The Events Of World War I - 1178 Words

How One Thing Led to Another; WWI No single person or event caused the Great War. However, there were many factors that contributed to the world’s first war. The events that started World War I were a case of one thing led to another(CITE). Many agree that the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, ultimately led to the beginning of World War I. The major causes of the World War I were embedded deep in European history during the previous 19th century. It really all began during the 1800 s when the idea of Nationalism spread across the continent. During this time, nationalism became popular for people who shared the same language or culture. These people soon began to view themselves as superior to others. The spread of†¦show more content†¦The Germans followed suit by introducing their new battleships. Imperialism is considered to be the most important cause of WWI, because it created tension all over Europe. As European countries discovered more about industrialization, a demand for more land was developed. Germany and Great Britain tried to establish control in Africa and Asia, two weaker and more vulnerable countries. The attempt to govern and control weaker states finally built up to a point where war was the only option to settle the differences. The 18th century was a time of many unstable alliances as countries were still developing and figuring out their governments. Most of these alliances were fragile or temporary as new leaders emerged and political situations changed through the years. What made these alliances even more fragile is that they were created in secret and then revealed to the public later. Some nations even started negotiations without consulting their other alliance partners. So when things went awry, it caused an all-out World War. Tensions escalated when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated. This was the spark that started World War I. Austria-Hungary then declared war on Serbia because they believed Serbia supported the assassins. Serbia’s ally ,Russia, and Russia’s ally ,France, prepared for war. Germany, the ally of Austria-Hungary, came to their aid and invaded neutral Belgium to get to France. When the French