Dillan BadillaMarch 20, 2014Ap European HistoryPeriod 1In 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated François Ferdinand, Duke of Austria. The assassins had been set up by the Serbian government, but the Austrian government quickly found out and decided to fight back. This was the tipping point that brought about the First World War. But this is not the only cause of the First World War. Other causes of World War I were militarism, which was strongest in Germany. Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary at the time, which is also a cause, the alliances of 1914. A few main alliances were the Triple Entente, which allowed Russia, France and the Great Brittany to monitor and protect itself against the ever-increasing threat from Germany. There were alliances made across Europe that required almost everyone to protect someone. Another cause was nationalism, especially in Germany. Germany because it was a relatively new country that wanted to prove itself as a nation. The final cause was imperialism. this was happening everywhere and it made countries fear that their lands would be attacked. The First World War was not only caused by assassination, but also by alliances made across Europe, senseless nationalism, extreme militarism and frenzied imperialism. Nationalism, like pride, can be a mortal sin. This really shows how deadly it can be at the start of WWI. People began to believe that dying for their country shows how great they are. It happened to Germany. In the movie All Quiet On The Western Front, you can see how proud the children are to fight a war for their country, but for the wrong reasons. Nationalism would also be considered a form of racism. So you can see how hating another country because it's not your country can...... middle of paper ... race. Germany knew it was losing and so decided the best way to combat losing the arms race was to declare war. In conclusion, many factors were involved in the outbreak of World War I, but there were three very influential causes. Nationalism, which was extreme, even insane, pride in your country. Alliances that made countries think they were insecure. Since it was 1914 and countries were still developing and some were weaker than others it was very likely that you could be invaded which is why alliances scared some countries into turning them into a hostile state. And the final cause was militarism, a kind of dictatorial state where war was ready at any time, there were weapons everywhere and children were not safe. World War I was caused by many things, but nationalism, alliances and militarism were the root causes..