WWI was a turning point in European history, and I’m sure you've heard of WWI; but do not know the incidents that happened prior to the war. Europe’s new countries that did not build empires were coming in conflict with countries that had built immense empires, like Britain. The new Imperialism of the nineteenth century is a sure part in the cause of World War I. In Europe things were starting to escalate to gain as much territory as possible. Countries like Britain who were in control of empires for years were getting challenged by new countries like Germany. Wars in the Balkans caused disputes between Germany and the Russians, so other countries were involved other than just Germany. The Moroccan Crisis played a large role as well, it led Europe tremendously close to a Continental War.
In the late 19th century, some European countries that had not built empires, such as Germany and the Slavic states. They started to push to expand their territory and influence. This led to tension with those nations such as Britain, France and Russia who had already been building empires for several hundred years. It is a battle of the old versus the new. Obviously, countries like Russia and Britain were wealthier and strongly dominant over the countries trying to come up. But countries like Germany; make their way up the ladder and demand respect. Emperor William II wanted to strengthen ties with Britain because they it has the wealthiest and most successful, thriving country at the time. Unfortunately for Germany’s Emperor William the II, his words had the opposite effect on Britain, which made an enemy for Germany that could destroy them at anytime. As alliances were built and tension spread in the colonies across the globe, it became apparent to many that there was going to have to be a Great War to resolve it all. WWI was not a surprise to people, but they were in for a surprise on how bloody this war actually was. The assassination of Archduke