The Underlying Causes Of World War I

World War I was a tragic historic event that lasted four years long- starting from 1914 to 1918, which had cost many lives. There are many causes that had resulted the war- militarism, alliances and imperialism. However the most significantly underlying cause of World War I is through imperialism. Militarism is an important cause of World War I. In 1890, the five powers of Europe- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, France and Russia- had spent British pounds mostly on armaments. In 1914, which is about twenty-four years later, the amount of money spent on militarism had drastically increased (Doc C). However, out of all those nations, Germany evidently had the greatest increase. This is because during 1899, Bernhard Von Bulow, a German Chancellor, spoke about
As the arms build-up had the other nations alarmed and also building armies, it therefore helped the ignition of World War I. Another cause that had contributed to World War I was because of alliances. This started when the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophie, was assassinated by a Serbian who was a member of the Black Hand. Because of this assassin, Austria-Hungary began to use it as an excuse to blame and punish Serbians; then soon declared war. This had caused Europe to become divided and nations began choosing sides. Germany and Austria-Hungary,(and for a while Italy), formed the Triple Alliances, or Central Powers. On the other side, the Triple Entente, or Alliances, included Great Britain, France, and Russia,(and later U.SA.)(Doc A). As a result of the tensions between opposing nations, war soon began to broke out. Although militarism and alliances were significant causes that ignited World War I, the most fundamental cause that lead European nations to undergo these extreme circumstances was through