Was the Great War Inevitable

Was The Great War Inevitable

Was The Great War inevitably? This is the question I will attempt to answer in this brief essay.   The continent of Europe in 1914 was rittled with alliances made out of fear and paranoia. On one side you have the Central Power comprised of the countries of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Turkey. Then one the other side you have the Entente Powers composed of the nations of France, Great Britain, Russia, and in the later portion of the war the United States.
Let us take a closer look at these alliances and why they were formed. These alliances were the main reason for the hostile climate in Europe at the time and, were the preamble to The Great War.   Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany transitioned from the policy of maintaining the status quo of the country to a more aggressive stance, when he decided not to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia in 1890.   This showed Russia that Germany effectively opted for the Austrian alliance. This treaty seemed to be the only obstacle keeping Austria-Hungary and Russia from going to war with one another. Kaiser Wilhelm effectively drove Russia to seek an alliance with France for fear from aggression from Austria-Hungary. Moreover France wanted support against Germany in case of an outbreak of war. Slowly France and Russia formed an alliance.   During this time Germany was building its navy. Britain and it’s paranoia took Germany’s reconstitution of its navy from a mere costal fleet as a direct threat to their sovereignty as an island nation and a slap in the face to their own navy, which was established to be the greatest navy in the world during this time.   This arms race with Germany leads Great Britain to the alliance table with France and Russia.   With these alliances in place, the European nations believed to have their agitating rival in check and now just didn’t view war as inevitable but were enthusiastic and welcome war. Also the attitudes among the European nations during this point in...