The Underlying Causes Of World War I

There is continually something that prompts to another. Sometimes, it can bring about an enormous outbreak. At the turn of the twentieth century, Europe was at war. This war lasted more than four, long, gruesome years. It was also known as the “Great War”. New weapons and technology were enhanced and more progressed. This caused the number of casualties to increase. World war I was the most deadliest war of all. Before the war had started, many European leaders believed if they created a balance of power, it could prevent conflict happening. Although, conflict did follow. One of the main sparks of World War I (WWI) was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Under that main spark were three other underlying causes of WWI. The causes

Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Once conquering a territory a nation wants, it becomes a colony for the mother country. Mother countries want colonies so they can profit and enrich their imperial power. All the European nations wanted to pursue all the same actions of gaining land, resources and power. Mother countries were all willing to go to war to have the most colonies. Great Britain was the largest imperial power in the world (Document E). Great Britain was also known as the British Octopus because of how many colonies Great Britain has claimed. Mother countries were envious of Great Britain which caused jealousy and vexation towards Great Britain. When a mother country owns more colonies, they gain more money. This helps a mother country militarily and economically. The more colonies the better. The data displays the area and population of how much each European nation controls (Document F). Colonies were important to each nation because it represented power. Also, it helped gain protection for the mother country. Nations such as Austria-Hungary and Russia were way behind on becoming an imperial power. Germany however, was behind Great Britain which bothered Germany. The jealousy and competitiveness led to