World War I was immediately precipitated(provocada) by the assassination of
Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in
1914. There were(hubo), however, many factors that
had led toward war(habían
llevado a la guerra). Prominent(principales)
causes were the imperialistic, territorial, and economic rivalries(rivalidades) that had
been intensifying from the late 19th cent., particularly(en
particular) among Germany,
France, Great Britain, Russia, and Austria-Hungary.
Of equal importance was the rampant(muralla) spirit of nationalism, especially
unsettling(inestable,
incierto) in the empire of Austria-Hungary and perhaps also in France.
Nationalism had brought the unification of Germany by “blood and iron(sangre
y hierro),” and
France, deprived(privada)
of Alsace and Lorraine by the Franco-Prussian
War of 1870-71, had been left with its own nationalistic cult(culto)
seeking
revenge(buscando
venganza) against Germany. While French nationalists were hostile to Germany,
which sought(buscó)
to maintain its gains by militarism and alliances, nationalism
was creating violent tensions in the Austro-Hungarian
Monarchy ; there the large Slavic national groups had grown increasingly
restive(inquieto), and Serbia as well as(tanto
como, igual que) Russia fanned(avivaron) Slavic hopes for freedom and Pan-Slavism .
Imperialist rivalry had grown more intense with the “new imperialism” of
the late 19th and early 20th cent. The great powers had come into conflict(habían
entrado en conflicto) over spheres of influence in China and over territories in Africa, and the Eastern Question
, created by the decline of the Ottoman Empire, had produced several
disturbing(perturbadoras) controversies. Particularly unsettling was the policy of Germany.
It embarked(emprendió,
empezó) late but aggressively on colonial expansion under Emperor
William II ,
came into conflict with France over
Morocco , and
seemed(pareció) to threaten Great Britain by its rapid naval expansion.
These issues(asuntos,
cuestiones), imperialist and nationalist, resulted in a hardening(endurecimiento)
of
alliance systems in the Triple Alliance
and Triple Entente and in a general armaments race. Nonetheless(sin
embargo, no obstante), a false
optimism regarding(con
respecto) peace prevailed(prevaleció)
almost until the onset(llegada) of the war, an
optimism stimulated by the long period during which(durante
el cual) major wars had been avoided(evitadas), by the close dynastic ties(dinastías
con lazos íntimos) and cultural intercourse(relaciones) in Europe, and
by the advance of industrialization and economic prosperity. Many Europeans
counted on(confiaron
en) the deterrent(argumento
disuasorio) of war's destructiveness(poder
destructor) to preserve the peace. |
Inglés
|
Francés |
Alemán
|
Italiano |
Otros
1 (A-E)
| 2 (F-L) |
3 (N-S)
| 4 (T-U)
Árabe |
Chino |
Esperanto
|
Griego
|
Japonés
|
Portugués
|
Rumano
|
Ruso
|
Catalán
|
Euskera