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Question: The most important cause of World War One!?
I'm not sure but do you think that the Assassination at Sarajevo was the most important cause of world war one!? There are other causes like imperialism, political, nationalism and the alliances (triple and entente)!.

Could someone please explain to me these and tell me what they think was the most important cause (not the trigger which in a way was the assassination at Sarajevo)!?

Thanks!Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
There were many causes for WWI!. As you've already pointed out, the assassination at Sarajevo was a catalyst, not a cause!.

There are four main causes agreed on by historians!.

*Imperialism

*Nationalism

*Alliances

*Militarism

Imperialism was a prominent ideology throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries!. Nearly all European countries participated in Imperialism one way or another!.

England had quite possibly, the largest Empire in all of the world in the 19th century!. As the famous quote says, "The sun never sets on the British Empire!." This statement is actually true!. The British Empire had territories in Africa (South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea), the Middle East (Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman), Asia (India, China), Australia, and North America (Canada, West Indies)!.*

Other colonial superpowers included France (North West Africa, Syria, Indochina), Germany (South African Territories), and Spain (Western South America, Latin America, Texas)!.*

*North America was left out because of its independence at 1776, which meant that at the time that most of those territories referenced would've not been under the control of their respective Imperialist Nations!.


Now, with so many nations with so many colonies and territories, there were many conflicts!. Not only were some conflicts with the indigenous people, such as the Boer Wars (England vs!. South African Natives), but other conflicts were with other colonial powers!. France and England were in conflict with each other dealing with different territories!. France and Spain also got into conflicts regarding Florida, and more French and English conflicts occurred over North American colonies!. Germany also got into more disputes, because they wanted to appear on the global colonial stage!. Imperialism was not a direct contributor to the war, but it did raise suspicions and distrust, as well as globalizing the conflict!.

Militarism was also a prevalent force in Europe in the early 20th century!. Nations would build up armies to keep their colonies under control, to parade around their cities, and to deter their enemies from thinking of them as weak!. But these armies did not

Alliances were loosely bound across the continent of Europe, but in reality, it was not the alliances themselves that were the cause of the war, but the motives behind them!. These motives are best explained in Nationalism!.

Nationalism was an issue that was started with Napoleon and the French Revolution!. The French Revolution was truly the arrival of Enlightenment ideals in Europe!. Napoleon's conquests only served to further spread those ideas, with his invasions of the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia, Austria, and Russia!. By the 20th century, the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 had passed, but with drastic results!. Ideas of Nationalism penetrated every nation, from England's parliament to Belgium and its independence!. As a matter of fact, it was Nationalism that helped unite the German Confederation into the German Empire, and it was Nationalism that helped unite the Italian States!. The idea of state above individual, of a national unity, spurred many “manifest destinies”!. The Russian Empire believed itself to be the father of all Slavic people and nations, a protector of the Slavic Nationality!. This idea led to alliances being made between Russia and the Slavic nations, such as Serbia!. Germany believed itself to be the inheritor of the legacy of the Holy Roman Empire, and that it was its just right to become center stage on the world theater!. To do so, it allied itself with Austria, another Germanic group of people!. France desperately loathed Germany, and believed it to be French responsibility to take revenge of the Germans!. The loss of the territories of Alsace-Lorraine contributed heavily to their desire for revenge!. England saw its Colonial Empire and superior Navy at risk, especially with Germany’s growing presence in the world!. It allied, although reluctantly, with France, who was allied to Russia!. Not to be outdone, just as Bismark had predicted, the Balkans were to be the powder keg of Europe!. The Austrians wished to continue to enforce their presence in Slavic lands, but the overwhelming sense of Nationality severely hampered the Austrian efforts!. The most prominent aggressor was Serbia!. The Slavic Serbs resented being under the influence of the Germanic Austrians, and they desired independence!. They took the help from their Russian neighbors, allying with them!.

Thus, the global stage was set for one of the greatest conflicts in human history, only to be outdone by the Taiping Rebellion and World War II!. Nationalism was the greatest cause of World War I!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

1) the assasination of Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo is considered as the cause of ww1 as he was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and the assasin- Gavrilo Princip was a member of the terrorist group the Black Hand which wanted independence for Bosnia!.

2) the other reason was- austri hungary sends serbia an ultimatum (demand by one government that another government accept its terms or face war) and serbia refuses the ultimatum!.

the other reasons were - 3)nationalism -loyalty to ones contry
4)militarism-strong army to settle issues
5)imperialism- belief in gaining colonies and building empiresWww@QuestionHome@Com

The future Kaiser was visiting his grandmother, Queen Victoria of England, and when he and the future King of England were playing in the pond with toy boats, Willie wanted the bigger one and his cousin told him he couldn't have it because Germany had no navy!. it was the build up of a navy that separated the two traditional allies and let France become allied with England against Germany!.
Or maybe it was because Varus was massacred in the Black Forrest, leading the Emperor Augustus of Rome to be heard wandering the halls of his house at night pulling out his hair and screaming "Varus - Where are my Legions!?" This resulted in Germany never being conquered by Rome and therefore having a non-Romanesque culture which lead to Luther which lead to!.!.!.Well you get the point!. The reason so much time has been spent on the causes of the war is because by the start of 1915 there wasn't a whole lot to talk about, except the huge bloodshed, slaughter and the cover up done by the governments to hide their mistakes, like the Battle of the Somme, where all the men from a single village may have all been killed in just one or two hours!.
The two best books to read about WW1, or the Germanic Wars as I call them, are The Guns of August and The Myth of the Great War-How Germany won the battles but the allies won the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

the entaglement of alliances!. that is what caused the war, only 2 countries had a beef, but they were all allied up and everyone jumped inWww@QuestionHome@Com

GreedWww@QuestionHome@Com