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The armies
The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled between 1870 and 1914. The rivalry between the powers led to a building up of weapons and an increase in distrust. -
Triple Alliance
In the Triple Alliance there were:
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy -
By 1900
By 1900, Britain owned a quarter of the world. Countries such as Canada, India, South Africa, Egypt, Australia and New Zealand were either owned by Britain or were still highly influenced by the British Empire. Queen Victoria had been crowned Empress of India. Huge amounts of money were made from these colonies and Britain had a powerful military presence in all parts of the world. The Empire was seen as the status symbol of a country that was the most powerful in the world. Hence Britain’s titl -
The launch of HMS Dreadnought
The launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 made matters worse. This ship was fast, heavily armoured with powerful guns and it made all previous battleships obsolete. -
Triple entente
In the Triple Entente there were: Britain, France and Russia -
Italy
By 1914 Italy was only a nominal member of the Triple Alliance. She had concluded a secret treaty with France by which she promised to stay neutral if Germany attacked France and when war broke out she stayed out. This meant that Germany had only one dependable ally, Austria-Hungary. -
Below are some of the main long-term causes that are identified by historians:
The System of Alliances / rivalry between the powers
Militarism
Nationalism
Crises before 1914
The Eastern Question / The Balkans
Domestic political factors -
Principal cause of the WW1
The direct cause of WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. -
Franz Ferdinand death
FRanz erdinands was dead to shot together his wife by the Nacionalist Gravrilo Princip -
Kaiser Wilhelm
On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary a so-called carte blanche or “blank check” assurance of Germany’s backing in the case of war. -
The beginning of the WW1
On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun.