M.A.I.

N (long-term) CAUSES of World War I

 MILITARISM – nations built up their military power (army, navy, training soldiers,
building weapons, ships, etc.) to ensure their own security and power to defend or
attack.

 ALLIANCES – agreements between countries to defend/ aid / protect each other in

case of conflict. That meant that one event could pull many European countries into a
conflict.

 IMPERIALISM – European countries competed to create empires (taking over other

countries economically and politically) , increasing tension between them (competing
to see who was more powerful and sometimes even competing for the same
colony/country) but also creating resentment from those who were boing ruled by
them (example, Slavs in Austria-Hungary).

 NATIONALISM – as countries competed, they became more and more intense in their
nationalistic pride. The countries that were taken as colonies or annexed to another
more powerful one often lost their own language, religion, customs, freedom to their
new mother land. This was generally resented (they wanted to maintain their own
nationalism).