On July 28, 1914, one of the most destructive wars in all of history began.
Which countries were involved? What were the major causes of the conflict?
In the years before World War I, four factors contributed to the animosity and tension in
Europe: nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and a complicated system of alliances.
In the previous century, nationalism played an important role in shaping the politics of Europe.
Nationalism is an intense devotion to or identification with one's nation and culture.
Such attitudes created hyper-competitive rivalries between powerful countries in the region.
The unification of Germany in 1871 intensified the situation. As a newly unified country, it hoped to
prove itself on the world stage. Italy, which also fully unified in 1871, contributed to this
as well. In contrast, Great Britain, France, and Russia had long, storied histories. They
had dominated the region for centuries and saw the emergence of Germany as an immediate threat.
In other parts of Europe, numerous ethnic groups had long-simmering
resentment from being controlled by others. Many hoped for independent countries of their own,
and some depended on larger, more powerful nations for protection.
A bitter rivalry arose between Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Russia considered itself the protector of Europe's Slavic peoples, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire
ruled over millions of ethnic Slavs. It also actively sought to expand its
influence in the Balkans, particularly in Serbia, home to 3.5 million Slavs.
Austria-Hungary's dominion over the Balkans was an example of imperialism. Imperialism
is the practice of a country extending political, economic, or military control over other peoples.
For centuries, the powers of Europe had grown wealthy by building colonies around the world.
These colonies provided resources such as lumber and gold, and they also opened
markets for the sale of manufactured goods. As Germany began to emerge as a dominant power,
it sought to compete with France and Great Britain by establishing colonies as well.
Germany also began a massive military buildup. This forced France and Great
Britain to do the same. France and Britain had always maintained large militaries to
defend their empires, but the process of militarism accelerated in the late 1800s.
Militarism is the practice of maintaining a strong military
and being prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
By 1890, Germany had the most powerful army in Europe. It expanded on this in 1897,
when Kaiser Wilhelm, Germany's leader, announced a drastic increase in spending on the navy. This
forced Great Britain, who relied on their navy for defense, to strengthen their forces as well.
To keep pace, France, the United States, Japan, and Italy all followed suit.
A complicated system of alliances added to the tensions of the era.
Each country attempted to maintain agreements with numerous other nations,
but by 1907, two key defensive alliances had formed.
France, Great Britain, and Russia formed the Triple Entente. By the end of the First World War,
Russia would drop out of the alliance, and other countries would join.
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy countered with the Triple Alliance.
Italy would later leave the pact, and the Ottoman Turks would join.
During the war to come, this alliance would be known as the Central Powers.