The cause of WW1 wasn’t just one event, but multiple things that added up: classes, nationalism, and alliances between countries. As the war was about to start, the countries prepared for battle, although they didn’t know the outcome but they were ready to fight to the death. By 1914, the power key that was imperial alliances had been given a crucial spark; the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand triggered series of war declarations that would eventually grow into the most devastating war the world had ever experienced. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was nephew Emperor Franz Josef and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, (heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne) was one of the main reasons that WW1 was put into place. His wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, was also shot during his assassination. This occurred on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo, they were both shot dead by Gavrilo Princip. Gavrilo Princip was a Serbian nationalist who became the catalyst for World War I. Nationalism is an extreme form of patriotism and loyalty to one’s country. Nationalism was prevalent in early 20th …show more content…
The nationalism was a huge chunk of the reasoning. Although, the alliances split Europe into two sides, there was the Triple Alliance (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy) and also the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia). But the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie was the last straw. A man had assassinated the heir to the Austria-Hungary Empire, to them this was a declaration of war to them. The cause of WW1 wasn’t just one event, but multiple things that added up: classes, nationalism, and alliances between countries. As the war was about to start, the countries prepared for battle, although they didn’t know the outcome but they were ready to fight to the