10 Causes Of World War I

10 Causes of World War 1

World War 1, also known as “The First World War “is a historical event that started in July 1914 and ended in November 1918. This event was so overwhelming that, over 17 million people lost their lives and over 20 million wounded.

Understanding the causes of the World War 1 is one of history’s greatest achievement, and in today’s article, you will learn the series of major events that led to the World War 1. Generally speaking, the cause of the First World War was centred on the death of an Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand. This led to a little conflict between Austria and Serbia, which escalated to one of history’s most bloody events.

Here are 10 major causes of World War 1 that you had no clue about.

1. The Assassination

The reason for the assassination was because the terrorist group wished to break free from Hungary and create an independent nation of their own, but the Austrian-Hungary government saw this assassination as a direct threat to the country.

They had strong beliefs that the Serbians were in collaboration with the terrorist group and therefore offered them an ultimatum. The ultimatum stated that,

The Serbian government had to accept an Austro-Hungarian examination into the assassination, despite the fact that it was already carrying out its own internal investigation. They were also to subdue all anti-Austrian propaganda and to take necessary steps to destroy all terrorist groups within its borders.

The Austrian-Hungary government needed a reply within the next forty-eight (48) hours. Serbia replied to the ultimatum, agreeing to all the terms of the ultimatum, except one: that Serbia would not let Austria-Hungary to take part in any internal investigations as that was a violation of its country’s constitution and law of criminal

BALKAN WARS

The Balkan War in 1912 was as a result the alliance between countries such as Serbia, Greece Montenegro and Bulgaria to form what was known as the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. Within a short time this Balkan League conquered the Ottoman Empire and divided their possessions among themselves. The success of this alliance shocked most of the powers across Europe especially Austria-Hungary. This made them even more determined to wage war against Serbia and prevent it from getting stronger.

8. DOMESTIC POLITICAL FACTORS

This First World War was influenced by internal politics within the great powers across Europe. This internal politics sprung up conflict and domestic issues across Europe. One of these issues was the crisis over income tax and the length of military service.

9. THE GERMAN PARANOIA

Prior to The First World War, the German naval fleet was posed as threat to that of the British. Hence Britain took extreme measures to ensure their safety. This was done by the signing of the Entente Cordial between the countries France, Russia and Britain. This alliance formed resulted in increased aggression from the Germans.

10. LACK OF INTERNATIONAL