Right before World War I a big part of Europe was going through a phase where no one wanted to be behind in the military standards, each country wanted to be the best. Germany started it by improving their navy because they were afraid Britain was going to try to attack. A lot of the countries in Europe were competing to see which could make the best new weapon, and things were getting really tense. Especially since Germany was doing so well, and had made an alliance with Austria-Hungary.
There were many causes for World War I including the reasons above, though there are many more as well. World War I was a huge war which means it had huge reactions and a huge buildup. When something affects the whole world it is always well remembered. World War I is well remembered and will continue to be so for a long