History & Civics
Answer
An important cause of the war was intense nationalism or "competitive patriotism".
- Germany had Kaiser Wilhelm II as her new Emperor.
- He went about proclaiming that "Germany was going to be the leader of the world."
- He wanted to establish a vast German Empire and gain important position in the international sphere.
- France and Germany were old rivals.
- After defeating France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) Germany had seized the province of Alsace and most parts of Lorraine, which were rich in minerals and industrial products.
- The French dreamed of revenge and of taking back their lost provinces.
- The Italians desired to get back Trentino and the Port of Trieste which were inhabited by Italians but were still the part of Austria-Hungary.
- Then there was the "unsatisfied national spirit of the Balkan States—Serbia and Bulgaria, of Poland and of the people of Austria-Hungary."
- The political leaders were successful in fanning hatred and passion under the cover of nationalism.
Related Questions
In the questions given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option.
- Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
Assertion (A) : The Sarajevo crisis was the immediate cause of the First World War.
Reason (R) : Austria blamed Serbia for murder of Prince Francis Ferdinand and declared war on Serbia.
The Peace Terms of which Treaty is being referred to in the cartoon given below? Who had to swallow the bitter pills and why?
Which of the following was not a part of the 'Allies'?
- Serbia
- France
- Britain
- Turkey
The newspaper goes on to state that:
"Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his morganatic wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated today while driving through the streets of Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital. A youthful Servian student fired the shots, which added another to the long list of tragedies that have darkened the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph."
Which disaster was aggravated due to the above incident? What were the consequences of the disaster?