Jerod Ford3/20/14Period 6Why was World War I inevitable?Europe has seen many wars throughout its vast and extensive history, some of which have been quite immense and destructive. One of these wars would undoubtedly be the First World War. A war fueled by the brainwashing methods of militarism and the stubborn pride of nationalism. Once engaged in a war, a country's militarism will produce excellent soldiers ready to fall like dominoes on the battlefield, while nationalism works as fuel by providing the naive determination to fight the war. This naive determination and production of soldiers is why World War I, like every other war, continued with such persistence. But what started the First World War? Was it militarism that trained young people from childhood to become soldiers, was it nationalism that pushed forward the pride of a nation, or was it neither? While both of these aspects could be potential reasons, they are not yet the main pillars of the case. The real reasons that made World War I inevitable were intimidating alliances, greedy imperialism and tiresome tensions. Alliances played an important role in the inevitability of the First World War. Countries were constantly at each other's necks and needed power to protect each other. This is where alliances come in; countries could seek refuge from others by developing truces with close friends. Having a reprieve was advantageous in many ways because it gave the illusion of being a greater power and offered extra support in the event of a crippling event. On the other hand, they also created tensions between countries that could only worsen further. For example, in 1879 a dual alliance was created between Germany and Austria-Hungary. This alliance was created to protect them from Russia, which... middle of paper... because it created tensions between countries that couldn't stand being allies. Imperialism also played its part in the outbreak of the First World War. Countries were in constant conflict with each other over territorial expansion and influence. This only helped create more tension between the already immensely tense countries. The last and most important reason for the inevitability of the First World War is to be found in the tensions themselves. Tensions existed between the countries long before the First World War began to loom. Bearing this in mind and adding the fact that tensions continued to build one can conclude that no matter what, there would eventually be a war. Furthermore, this war was inevitable due to the natural aggressions that simmered and continue to simmer within all of us and will continue to do so until we are no longer.