Germany was spreading warfare at a very fast rate. Many european powers wanted to avoid being annexed by Germany which was a rising power at a time. They wanted to finish the trouble maker.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the trigger that set off the Great War. ... Everyone knew that if Russia attacked Austria-Hungary, then the alliance system meant that Germany and France could be pulled into the war as well. The alliance system did not mean that a European war had to happen.
hope it helps you
