June 28, 1914 the first cause of World War One took place. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife were assassinated just after they escaped another assassination attempt. Gavrilo Princip is instantly arrested for the shooting. Ferdinand`s wife wanted Serbia’s independence. Austria Hungary commanded Serbia to punish those accountable for the assassination of Ferdinand and his wife. When Serbia failed to obey, Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia. Since Serbia was an ally of the Allied Powers, the Allied Powers …show more content…
Germany and Austria desired strong military power. Britain’s Royal Navy was than both Germany and Austria Hungary’s navies combined All the major powers of Europe raced each other to build the biggest and best armed forces. Every country, except Great Britain, had a conscript army. This meant that these countries had many trained soldiers they could call up very quickly in the event of war. In 1914, the German army was the biggest and best in the world - but the Russian army was growing the fastest, and German generals were worried that, in a few years they would not be able to defeat Russia. Military spending soared, as one country increased spending another would follow. Military spending doubled in the period 1900-1914. Over 85% of men of military age in France and 50% in Germany had served in the army or navy. France had the highest proportion of its population in the army. The rivalry between the powers led to a building up of weapons and less trust between