The Three Most Important Causes Of World War I

The Three Most Important Causes of World War I There were many things that contributed to the start of World War I. All the different known causes of World War I may be seen as substantial or insignificant, but they all contributed to the war in their own unique way. These causes also are both direct and indirect but they all played a part in the start of the war as well. The three most important causes of World War I are the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, mutual defense alliances, and the growing militarism of the imperial countries. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a direct and powerful cause that started the war. A Serbian nationalist group, called the Black Hand, assassinated him and his wife in protest of

By making these treaties, it meant that the countries involved in them were obligated to protect each other if one of them was attacked. The myriad of alliances that were formed before the war pulled many countries into the war, who otherwise would not have been involved, as the countries they were allied with were being attacked. Before World War I, there was an alliance between Russia and Serbia, one between Germany and Austria-Hungary, another between France and Russia, additionally one between Britain, France, and Belgium, and one more between Japan and Britain. First, Austria-Hungary began fighting Serbia, which then drew Russia, on Serbia’s side, and Germany, on Austria-Hungary’s side, into the war. Then, because France and Russia were allies, France started fighting against Austria-Hungary and Germany. Germany then traveled through Belgium to fight France, which broke Belgium’s neutrality. Because of this, Britain was drawn into the war to defend Belgium and France. Because Britain joined the war, Japan joined in. Later, Italy and the United States would join in as well. In conclusion, the mutual defense alliances started a cascade event which was crucial for starting World War