The Major Causes Of World War I

On July 28, 1914, the first World War officially began when Austria- Hungary declared war on Serbia. This event led to a chain of events that compelled countries from every continent except Antarctica to join the war. After four years, the war ended with a victory for the Allied powers, however the war took a toll on all participants, killing 9,000,000 people. The most significant causes for World War I were alliances, nationalism, and imperialism. While researching World War I, it is clear that alliances were one of the major causes. The alliance systems in the war consisted of the Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy and the Triple Entente: France, Great Britain, and Russia. These alliance systems were a large reason for the outbreak of war because once one of their allies got involved they all felt the obligation to join the fight. The alliance of France and Britain was formed out of fear of the growing German army, which in turn felt threatened by the alliance. The growing alliances formed during the war caused countries to feel threatened and take more preventive measures. Alliances were the main reason the war got as large as it did.
Leading up to World War I, countries with similar cultures had a desire to unite with other each other to form a powerful country. When denied this wish, countries, such as Serbia, felt the need to take violent actions. Nationalism also compelled countries to join the war because they wanted revenge. The desire for revenge was particularly strong in the French, who wanted vengeance for their loss in the Franco-Prussian War, which costed them parts of Alsace and Lorraine, that they still longed to retrieve. A country that has great pride can have stronger aspirations for revenge than usual, which may lead them to start another