CAUSES OF WORLD WAR 1

1. Alliance system

This was the system of friendship among countries in Europe. In 1914 the six most powerful
countries in Europe were divided into two groups: the central powers/ triple alliance and the triple
entente. Members of the alliances pledged support to each other if one is attacked. Each country
was heavily armed and each one had reasons for distrusting other countries in Europe. The central
powers or Triple Alliance members were; Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy. This group was
formed in 1882. The Triple Entente was formed in 1907, the members were; Great Britain, France
and Russia.

2. Murder at Sarajevo

The murder at Sarajevo took place on 28th June 1914. a Serbian-nationalist terrorist group called
the Black Hand sent groups to assassinate the Archduke. Their first attempt failed when a driver
avoided a grenade thrown at their car. However, later that day a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo
Princip shot the Archduke and his wife while they were driving through Sarajevo, Bosnia which
was part of Austria-Hungary. They died of their wounds. The assassination was in protest to
Austria-Hungary having control of this region: Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and
Herzegovina. The assassination of Ferdinand led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia.
When Russia began to mobilize to defend its alliance with Serbia, Germany declared war on
Russia. Thus began the expansion of the war to include all those involved in the mutual defense
alliances.

Events after the murder

 Austria Hungary sent a letter full of demands to Serbia called the Ultimatum
 Serbia accepted all the demands except this one of allowing Austria Hungary’s Police
into Serbia to hunt down and arrest members of the Black Hand Movement.
 Austria-Hungary issued a number of harsh demands on Serbia, threatening to invade if
Serbia did not comply. They gave them 48 hours to respond. When Serbia's response
fell short of the demands, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28
 3. Arms Race

Countries in Europe were competing over the manufacturing and possession of weapons. This
created tension in Europe since each country wanted to demonstrate its military strength. As the
world entered the 20th century, an arms race had begun, primarily over the number of each
country's warships, and the increasing size of their armies—countries began training more and
more of their young men to be prepared for battle. The warships themselves increased in size,
number of guns, speed, method of propulsion, and quality armor, beginning in 1906 with Britain's
HMS Dreadnought. Dreadnought was soon out-classed as the Royal Navy and Kaiserliche Marine
quickly expanded their ranks with increasingly modern and powerful warships.

By 1914, Germany had nearly 100 warships and two million trained soldiers. Great Britain and
Germany both greatly increased their navies in this time period. Further, in Germany and Russia
particularly, the military establishment began to have a greater influence on public policy. This
increase in militarism helped push the countries involved into war.

4. Imperialism

Imperialism is when a country increases their power and wealth by bringing additional territories
under their control, usually without outright colonizing or resettling them. Before World War I,
several European countries had made competing imperialistic claims in Africa and parts of Asia,
making them points of contention. Because of the raw materials these areas could provide,
tensions around which country had the right to exploit these areas ran high. The increasing
competition and desire for greater empires led to an increase in confrontation that helped push
the world into World War I.

5. Nationalism in the Balkans

NB: nationalism is having pride in one’s country. The nationalist pride helped to fuel the war.
Political unrest in the Balkans, largely fueled by nationalism grew for years. The Balkans were a
very unstable area.

 Different nationalities were mixed together

  The area had been ruled by Turkey for many centuries, but Turkish power was now in
decline
 The new government which had been set up in place of Turkish rule were regularly in
dispute with each other
 Two great powers, Russia and Austria, bordered the countries in this region. Both
wanted to control the area because it gave them access to the Mediterranean.

The first Balkan crisis came in 1908. Austria took over the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Russia and Serbia protested but they backed down when Germany made it clear that it supported
Austria. Neither Russia nor Serbia was prepared to risk war with Germany over this issue. Austria
felt confident that Germany would back it in future disputes.