Imperialism: The Cause Of World War I

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On June 28th, 1914, Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated along with his wife by Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, in Sarajevo, Bosnia (history.com). This single event started the phenomenon that would engulf Europe, drawing in countries from across the world. World War I was not, at first, a global war; it started with Austria-Hungary simply declaring war on Serbia. Due to the alliance system, imperialism, and nationalism, the war only expanded and became more complex. Even with these facts, many historians believe that the war was pointless and unnecessary. Through analyzing that it was not circumstantial but desired and therefore, bound to happen, World War I may have the ability to be seen as pointless, …show more content…

Imperialism is where a powerful nation extends its influence over a weaker one. All of the countries like, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, the US, and Italy were all major world powers in which they all believed to be the greatest. They all had been racing to colonize the remaining territory in the world, such as in Africa (alphahistory.com - imperialism). They wanted to have the most land and illustrate their power. War in an imperialistic view is a winner takes all scenario. In their minds, if they were ever to fight, they had to be the best. This is what contributed to the alliances. Being ready in case of war was just a precaution to ensure that they were the strongest nation. The more powerful a country was led the more influence that they had. By the time that war had broken out, the major powers of Europe and even the world were ready to prove themselves to be the strongest. With a ready to fight mentality, they ultimately took the first chance to do so. If World War I never happened, they would just keep waiting for another chance. By desiring war as a way to spread their influence, countries’ imperialistic views helped them take the first opportunity to fight. This made the chance a world war unavoidable. World War I was necessary to fulfil the desire to prove themselves due to their imperialistic views. …show more content…

It only took one spark to set off one of the biggest wars in history. Franz Ferdinand’s assassination started World War I by simply being that spark. The ideals and mentalities of the world made a war unavoidable. World War I may not have started due to a global concern, but it could have stopped an even bigger disaster from unfolding later. Historians may call the Great War unnecessary or pointless, but with the circumstances of the political world, World War I can be equally viewed as necessary for the benefit of the world and all of its