Toward World War I: causes and tensions

Toward World War I

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World War I (1914-1918) didn’t happen suddenly: it was the result of tensions that accumulated for decades.

1. Causes

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• Imperialism: European powers competed for colonies
• Nationalism: every nation felt superior
• Militarism: massive investment in arms
• Alliance system: Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) vs Triple Entente (France, Britain, Russia) — like dominoes, if one fell, all followed

2. The Balkan “Powder Keg”

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The most unstable area: the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, Balkan peoples wanted independence, Serbia wanted to unite all southern Slavs, Austria wanted control, Russia supported the Slavs.

3. The Arms Race

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Military spending doubled across Europe between 1900 and 1914. Everyone was arming to the teeth.

Conclusion

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WWI was not an accident but the result of decades of nationalism, imperialism, and rigid alliances. Europe was a powder keg — the assassination at Sarajevo was just the spark.