Answer to Question #293342 in History for Kelsey Jand

Question

Wilson’s Fourteen Points of Peace

Instructions: Read the text of Wilson’s original fourteen points. Then, briefly write the main idea in your own words. Then identify which cause of WWI this connects to - Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, or Nationalism?

12) The Turkish portion of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty [freedom and authority], but the other nationalities which are now under Turkish rule should be assured an undoubted security of life and an absolutely unmolested opportunity of autonomous [self-government] development....

Requirements:

1. Read the text above.
2. Write the main idea of the text.
3. Identify which causes of WWI this connects to - Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, or Nationalism. (Pick one.)

Answer 1

The main idea in the Wilson's fourteen point of peace, it was document that contained principles of peace that were aimed at ending the World War I.

Causes of WWI 

Militarism

In the late nineteenth, the main participants in the World War I were competing for arms race. The policy of building a stronger military was judged relative to neighbors, creating a culture of paranoia that heightened the search for alliances. It was fed by the cultural belief that war is good for nations. In this case in particular, Germany was struggling to build her naval system to out smart that of the British which was considered strong.

Alliances

Countries were grouping themselves into alliances so that they can become strong and compete in the war. This led to the creation of two opposing alliances that is Triple Alliance and Triple Entente. The alliance system primarily came about because after 1870 Germany, under Bismarck, set a precedent by playing its neighbors' imperial endeavors off one another, in order to maintain a balance of power within Europe. This let to the outbreak of the World War I.

Imperialism

This can be seen when European countries were competing for colonies to expand their territories. For instance, Germany was motivated by imperial ambitions to invade Belgium and France. Certainly the expansion of the British and French empires, fired by the rise of industrialism and the pursuit of new markets, caused some resentment in Germany, and the pursuit of a short, aborted imperial policy in the late nineteenth century. Hence, World War I was inevitable.

Nationalism

This was a new and powerful source of tension in Europe. It was tied to militarism, and clashed with the interests of the imperial powers in Europe. Nationalism created new areas of interest over which nations could compete. For example, The Habsburg empire was tottering agglomeration of 11 different nationalities, with large Slavic populations in Galicia and the Balkans whose nationalist aspirations ran counter to imperial cohesion. Nationalism in the Balkan’s also piqued Russia’s historic interest in the region.