Respuesta :
he direct cause of WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. However historians feel that a number of factors contributed to the rivalry between the Great powers that allowed war on such a wide-scale to break out.
A major historical debate still rages about who has the ultimate responsibility for the outbreak of war. Germany and Austria are usually regarded as the main culprits. However unlike World War Two there is no one easily identifiable bad guy!
Answer: WW1 began when tensions in Europe increased. These tensions were militarism, alliances, imperialism, & nationalism - a.k.a M.A.I.N. In the early 1800s, countries competed for colonies, undermining each other’s authority, & taking over each other’s colonies; therefore, causing tensions to increase. Another factor is the increased militarism, which led to an arms race. This lead to the creation of conscription programs, which led to the development of advanced mobilization plans.
New alliances formed, creating the Triple Alliance (Italy, Austria-Hungary, Germany), the Triple Entente (France, Russia, Great Britain), & the Balkans. In each alliance, the members agreed to defend each other in a time of war. The Balkan peninsula was home to many ethnic groups & nationalism was increasing. They were known as the “powder keg” of Europe. Because the Ottoman Empire was declining by the Slavic groups seeking & winning independence, Austria wanted the Ottoman Empire & annexed Bosnia & Herzegovina, causing tensions with Serbia to rise.
Serbia then assassinated the Archduke Frans Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914. Austria then gave a list of demands as an ultimatum, but because Serbia didn’t meet all of the demands, Austria declared war. This caused Russia to mobilize its forces, causing Germany to declare war on Russia & France. Germany wanted to go through Belgium to get to France, but because they said no, Germany captured Belgium. This led to Britain’s involvement. This chain of events caused a global war, and other countries got involved. In the Central Powers, or Triple Alliance, there was Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, & Italy. In the Allies, or Triple Entente, there was Britain, Russia, France, & Japan. But in about a year into the war, Italy switched sides.
Or the sample response:
The 4 general causes leading to WW1 were nationalism, imperialism, militarism, & alliances. Nationalism caused many small countries to rebel against imperialism & seek their independence. A focus on militarism meant that they had the means to cause great harm.
The final event that led to the beginning of the war was the assassination of Austria-Hungary’s Archduke Ferdinand. Once Austria declared war on Serbia, the alliances that had been agreed to over the preceding years obligated several other countries to go to war.
