There was competition for overseas colonies, particularly between Germany and Great Britain. Most European nations at the time of the First World War were imperialist nations. They controlled overseas colonies in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. The exploitation of these colonial empires was a great economic advantage to the European nation that controlled them, and competition between the imperial powers for new colonial lands was intense. Imperial control over dissident minorities occurred especially in the Austrian empire. The Austrian empire was ruled from Vienna by emperors of German descent. The empire contained a large number of ethnic minorities who were not content to be ruled by the Austrians, especially those in the Balkan areas, such as the Serbs. The Serbs, for example, wanted to be independent from Austria and looked to the Russian empire for support. This created great friction between Austria and Russia, and by extension between their allies (Germany allied with Austria, Britain and France allied with Russia). The arms race driven by Imperial ambitions, particularly between Great Britain and Germany led to Germany wanting very much to develop a world-wide colonial empire that would rival Britains. This was made difficult by Great Britain's control of the seas by the Royal Navy, at the time the largest and best navy in the world. So, the German Empire began to build naval warships at a very rapid rate in an attempt to equal, and perhaps challenge, the Royal Navy. Britain could not allow this to happen, so they also began to build more ships, and this began an arms race that spread to other nations and to other forms of warfare. This arms race contributed to the willingness of Germany, in particular, to go to war in 1914.
By: Bethany S. and Brooke R.
By: Bethany S. and Brooke R.
