World War I was the First World War it started 28th of July 1914 and it lasted until the 11th of November 1918. They are both short-term and long-term causes of World War I. The short-term cause was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, this is what sparked the decision and the tension between the two alliances. There are also long-term causes, militarism, alliances, nationalism, and imperialism these are the causes that lead up to World War 1
There is one short-term cause of World War I, this is what started the war and tension between countries. A group of young nationalists had a plot to kill the archduke of Austria- Hungary, Franz Ferdinand during his visit to Sarajevo. A 19-year-old, Gavrilo Princip was able to shoot the Archduke and his wife on the 28th of June 1914. The assassination set off a rapid chain of events, as Austria-Hungary immediately blamed the Serbian government for the attack. there was a period called The July Crisis, which consisted of threats between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Negotiations and alliances were formed. Russia supported Serbia, while Austria asked for assurances that Germany would step in on its side against Russia and its allies the Triple Entente. On July 28, a month after the death of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, many countries step in and help each alliance so that World War 1 was Triple Entente against Triple Alliance. the death of Franz Ferdinand was a short-term cause, as it started the first big war, now known as World War 1
There are 4 long-term causes of World War One, the first cause is the alliance system. The alliance system is a system that consists of two alliances, to prevent the outbreak of war. The first alliance was The Triple Alliance, this alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Alliance was an agreement that was formed on 20th May 1882 until it expired in 1915 during World War 1 because France took the opportunity to become allies with Russia. The agreement provided that Germany and Austria-Hungary would assist Italy if it was attacked by France, or if any of the countries were attacked they would assist each other. The second alliance was the Triple Entente which consisted of Britain, France, and Russia. The Triple Entente was formed In 1907 because of the fear of the power that came from the triple alliance. The alliance system had one of the biggest impacts on the start of World War 1 because of the power of the two alliances.
Nationalism is the second cause of World War I, Nationalism is the belief that your country’s better and more powerful than others. This increased Europeans country's pride and some greater power started to feel unstoppable. Because all countries believed that they were always right and could win anything, the desire for war quickly became an idea, because the European countries wanted to prove their power. Proving a country's power wasn’t the only thing that got the war to become an idea. Countries that were under another nation’s government started wanting independence which later leads on to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Nationalism was one of the causes of World War I because of the tension that comes from everyone wanting to be in a higher power. Imperialism is another important factor that led to the outbreak of the First World War, it is a system where powerful countries rule more than one country. Imperialism was necessary for countries with power, to stay in power because they needed raw materials and other resources to operate. During the late 19th and early 20th century, most European countries wanted to increase wealth and power by getting additional colonies and territories under their control. Africa and Asia were the focal points of a lot of disagreement amongst the European nations. Raw materials and cheap labor were sourced from these two continents. The increased competition and countries wanting bigger power led to lots of conflicts that resulted in World War 1. Militarism is the last long-term cause of World War 1, it is a belief that all nations should build and maintain strong armed forces. In the early 20th century Germany had the largest and most powerful army in the world, the conflict between Germany and Britain over who had the strongest army caused tension and countries ended up hating each other.