Causes of World War 1

The Great War The Great War, also known as World War I, was a global war centered in Europe that began in July of 1914 and lasted until November of 1918. This war drew in all the worlds’ economics great powers, which were separated into two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Central Powers. The Allies were based off of the Triple Entente, The United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire and the Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austrian Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Many factors lead to great tensions in Europe, sparking the need for a war. There are many long term causes of the Great War which include imperialism, alliances, militarism, and nationalism. Imperialism is the desire to build a great empire by ruling and conquering other colonies, which soon led to tension, competition, and rivalry. Great Britain and France maintained their domestic economies through their control and trade with foreign colonies. Germany and Austria Hungary had very few foreign colonies, and their domestic resources were rapidly running out. In order to maintain their domestic economy, they had to look for more resources by expanding their territories. Germany could not easily find other colonies because there were few worthwhile colonies left. France and Great Britain had most of Africa and southern Asia under their control. The competition for expanding markets to sustain their domestic economies led to hostile relations between the powers. Another long term cause of the Great War was the form of alliances. The European Alliances had a major part in beginning WWI. After the buildup of tension from Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism, the Powers were worried about being attacked by each other. To counter this, alliances were formed. The two major alliances that developed prior to WWI were the Triple Entente (Allies) and the Triple Alliance (Central Powers). The Triple Entente consisted of Great Britain, France and Russia. This alliance was created in an effort to