Why Was World War 1 Inevitable

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The Great War was a turning point in history. It saw over 37 million casualties including over 8 million deaths, 21 million people injured and around 7 million missing. Thus, World War I, which lasted from 1914 -1918, was one of the most destructive wars in history (First World War Casualties)(WWI Casualty and Death Tables). There are several historians who argue that World War I wasn’t inevitable at all and was completely unnecessary. The war was unnecessary but was rather inevitable Looking back at the events that led up to World War I, the decisions made by the governments looked quite foolish but, at the time it was either what the governments thought was the most wise decision or their only option. In addition, Most of the governments felt that they had something to gain from war, adding to the thirst for war and the inevitability of war (Zapotoczny, Walter S). From…show more content…
The population increased by a third to 65 million; German industries thrived and the arts prospered. German nationalism rose as Germany was now generally considered a single nation (Adolf, Gustav). Moreover, Germany believed that, contrary to what other countries believed, Germany hadn’t been the leader but rather the victim in the previous European wars. Germany feared that another European war would lead to the ruin of Germany. Therefore, in a show of wanting collective security, Germany formed the Dual Alliance with Austro-Hungary on October 7th 1879 (Duffy, Michael). Italy later joined in 1882, making it the Triple Alliance ("The Road To War: The Triple Alliance."). Nevertheless, Germany also wanted more power, and to be recognised with even more authority in Europe, just like Great Britain. Germany wanted a huge empire all over the world, but to achieve this, Germany felt the she needed a better navy since, while Germany’s army was one of the most powerful in the world, her navy was nothing compared to that of Britain’s. So, Germany began to
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