Assess critically three causes of the First World War

The Sarajevo assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 gave the Austrian Government cause to launch military action against Serbia, and subsequently set off a chain of events, which ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I. For years Serbia had been steadily growing in power and prestige with its’ victories in the First and Second Balkan war, a fact which Austria-Hungary resented since the installation of the Karadjordjevic dynasty in 1903. With previous attempts at stifling Serbia’s growth failing, such as the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Austro-Hungarian government deliberately exploited the assassination of the Archduke as an opportunity to destroy Serbia, whom it felt threatened Austria-Hungary’s southern borders. Franz Josef, the emperor of Austria, described the need to ‘eliminate Serbia as a factor of political power in the Balkans’. As such, the Austro-Hungarian reaction to the Sarajevo incident directly lead to the outbreak of World War I. On the 6th of July, the A-H government sought the support of Germany, which was offered by the Kaiser in what is known as Germany’s ‘blank-cheque’. The support of Germany subsequently encouraged other Great Powers, such as Britain, Russia and France, who wished to impede Germany’s rise to power, to take action. By July 14, the A-H government decided to use the assassination as a means to take Serbia to war, on the basis of Serbia’s supposed complicity in the assassination. Firstly, they sent an ultimatum to the Serbian Government, which listed demands that infringed on Serbian sovereignty and which the A-H government expected Serbia to reject, providing an excuse for war. At this time, the Russian government (25 July) vowed to mobilize should Serbia be attacked. On the same day, Serbia replied to the ultimatum by accepting all but one of the conditions, knowing that this could lead to the outbreak of war, and mobilized. When the reply was received, A-H then mobilized, and by the 6th of August all the Great Powers of Europe apart from Italy had involved themselves in what became WWI. The Sarajevo assassination therefore can be seen as a defining moment in the outbreak of the Great War in that it was deliberately exploited by Austria-Hungary

In conclusion, while there were varying reasons for the outbreak of the Great War, factors such as imperialism and militarism were not direct causes, but rather allowed for the build-up of tension and preparation for war, so that when the July Crisis lead to war, the Great Powers of Europe were ready to participate both militarily and interest-wise.