What Caused World War I?

AS and A Level History

Karaivanova Katerina

11/5

29 September, 2004

What Caused World War I?

The definition of a world war is “a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world.”(Merriam-Webster) The First World War was a unique even, because such thing has never happened before in history. Today it is still a topic discussed in details. The causes of the First World War are many, among which the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Other causes were the alliance systems and the nationalism (Causes).

During the years before the war, a “system of secret alliances” was formed in Europe. The whole point for creating these alliances was maintaining peace throughout Europe. Everybody thought that if countries join forces together, there will be no point for a country to declare war on another. Should this happen, however, both countries will be protected from their allies. This “perfect” on first sight system did not really work well. In fact this is how the war started. Austria – Hungary declared war on Serbia, but both countries had other nations protecting them. So in the end, all countries in Europe and the rest of the world got engaged in the “Great War”. (Causes)

At that time in Europe there were two major alliances. One was the Triple Alliance consisting of Germany, Italy and Austria – Hungary. The second one was the Triple Entente in which Russia, France and Great Britain took part. Thus if one of the countries of the alliance was in war with one from the other alliance then, all six countries will be involved in the war. (Causes of World War 1 – Militarism)

Nationalism was another very important cause of the First World War. It was the constant competition between countries to have more and better things than another, ...

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At that time in Europe there were two major alliances. One was the Triple Alliance consisting of Germany, Italy and Austria – Hungary. The second one was the Triple Entente in which Russia, France and Great Britain took part. Thus if one of the countries of the alliance was in war with one from the other alliance then, all six countries will be involved in the war. (Causes of World War 1 – Militarism)

Nationalism was another very important cause of the First World War. It was the constant competition between countries to have more and better things than another, to have a better army or a bigger economical development. This is the main cause of the rivalry between Germany and France, Russia and Austria. The tension between the different nations in Europe became so great that only a little problem was enough to cause a war. (Causes)

The third cause for the First World War was perhaps the one that had immediate effect on the start of the war. This was the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand from Austria – Hungary. The Archduke was visiting Sarajevo on 28 June, 1914 when he was killed at his arrival. Blamed for the assassination was the secret organization Black Hand which was a Serbian nationalist society. This was so to say the last straw. Austria – Hungary set an ultimatum to Serbia, which on her side asked her ally Russia for help. In the same time Austria – Hungary turned to Germany who was enemy of Russia. (Feature)

This event was the final cause of the World War 1. After Serbia rejected the ultimatum, on 28 of July, 1914 Austria – Hungary announced war to Serbia. After that every event was coming from the last one. Russia, who was supporting Serbia started gathering an army, while Germany when understanding that declared war on Russia. Great Britain and France joined their allies because they were obliged to do so by the Alliances. With Britain all her colonies and dominions also joined the war, which ultimately made it a World War. United States wanted to remain neutral but was forced to join the war. Japan had a military agreement with Britain and declared war on Germany. Italy was the only country from the Alliances that sneaked out of the war, although it was bounded in the Alliance with Germany and Austria – Hungary. (Feature)

The First World War was an immense event that affected many countries throughout the world. Many countries probably did not want to enter the war but were obliged to by treaties or forced to do so. The causes for that war were many but each small event just added up until the problem grew too big to avoid.

Works Cited

Causes of World War 1. 29 September, 2004. PageWise, Inc. <>

Causes of World War 1 – Militarism. 29 September, 2004. <http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Palms/2460/causes.html>

Feature Articles: The Causes of World War One. 29 September, 2004. 24 March, 2004. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm>

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 29 September,2004. <>