Analysis of 19th Century Geopolitics and the Road to World War I

This essay examines the geopolitical landscape of the 19th century, focusing on the factors that led to the outbreak of World War I. It analyzes the alliance system, the accumulation of power, and the expansionist policies of major European powers, highlighting the role of mistrust and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand as immediate triggers. The essay's thesis assesses the dissolution and mistrust among the great powers. It explores the emergence of power blocs, the German ambition to alter the geopolitical hierarchy, and their desire to gain control over land and sea routes. The German's actions and their desire to expand their power and influence are analyzed as the underlying cause of the war, with the attempt to change the geopolitical hierarchy as a key factor. The essay concludes that while the assassination was the immediate trigger, the groundwork for war was laid by geopolitical ambitions, particularly Germany's push to control land and sea routes.

Running Head: NINETEENTH CENTURY GEOPOLITICS AND WORLD WAR I
Nineteenth Century Geopolitics and World War I
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Introduction
The period before the World War I and the Cold Wars is considered to be the longest
period of peace which was witnessed across the world but the geopolitical workings in the
undercurrents of the society has been deemed by historians as the factors at work to make war
inevitable on a large scale. The accumulation of power and expansionist policies that was seen to
be extensively followed by great powers and in return the weak and in the British Prime
Minister’s Lord Salisbury’s word, the dying nations were being the target to be integrated and
the most important factor being the formation of various alliances which caused the ultimate
mistrust. The most important and immediate political reason which is considered to be cause of
the outbreak of the war was the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand who was in line to the
throne of Austria-Hungary. The thesis statement of the paper will be the assessment of the
dissolution and the mistrust among the great powers.
The Alliance System
After the Cold War, the prevailing peace was due to the fact that almost all the great
powers have been in the state of war in the past recent years and they were still reeling with the
economic recessions and hence the alliances were formed on the basis of accumulation of
mercenary power to strengthen themselves and to secure themselves from being attacked1. This
alliance system was seen as a defensive arrangement which would only restrain them mediocrely
but would secure themselves of protection from other attacking them or provision of army and
power to defend themselves in case of attack2.
The emergence of great power could be categorized into two parts- the western European
power with Britain, Austria and the United States as the hegemons after the globalization
1 Sempa, Francis. Geopolitics: from the Cold War to the 21st Century
2 Caldara, Dario, and Matteo Iacoviello. "Measuring geopolitical risk."

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witnessed in the peaceful years against the geo-economical and geo-political rival, Russia along
with the Byzantine and the Ottomans3. The immediate cause was the harsh demands by the
Austria-Hungary from Serbia which when unfulfilled was declared as the reason of war. But the
plan backfired due to the fact that Russia stepped in with their army troops which the German
alliance was expected to stop. The Germans on the other hand has been the silent instigator of
the war, for their ‘Baghdad Idea’ was the one which triggered the Britain in stepping into the war
for the route to the Asian countries that would get divided into two if the Baghdad idea could be
realized4.
Attempt to Change the Geopolitical Hierarchy of Power by Germany
The Germans were not satisfied with their position of being only a small part in having
the colonial division of the world and wanted to elevate themselves to the position of the great
powers. They took advantage of the Austria-Hungarian political crisis which emerged due to
their expansionist ambition towards the southeast and they had been established as the agents
behind the Balkan wars hoping to integrate the Danube region and finally attain the position of
power as great as the Europeans5. They were later joined by Austria-Hungary and even Prussia
and has been recorded to occupy almost the complete of Central Geographic region which was
realized right before the start of the First World War. This was the result of the realization of the
complimentary ambitions of Austria with Germany gave rise to the emergence of Pan-German
Drang nach Osten which would stretch the Austrian ambition to Persia itself6.
The German understood that to elevate themselves to the position of the great power,
they will need to attain economic penetration on the East and to have the complete domination
3 Eloranta, Jari. "4 The prewar arms race and the causes of the Great War."
4 Gray, Colin S., and Geoffrey Sloan. Geopolitics, geography and strategy
5 Kotkin, Stephen. "Russia’s perpetual geopolitics."
6 Moisio, Sami. "Urbanizing the nation-state?

3NINETEENTH CENTURY GEOPOLITICS AND WORLD WAR I
over the land route as well as the sea route. This is considered as the first law of geopolitics7. For
this the Prussian need for military aid was manipulated and strengthened the national integration
process which finally unified the small and scattered German colonies into one, right in the
middle of the Europe. The position and the land space finally gave them the power which is seen
as the point of economic and political power attainment that was responsible for the defeat of the
central power in the world8. The war was a result of the realization of the sudden shift of power
and the dependency of the great power on the eastern nations for the trade route was one of the
weakness that led to their downfall in the war.
Conclusion
The German attempt to change the geopolitical hierarchy of power in the global sphere is
seen as the underlying factor which finally started the war in 1914 but through studies it has been
clearly established that Germany’s attempt to gain control the land and the sea route to the
colonized states of the Great Britain. The ultimate possession of land and the domination over
the sea route is seen as a massive geopolitical power, the realization of which prompted the great
powers to enter the war. Though the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was the immediate
political reason to trigger the war, the Balkans wars which were pushed by Germany to penetrate
Serbia was the pointy which helped Germany accumulate land and space which proved that their
economic and political agents were already at work.
7 Mulligan, William. The Origins of the First World War.
8 Pronay, Nicholas, and Keith Wilson, eds. The Political Re-education of Germany and Her Allies: After World War
II.

4NINETEENTH CENTURY GEOPOLITICS AND WORLD WAR I
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