While much has been hypothesized about the fundamental causes of the Great War, it is of the essence to note that the primary cause of the war was the intense rivalry that existed between different nations on whose army and naval forces was the strongest. Precisely, Germany sought to match Russian and French armies and navy to wage war on Britain. Worth noting is the fact that the German armies had evolved into a significant threat. Due to this, Italy and Austria-Hungary matched Russia, France, and Britain into an Alliance aimed at fighting the highly dreaded German forces (Moretta 64). This marked the beginning of the Great War. From this analysis, the most vital cause of the Great War was the f conflict between nations on whose naval and military forces were strong. The other factors that also led to the start of the Great War were the competition for empires and colonies, especially in Africa.
At the beginning of the Great War, America was hesitant to join the war because of the primary fact that she had no interests at stake. As such, the United States had no justifiable reason to enjoin the war. In fact, the United States continued to function normally at the start of the war as it continued to carry out mutually beneficial trade with its allies. Nonetheless, the United States was prompted to enjoin the Great War at the start of the year 1917 when Germany affirmed unrestricted warfare on all ships found in allied waters that is including those of the United States. Due to this, the United States had no option but to join the war in order to protect herself. Besides, the Germans scorned the United States, by claiming its army was nothing to them. This incited to join the war whereby President Woodrow Wilson asserted that the United States would contribute to the war through the provision of supplies, moral support, and financial support to the allied forces. As the war progressed, the United States was forced to actively participate in the war. The signing of the Versailles Treaty marked the end of the Great War and Germany was penalized for causing the war (Moretta 5).
Work Cited
Moretta, John. The American Challenge: A New History of the United States Volume Two. Boston: Abigail Press, 2012. Print.
