World War 1 Research Paper

There were numerous aspects that resulted in the decision of having the First World War. However, the four main causes were nationalism, militarism, imperialism and the most powerful nations around the world dividing into two alliances. I strongly believe that the cause that had the most significant effect on the outbreak of the World War was the development of alliances across the world.

Nationalism is a feeling of deep loyalty to one’s people and homeland which was very common among people living in Europe. Men were willing to take any action to support their country regardless of the effect on others. They believed that their country’s development was superior to anything else. These nationalistic feelings gave the ideas of forming independent nations to various countries across Europe that were under a foreign rule such as Bosnia (under Austrian rule). This led to the formation of terrorist organizations such as the Black Hand who wanted their countries to be freed from foreign rule which created conflicts and eventually led to war. Since it was not safe to initiate war alone as a country, it was more intelligent to have other countries as allies to help the country in times of conflict.
Powerful nations across Europe such Germany and Britain believed that if their military was powerful, no enemy would attack it so nations would compete for the best militaries, navies, and military equipment. It was like an ‘arms race.’ They believed that war would be the best solution for resolving any sort of conflict. Even with powerful militaries, navies, and guns they felt that having other countries as allies would be very helpful in times of war because it would increase the chance of being on the winning side of the