1. Unit 2: Causes of World War I
Paragraph Writing
Choose one cause of World War I and write a well-structured paragraph. Remember
to include a topic sentence, well-linked supporting sentences to back up your
argument and a concluding sentence.
Militarism is a long-term cause of the First World War because it caused an indirect
effect on the event studied. Militarism means that the army and navy of a country is
given high priority by the government. A country´s strength and power are reflected in
her army and navy. The growing division in Europe between 1900 and 1914 led to an
arms race between the main countries of Europe. Firstly, Germany had the biggest
army in Europe and was the one that had increased the most. The German and French
armies had doubled during these years. Moreover, a naval competition or tension
started between Britain and Germany. Britain felt threatened because Germany turned
from the sixth to the second largest, and that generated tension, and they started to
build more and better battleships. In 1906 Britain produced a new kind of battleship
called “dreadnought” and Germany responded with her own battleships. As a result,
this increased the Anglo-German mistrust and also, divided Europe into two armed
camps. Last but not least, militarism also includes war plans, which are strategies
prepared by the generals to fight and win a war. One example is the Schlieffen Plan,
which consisted in invading Belgium, to give France a surprise attack from the north
and then attack Russia. As a result of this plan, Germans would avoid a war on two
fronts. To conclude, militarism can be considered one of the long-term causes of World
War One.
Reminder:
Linkers = = Exemplification of argument
Topic Sentence
EEEnlarging on
topic sentence/
defining
Argument
Illustration
Argument
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Concluding
Sentence