One could see alliances escalating the the amount of countries in the war, an extreme amount of nationalism, and tensions over colonies and technological advances. All of these ultimately led to commencement of World War I. First, and possibly one of the most crucial of all the reasons, was alliances. The Great War started off slowly, but it started a chain reaction that slowly brought most of Europe into it. The two sides in this war were the Allied forces which consisted of Britain, Russia, the United States, and a few more while the other side was the Central Powers which had Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
This was only the spark that started war in Europe; there were long term causes that contributed to the war and were the origins. This answer will explain the causes focusing on how they contributed to World War One and what the important links are between them. The Alliances not only contributed to war breaking out; it made the war last longer and become on a much larger scale; major political disputes would inevitably cause a large conflict. The alliances caused suspicion, fear, and tension among nations. The two camps were the Triple Entente (Britain, France and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary).
The foundation of entangling alliances between 1881 and 1917 directly generated World War I by the increasing rivalries, growing national self-interest, and the drawing of nation’s into conflict. The rivalries amongst the entangled alliances were a rigorous cause of World War I. Starting in 1882, the main central powers of Europe were separated into two fundamental groups that were highly against each other. The first group, the Triple Alliance, formed in 1882, brought together Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. In reaction, France, Great Britain, and Russia formed the Triple Entente in 1907.
National interest was a key factor in the explosive beginning of World War One. By looking at the Naval Arms Race, the People’s Revolt in Austria-Hungary and European alliances, it can be shown that national interest was a significant factor in contributing to World War One. The ultra nationalistic views of many countries overruled their ability to act in a just and logical manner. It was in the years following the formation of the Triple Alliance in which the desire and craving for power grew, and created insincere relationships and unrealistic portrayals of other countries intentions. The Naval Arms Race was a major factor of World War One.
The Balkans became a hotpot of western intervention, as the Ottoman Empire declined. Finally war broke out in 1914, a war which was unexpectedly disastrous and destructive in scale. The war was caused by a number of interwoven factors. The first of these factors being nationalism.In 19th Century Europe the desire of subject peoples for independence (This led to a series of national struggles for independence among the Balkan peoples. Other powers got involved and caused much instability.).
Germany’s fast and growing expansionism led the country to wanting more and more power, these factors combined guided the country to war in 1914. Expansionism was a big factor that led the country towards war, but there were other factors like cultural and socio-political beliefs that helped with the path to war. Germany’s desire to become a unified country had been a problem they were
The underlying cause of World War I was the build up of Nationalism, Imperialism, and Militarism in the 1800s. The “three isms” caused this great war due to the outcry in which they caused within the countries and their citizens including military build up, severe nationalism, patriotism, and extending a country 's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. World War I was one of most brutal and largest wars that ha world has ever experienced. World War I was a war fought in many countries all over the world including Europe, France, Russia, Britain, France, the United States and many other countries. Although World War I officially began on July 28th, 1914, this war has been building up for quite a bit of time.
Out of three real reasons for World War One, the most significant would most likely be imperialism. Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, and obtaining and holding colonies and dependencies. Imperialism is the greatest factor towards the cause of World War One because it provided a great deal of tension between all of the countries. This was shown in the Balkan Wars, one of the other related main factors leading up to the war. The battle over the Balkan territory provided tension between Russia, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the new country of Serbia.
Nationalism causes other nations to become suspicious, and it also leads to a war that could easily be resolved other ways. The system of alliances was another underlying cause, as it made the war a world war by bringing all of Europe into it. WW1 began because of militarism, nationalism, and the system of alliances. The presence of militarism, an ideology that claims that the military is the most important aspect of a society, before and during the war led to jealousy and hard feelings, thus escalating the war far before it needed to be. Although this was not the primary cause, it was still an extremely important factor in the playing out of WW1.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28th, 1914 is often referred to as the beginning of World War I. However, it was only a catalyst. Instead, events from the late 19th century had created tensions and conflict amongst the European powers that could only be solved through war. Imperialism- the taking over of another country territorially, militarily, economically, and culturally- in the late 1800s was a significant cause of World War I because it started Europe’s major powers on a path of conflict and rivalry. Equally significant were the alliance systems, which split Europe into two, and the nationalism which created among people and nations a desire for greater strength and for new acquisitions.