On Sunday 28th June, 1914Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, were assassinated part of a Serbian Terrorist Group, called the Black Hand. This event and the tension between Europe was a trigger that set off declarations of war and resulted in the “Great War”. Tensions had been building up in Europe for decades through Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and Alliances, and these tensions had reach such a point that an event was needed to break these tensions. This was the assassination of the Archduke. Therefore the assassination and alliances were causes of World War One. Australia was involved in the war because of the fact that it was part of the British Empire therefore having duties towards Britain, and also growing patriotic support for the mother country. This patriotism was a main factor in deciding Australia’s fate in World War One. In 1914, when Britain declared war, it also declared war on behalf of the British Empire. Being a part of the British Empire, it was Australia’s duty to assist Britain in the war, and to assist Britain’s Allies. Due to the large loyalty existing in Australia towards the mother country, the decision, by the current time Prime Minister Joseph Cook, to send Australia against war with Germany and Austria, was met with spontaneous outpouring of patriotism. Thousands of mean came to enlist in the army, men and boys were eager to fight in the war, and tackle the great adventure of war. Few communities were against Australia joining the war. It was an opportunity for Australia to could demonstrate its loyalty, believing Australia would turn into a nation, and prove its strength as a nation. It was also a chance to develop Australia’s rank in the world and to be a part of the high-power nations.
The assassination was the trigger, for what were causes of tensions brooding in Europe. Once the trigger occurred; Imperialism, Nationalism, Militarism and Alliances all played there part in shaping one of the world