There are many causes of World War one, some long term and some short term

Although Alsace and Lorraine was mostly populated by French, Prussia claimed that it was theirs and won the battle and control over Alsace and Lorraine.  This made the French angry for revenge.  This can be seen as the point where the feud in Europe started.

German Naval Race

        Another factor to the war was the naval race.  Germany was beginning to get stronger and stronger in the navy.  This worried Britain so they had to strengthen their navy.  The strong navy Britain put together was what made them well known and have such a strong empire and they felt threatened by the Germans growth.

Alliance Systems

        Alliance systems played a part in the war as well.  They caused a lot of trouble for other countries.  In 1879 Germany made an alliance with Austria.  Alliances were very helpful for safety but also useful for attack.  Germany was worried about France attacking and Austria needed protection from the Russians, as a result of this Germany and Austria made an alliance with each other.

        By 1900 the British were worried about other countries in Europe such as; France, Germany who both had allies and an empire.  The British then made an alliance with the Japanese.  In 1904, the British were increasingly worried their high reputation would be spoilt.  They then made an Entente with France and the same with Russia in 1907.

The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand was the crown prince of the Austrian empire. In 1914 he and his wife went on a visit to Serbia, a country that Austria had a strong influence over. Several Serbian nationalists, who wanted independence from Austria, decided that they would try to kill the prince.  Franz decided he did not want to be killed so ordered to be driven home but the chauffeur did not know this and when he was told stopped in front of an assassin and his wife and he were shot dead.  His death led to the Austrian government making very strong demands on Serbia. Russia, keen to gain influence in Serbia, supported the Serbs. Days later the First World War had begun with the Germans declaring war on Russia.

Timeline of Events

• 28th June- Franz Ferdinand killed.
• 5th July-Austria know Serbia are cause of Franz’s death so they call Germany. Germany give Austria ‘blank cheque’
• 23rd July-Austria send Serbia ultimatum which cannot be accepted so war starts three days later.
• 30th July-Russia mobilise.
• 1st August- Germany declares war on Russia.
• 3rd August- Germany declare war on France.
• 4th August- Britain and Belgium declare war on Germany.  Germany declares war on Belgium.
• 6th August- Austria declare war on Russia.  Serbia declare war on Russia.
• 12th August- France and British declare war on Austria.

Because all plans have gone ahead there is no stopping to the war begins.