Mains Marathon

Approach :  Briefly introduce both World Wars as the most catastrophic global conflicts. Identify and explain the primary causes of each war. Compare and contrast the two World Wars in the global contexts. Conclude with a scholarly observation.

Introduction:

The First and Second World Wars were two of the most catastrophic conflicts in modern history. While both were global in scope and resulted in unprecedented destruction, they emerged from different historical contexts and were driven by distinct sets of causes. World War I was rooted in nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and alliance systems, whereas World War II was shaped largely by ideological extremism, fascist expansionism, and the failures of the post-WWI world order.

Body:

Causes of World War I (1914–1918)

• Militant Nationalism: Nationalistic fervor swept across Europe, particularly in Germany, France, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Slavic nationalism in the Balkans, supported by Russia, conflicted with Austro-Hungarian interests.
• Imperial Rivalries: Competition for colonies among European powers, especially between Britain, France, and a rising Germany, created deep mistrust. The Moroccan Crises (1905, 1911) are examples of tensions caused by colonial rivalries.
• Alliance System: Europe was divided into two hostile camps—the Triple Entente (France, Britain, Russia) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy)—which meant that any local conflict could escalate into a wider war.
• Militarism and Arms Race: Military buildup was rampant, particularly between Britain and Germany (naval race), increasing the likelihood of war.
• Immediate Trigger: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo (June 1914) by a Serbian nationalist led to Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia, drawing in allied nations.

Causes of World War II (1939–1945)

• Ideological Extremism: The rise of fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany, and militarism in Japan created a political environment hostile to democratic institutions and international peace.
• Revenge Against Versailles Treaty: The harsh terms imposed on Germany—loss of territory, disarmament, and war reparations—fueled resentment and facilitated Hitler’s rise to power, who promised national revival.
• Expansionist Doctrines: Hitler's concept of Lebensraum (living space), Mussolini’s imperial ambitions in Africa, and Japan’s quest for dominance in East Asia (e.g., invasion of Manchuria in 1931, China in 1937) were deeply ideological.
• Failure of Collective Security: The League of Nations failed to check aggression (e.g., Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, German reoccupation of the Rhineland), and Western democracies adopted appeasement (e.g., Munich Agreement, 1938), emboldening Axis powers.
• Trigger: Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939, followed by Britain and France’s declarations of war.

Comparison and Contrast

Dimensions	World War I	World War II
Driving Force	Nationalism, imperialism, militarism	Ideological extremism (Nazism, fascism)
Nature of Conflict	Clash of empires and national interests	Clash of ideologies: fascism vs. democracy
Role of Alliances	Entangling alliances pre-planned for war	Alliances shaped during the war (Axis vs. Allies)
Trigger Event	Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand	Invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany
Global Influence	Regional tensions escalated globally	Ideological expansionism led to total war

Conclusion

As A.J.P. Taylor aptly observed, “The First World War was a political miscalculation; the Second was a moral collapse.”These wars catalyzed the decline of European colonial empires, the formation of the United Nations, and the beginning of a bipolar world order.