World War I was also known as the First World War and was a global conflict centered in Europe. It involved nearly all the biggest powers of the world. There were several factors that led to this war that was fought from 1914 until 1918. Tension over foreign policy between the countries had been building and one thing continued to lead to another. During this time Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia but Bosnia wanted to be its own independent country. So while the Prince of Austria-Hungary was in Bosnia on a visit, a terrorist group called the Black Hand plotted to assassinate him. This group was composed of one person from Bosnia and five people from their ally Serbia. So on June 28, 1914, a Black Hand member named Gavrillo Princip shot
…show more content…
Many countries in Europe had formed mutually beneficial relationships and agreed to help one another if a country in the alliance had been attacked. There were two main alliances. The Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria. The Allied Powers were formed by France, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States. Another factor leading to the war was the European nations ruled smaller countries also known as colonies. This gathering of colonies was known as Imperialism and the purpose of it was to build up national wealth and influence by owning more colonies. Both France and Britain had many colonies in Africa and Asia. Then in the 1880’s and 1890’s, Germany and Italy decided they wanted a colonial empire too. This global competition for land caused confrontations and conflicts in many places. In addition to political conflicts, the causes of the war included nationalism or pride in one’s country. The belief that one’s own nation or culture is superior to all others, led Europe to build the largest army and navy. It also gave groups of people the idea of forming independent nations of their own. Serbians, Czechs, Slovaks, Bosnians and many other peoples living under the rule of the Austrian-Hungarian Empires wanted freedom from foreign
Many countries in Europe had formed mutually beneficial relationships and agreed to help one another if a country in the alliance had been attacked. There were two main alliances. The Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria. The Allied Powers were formed by France, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States. Another factor leading to the war was the European nations ruled smaller countries also known as colonies. This gathering of colonies was known as Imperialism and the purpose of it was to build up national wealth and influence by owning more colonies. Both France and Britain had many colonies in Africa and Asia. Then in the 1880’s and 1890’s, Germany and Italy decided they wanted a colonial empire too. This global competition for land caused confrontations and conflicts in many places. In addition to political conflicts, the causes of the war included nationalism or pride in one’s country. The belief that one’s own nation or culture is superior to all others, led Europe to build the largest army and navy. It also gave groups of people the idea of forming independent nations of their own. Serbians, Czechs, Slovaks, Bosnians and many other peoples living under the rule of the Austrian-Hungarian Empires wanted freedom from foreign