused unprecedented loss of life, property and resources. The German Jews were either exterminated or sent to concentration camps. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were almost wiped off when atomic bombs were dropped on them. The danger of nuclear holocaust was one of the major consequences of the war.
USA and Soviet Union emerged as super powers. The world was now divided into two power blocs - the Communist Bloc headed by Soviet Union and the Western Bloc headed by the USA. The tension and unarmed conflict that developed between these blocs started the Cold War which continued for a very long time.
UNO (United Nations organization) was set up with the major objective of maintaining international peace and security.
Foundation of United Nations
The horrors of the war made the world leaders realise the need for an international organisation for peace. World leaders such as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Leader Stalin and US President Roosevelt met at various conferences to decide about the formation of this organisation. Finally, on 24 October 1945 at a conference in San Francisco, the United Nations Charter was adopted by the members of 50 nations and the United Nations Organisation (UNO) was formed.