World War 1 was supposed to be the war to end all wars, as we know there later became a World War 2. World War 1 was a direct cause to World War 2 so went was wrong? What caused the First War? The Black Hand which was a terrorist group assassinated the Austrian-Hungary Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was the son of the leader at the time. This was the spark that began the war. More than 38 million people died during World War 1. Nationalism, Alliances, and Militarism Were the direct root cause of World War 1. Nationalism was a major cause of World War 1 because people felt a sense of pride when they put their clothes and strapped up to go to war. People loved the fact they were going to war they threw parades just from the