The Underlying Causes Of World War I

World War I, also known as the first World War, or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe the began on the 28th of July 1914 and lasted until the 11th of November 1918. World War I was a war that was fought between two sides with a few of the World’s greatest Nations of that time. The two sides were Triple Entente which included Britain, France, and Russia, and the Triple Alliance which was consisted of the countries Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. World War I left a mark on history as we know it, what could have possibly led to that war?, What were the underlying causes of World War I?. The major causes of “The Great War” or WWI consist of four long-term causes and one short-term cause. The common acronym that’s used for the four long-term causes to help students remember the causes of WWI is M.A.I.N; the acronym stands for Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism,and the short-term cause The Assassination of the ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on the 28th of June 1914. To put all of this in a simpler way the five major causes of WWI was Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism, and the assassination of the ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand. Each of topics played a significant role in the reasons why WWI would begin.

Alliances were formed with the European countries formed partnerships to protect each other. There were two different alliances, one was the Triple Alliance was between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Then there was the Triple Entente was and alliance between France, United Kingdom, Russia. In the midst of all the war the nations that remained Neutral were Spain, Portugal, Greece, Serbia, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Romania, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire, and Montenegro (Doc. D). In document E it states that France and Russia have both equal desires to preserve peace, and only want to make sure that they meet the needs for a defensive war. Then in Document G shows a comic of how the different Allies had “ganged up” on Germany and Austria, then there was Italy that had been

The first of the primary reasons that World War One started was because of the acts of militarism. “Force is all conquering, but it's victories are short

There were many underlying causes that could have been used to lead up to World War I. World War I had many turning points throughout the war. The war took over a huge piece of land and water for each country involved in the war. There were four main causes that have been believed to be the cause of World War I.

The alliances of the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance brought about the main stage of the global war. The Triple Entente, made up of England, France, and Russia surrounded the Triple Alliance made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy geographically (Document 3). This led to the build up of armies on both sides (Document 7). When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, a neutral country friendly with the allies, over the Serbian nationalist group assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Germany backed it up which created a domino effect of the alliance countries joining the war (OI).

A system of alliances was originally created for protection and guarantee that they would be of aid to one another if attacked. However, they were more harmful than beneficial because they caused countries not involved in the argument to fight against one another. The Triple Alliance which was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy was on one side of the war. The Triple Entente which was made of Britain, France, and Russia was the other side (Document A). The opposing countries began to declare war against one another, and soon the entire continent of Europe was at war with itself. The start of the war spread like wildfire throughout the world, and in one newspaper were shown to be blaming each other based on their alliances for who killed the peace in Europe. The blame game between the childish nations only created more tension, as they had to support the countries they made alliances with (Document B). All in all had it not been for these complex alliances, a more local conflict being the assassination would only have brought about a war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, instead of turning into a continental war. It forced nations not involved in the initial argument to participate in the “Crime of the Ages,” even if they did not want

Alliances are when two or more countries make an agreement to support each other. Alliances are formed due to rivalries and mistrust among countries. When one country is part of a war, its allies are also pulled into the battle. The two major alliances during WWI were the triple alliance, containing Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, and the triple entente which contained Great Britain, France, Serbia and Russia. The political cartoon “Chain of Friendship” from 1914 demonstrates the alliance system.

As depicted in the map in Document 2, the Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, while the Triple Entente was made up of Great Britain, France and Russia. This source can be trusted due the fact that it is a map exhibiting proven facts. Similar to how building up one’s military made countries more likely to fight, forming alliances did the same. They felt more comfortable entering battle when they knew they had another army backing them up. This boosted confidence made the concept of war seem like a much smaller issue, causing more brash responses to the issues at hand.

The first of the three main causes of World War One was the alliances between countries. In the years before the war, several European countries had formed alliances with each other to ensure the protection of their own nations. This created two systems; the Triple Alliance, which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and the Triple Entente, which consisted of France, Russia, and Great Britain. The system made it so that if an allied country

World War I was one of the most brutal battles in the world. World War I fought in Europe between Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany, the U.S, and others. However, the four primary and long term causes that set off this war are militarism, alliance building, imperialism and nationalism. Although these four causes were all significant during the war, the two I believe are the most important are militarism and alliance building.

Before the war, Europe was segregated into two groups: the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente (Doc A). Nations of the continent decided to take sides before the war occurred. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Meanwhile, the Triple Entente was made up of Britain, France, and Russia. These nations were in high suspense, waiting for one to attack.

Britain and France had created, “an alliance which claimed it was defensive in nature” to counter the threat of Germany’s massive army (Document 7). Germany saw itself encircled and formed the Triple Alliance. The alliances formed increased tensions because when one country formed an alliance with another, surrounding nations felt threatened and therefore, formed their own alliances. Europe was divided into two major alliances: the Triple Alliance made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy and the Triple Entente established between Britain, France, Russia on the eve of World War I (Document 2). Russia also had close ties with Serbia because of their common Slavic heritage.

World War 1 was the first total war that the world had ever gone through. World war 1 began on July 28, 1914, and lasted till November 11, of 1918, lasting over 4 years producing over 10 million casualties. The main question is “What was the underlying cause of World war 1?” this is asking what were the causes that led to the war. There were a few causes to world war 1, the most underlying cause was militarism. Militarism was the most impactful reason for the war, and what ultimately pulled the last straw.

Alliances is one of the few causes that led to World War I. When Franz Ferdinand was assassinated Austria-Hungary blamed the

This question has formed part of the historiography of the causes of the First World War, a historical debate that has endured ever since the conflict ended. It periodically resurfaces with new theories being advanced such as the Fischer thesis, usually on account of the release of previously unseen documents or because of a shift in the political climate. It has emerged to the fore once again because this year is the centennial of the war’s outbreak and there are plans to commemorate it nationally across the UK.