Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum to Serbia showed self-interest, this is because Austria-Hungary made it extreme so it was a win-win scenario for themselves. Because, if Serbia rejected as they did, it gave Austria-Hungary an excuse to invade and take out one of the major problems stopping them from conquering all the Balkan states. But, if Serbia accepted, Austria got to run an investigation into Serbia’s link into the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, this would of most likely caused major problems for Serbia. Therefore, Austria-Hungary making the ultimatum so extreme, where it was a win-win scenario for them showed that Austria-Hungary created the ultimatum so extreme for self-interest. This shows that …show more content…
This meant Russia was showing self-interest when it backed Serbia as these two countries Russia and Serbia had the same religion. Tsar Nicholas II’s parting words to Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pašić on February 2, 1914 “Greet the King for me and tell him, ‘For Serbia we shall do everything.” Proves that Russia was willing to do pretty much anything for a warm water port in the mediterranean. This demonstrates that WWI was caused by self-interest because of countries like Russia willing to do pretty much anything to get what they