The Underlying Cause Of World War I
World War I, also known as the Great war, the First World War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global battle originating in Europe, that lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. With this war, there was a variety of events that had to take place in order for it to begin. The three main causes of the First World War were the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, militarism, and imperialism.
One of the predominant causes of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. During this time, tensions between countries were rising, especially in southeastern Europe. Europe was a powder keg and all it lacked was a spark (“What was the Underlying Cause of World War I” 307). “That spark was provided by a Serbian nationalist group called The Black Hand” (“What was the Underlying Cause of World War I” 307). The Black Hand was a Serbian terrorist group that vowed to take initiative in order to cause a change. They thought it was their responsibility to help gain Serbian independence. “The Black Hand hoped the assassination would trigger a rebellion that would lead to Serbian independence” (“What …show more content…
At this time in the world some nations took great pride in their military. “The glorification of the military grew out of social darwinism” (Adelblue “Setting the Stage for War”). Social darwinism was the theory that the fittest will survive, so nations started to use their military to eliminate weaker groups/nations. Countries now had to build up their militaries. “As tensions grew, nations expanded their armies and navies to keep up with other nations” (Adelblue “Setting the Stage for War”). This led to the arms race where all the countries were trying to build their militaries the fastest. This started to create suspicions between nations and just made tensions even more extreme. Everyone wanted the best military so this is why militarism is another main contribution to World War
One of the predominant causes of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. During this time, tensions between countries were rising, especially in southeastern Europe. Europe was a powder keg and all it lacked was a spark (“What was the Underlying Cause of World War I” 307). “That spark was provided by a Serbian nationalist group called The Black Hand” (“What was the Underlying Cause of World War I” 307). The Black Hand was a Serbian terrorist group that vowed to take initiative in order to cause a change. They thought it was their responsibility to help gain Serbian independence. “The Black Hand hoped the assassination would trigger a rebellion that would lead to Serbian independence” (“What …show more content…
At this time in the world some nations took great pride in their military. “The glorification of the military grew out of social darwinism” (Adelblue “Setting the Stage for War”). Social darwinism was the theory that the fittest will survive, so nations started to use their military to eliminate weaker groups/nations. Countries now had to build up their militaries. “As tensions grew, nations expanded their armies and navies to keep up with other nations” (Adelblue “Setting the Stage for War”). This led to the arms race where all the countries were trying to build their militaries the fastest. This started to create suspicions between nations and just made tensions even more extreme. Everyone wanted the best military so this is why militarism is another main contribution to World War