ABSTRACT

Prior to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 and the subsequent outbreak of war, all of the countries of Europe that became involved had national aspirations, desires for territorial expansion or economic aggrandizement, and concerns of national security. The occurrence of war transformed these wishes into the more formal and specific category of war aims. The fortunes of war brought modifications of these aims, as would the pressing needs to keep allies happy and to attract additional supporters. Still, each of the participants would cling to its original hopes for as long as possible. The war aims of each power are presented in the order of entry into the war.