The Origins of the Great War

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The First World War, initially known as the Great War, or as Churchill called it, the beginning of the Second 30 Years War, is slipping from living memory and soon the last survivors will be gone. This war, more than any other, is held in popular opinion to be the epitome of futility. In Australia, in particular, far removed from the battle lines, the war is thought to have seen Australian lives wasted in a senseless war on behalf of the British Empire. Essentially peace loving peoples are thought to have been goaded into war by cynical politicians with the aid of the most crude propaganda. Both the extreme left and extreme right wings of politics view the First World War as either being due to, or greatly influenced by, an international financial conspiracy.

This paper, which looks at the origins of the First World War, will outline a dissenting opinion. The major force driving international tensions, which led to war, was the pursuit of national prestige, or at least efforts to avoid, or take revenge for, national humiliation. Rather than being reluctantly dragged into war by their political leaders, the politicians of all the combatants were able to count on the enthusiastic support of their people.