Causes Of WWI

World war I also known as the Great War started in 1914. WW I primarily took place in Europe. WW I was a fight or war between two groups of nations. France, Russia, Great Britain, later Italy and then The United States called The Entente Powers, which were led. The second power was called the Central Powers and was led by Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, and The Ottoman Empire.

Prior to WW I there was a lot of tension in Europe. Nations were building up their armies and having a kind of arms race. There was a delicate balance of power in Europe, and this balance of power failed when Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated in 1914. This was really the spark that started the war. A Serbian shot Ferdinand, who was Austrian. So Austria declared war on Serbia - but Serbia was allied with Russia, so Russia declared war on Austria. Then everyone began declaring war on everyone else and WW I began.

Another main reason that WW I started was because of Nationalism. Nationalism is when a part of an old country wants to be independent and make themselves different with a unique or similar culture, language, etc, Through nationalism came two very powerful countries, Italy and Germany, which had a major roll in the war. Some European countries were kind of new - so they were still proving themselves and flexing their muscles.

Another main reason for WW I was imperialism. Imperialism is the practice of one country extending its control over the territory, political system, or economic life of another country. And this created rivalries between European nations. The 3 nations that had increased rivalry between them due to Imperialism were Great Britain, Germany, and France. They all competed for land in Africa, and eventually they became each other's rivals and enemies.

These are just some of the causes of WW I. WW I turned out to be a devastating war. WW I was really the first war that featured modern weapons like tanks, bombs, missiles, and machine guns. Many nations lost hundreds of thousands or even millions of its young men. Cities were completely destroyed by bombs. People thought that it was the war to end all wars. But as we now know - peace did not last long and WW II began.