One cause was military expansion. As a result of tensions, between 1871 and 1914 the countries in Europe became fearful of war, as a result they started to build up their armies and navies. The expansion of the German navy in 1900 and the events of the Russo-Japanese War influenced Great Britain to develop its fleet under the direction of Admiral Sir John Fisher.1. Fay The war between Russia and Japan proved the use of long-range naval guns so the British developed the often-used dreadnought battleship, notable for its heavy armament. Developments in other areas of military technology and organization led to the dominance of general staffs with precisely formulated plans for mobilization and attack. These often could not be stopped or reversed once begun.4. World Statesmen everywhere realized that the tremendous and still growing expenditures for the ar

The next cause was economic imperialism. It embraced a series of international rivalries that resulted in a large part from the Industrial Revolution in England and its following introduction into the other great countries of the world. It led to mass production of goods that in turn involved the struggle for new markets and new sources of raw materials. It resulted in a great increase of population, part of which sought to emigrate to the unoccupied areas of the world, therefore sharpening the colonial rivalry of the Great Powers. It brought about the growth of funds that sought investment abroad, thus leading to economic misuse and political competition. These countries competed for economic expansion in Africa. Although Britain and France resolved their differences in Africa, several crises foreshadowing the war involved the clash of Germany against Britain and France in North Africa. In the Middle East, the crumbling Ottoman Empire was alluring to Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia. This struggle for markets, raw materials, and colonies became more apparent during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century.

Yet another cause of the War was the poisoning of public opinion by the newspaper press in all of the great countries. Newspapers in all the lands were inclined to bring about nationalistic feelings, misrepresent the situation in foreign countries, and suppress factors in favor of peace. In the diplomatic correspondence of the forty years before the War there were innumerable cases in which Governments were eager to establish better relations and secure friendly arrangements, but were hampered by the nationalistic attitude of the newspapers in their respective countries.1 Fay Ambassadors and Cabinet Ministers frequently admitted the senseless attitude of the leading newspapers in their own country, apologized for it and promised to exert themselves to restrain it, if only the other Government would do the same towards its press. These were often quite genuine efforts and may frequently be seen in Anglo-German relations in the quarter of a century before the War. At other time Ministers sought to score an advantage or t

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