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World War 1 Causes

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World War One was one of the deadliest conflicts the world has ever seen. With thirty eight million casualties both civilian and military, it left a bloody wound in the hearts of people worldwide. The repercussions of the war would lead to the largest conflict ever seen no more than twenty one years later. To fully understand The Great War -as it was called before World War Two- one must understand the circumstances and political climate of Europe in the years before it. A secret system of alliances, an increase in nationalism, or pride in one's nation, deteriorating foreign affairs, and a quickly escalating arms race, the rapid buildup of military power and weaponry, turned all of Europe into a powder keg, waiting for the one spark that would …show more content…
The Triple Alliance consisted of Britain, France, and Russia, and the Triple Entente was made up by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente was formed in 1907, not because of the camaraderie between the three nations, but because of the growing threat of German and Austrian hostility. England was engaged in a naval arms race with Germany that was started in 1870, and France sought the return of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine after their loss to Germany in the Franco-Prussian war in 1871. Russia's main dispute was with Austria over control of the Balkans.
The Triple Alliance was formed in secret in 1882. It was agreed to be a defensive pact between the three nations in case of war. Germany was rivaled with Britain because of their expansion of her navy, and France because of Alsace and Lorraine. The Alliance was a more tensely formed pact than the Triple Entente, as Italy and Austria-Hungary had a very rocky relationship because of the two provinces South Tyrol and …show more content…
They went to inspect Imperial troops stationed there, much to the ire of the Serbs. They were traveling in an open car with very little security, when a man named Nedjelko Cabrinovic threw a bomb at the vehicle, which rolled off the back and injured an officer and a few bystanders. Later in the day, the convoy made a detour at the request of Ferdinand to visit the wounded officer. The convoy made a wrong turn and came to a stop outside of a local store where 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip was loitering. Seeing his chance, he immediately drew his small pistol and fired on the Archduke, shooting him and his wife fatally. They both died within the hour on their wedding anniversary. Rather ironically, Franz Ferdinand was one of an extremely small minority of Austro-Hungarian politicians who supported Serbian

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