World War I

Alliances and Motivations

Alliances and motivations prior to World War I are important to understand key deceptions that led to the conflict and influenced the manner in which the war was waged. The war began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated on June 28, 1914, by the Black Hand, a Serbian secret nationalist society. Austria-Hungary blamed the Serbian government for Ferdinand's death and issued an ultimatum demanding the apprehension of the assassins. Austria-Hungary's goal was to undermine Serbian authority in order to incite a reaction that would give Austria-Hungary a reason to declare war. When the Serbian response to the ultimatum was not satisfactory, Austria-Hungary took the opportunity to declare war.

Alliances were formed and declarations were made in rapid succession. Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary in support of Russia's ally, Serbia. Germany joined the conflict using the nation's treaty with Austria-Hungary and Russia's mobilization against Germany as a reason to declare war against Russia. Because of an alliance with Russia, France found itself pitted against Germany and, by extension, Austria-Hungary. Germany invaded Belgium en route to Paris, bringing Great Britain and its colonies into the war based on a long-standing agreement to defend Belgium. All of this occurred within two months of Austria-Hungary's initial declaration of war against Serbia. Austria-Hungary's ultimatum had been quickly converted from a limited war to a worldwide engagement.

The quick escalation of the war was caused not only by the tangle of alliances but also by underlying, and less public, nationalistic motives. Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of the German Empire, played a large role in a critical deception prior to the war. In 1870, the Prussian army defeated France, prompted by well-timed suggestions and a fake telegram deceptively and intentionally crafted by Bismarck. The resulting alliances, created by Bismarck to protect his newly established German Empire, set the groundwork for World War I.

The hasty escalation of World War I was aided in part by some countries using treaties as a pretext to avenge losses from 19th-century skirmishes. Social distress brewed in the growing disconnect between the upper-class imperial mindset and middle- to lower-class socialist views. This tension also contributed to countries' desire to incite war. Some countries, including Germany and Britain, were hoping to unite restless populations behind a common, nationalistic goal, even if it had to be instigated indirectly. This deception involved the obstruction of motives, as countries tried to maintain an image that they were acting out of moral obligations to their allies, rather than to achieve their own ends.

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