Causes of World War One Militarism

Causes of World War One Militarism : [mil-i-tuh-riz-uhm] noun 1. a strong military spirit or policy.military 2. the principle or policy of maintaining a large military establishment. military 3. the tendency to regard military efficiency as the supreme ideal of the state and to subordinate all other interests to those of the military.militarythe military

Causes of World War One During the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s the major European powers began to expand their military forces The primary area of expansion was the navy Navies were seen as a way to project power in other parts of the world (essential for colonial powers) and to protect shipping

Causes of World War One The main naval power was the British Empire They had the largest and most modern navy at the time Germany saw the expansion of their navy as a way to challenge British superiority Both countries embarked on major building programs

Causes of World War One The British built bigger and better ships, designing a whole new class called dreadnoughts The Germans also built large ships but they split their efforts and created a submarine force as well, the first such one ever

Causes of World War One The naval race lead to other countries feeling nervous and so they began to build up both their much smaller navies and their land forces Between 1908 and 1913 military spending by all European powers increased by 50%