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World War I began in 1914 and lasted until 1918.

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In 1914, Austria’s Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by Slav nationalists. Believing thatSerb officials had helped the assassins,Austria decided to invade Serbia.

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The assassination of Austria’s ArchdukeFrancis Ferdinand set off a chain reaction that soon involved all of Europe’s major powers as a localcrisis escalated into a World War.

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While the assassination of the Archdukewas the immediate cause of the First World War, there were many underlying causes. Nationalism, ethnic rivalries, imperialism, alliances, and militarism escalated the crisis.

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Nationalism encouraged rivalries amongWestern European nations. Nationalist movements also led to the creation of new nations in the Balkans:Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Albania.

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Austria-Hungary,however, still

consisted of manydifferent

ethnic groups, mostof which wanted theirown national states.

These demandsthreatened to break

the Empire apart.

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Serbs wanted to liberate Serbs still under Austrian rule, found in thesouthwest ofAustria-Hungary.By annexing theseregions, landlockedSerbia could alsogain access to theAdriatic Sea.

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The European powershad competingeconomic andpolitical interests.German industrializationchallenged British economic supremacy. Competition for colonies created further tensions.

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By 1914, Europe was divided into twotwo large alliances. On one side stoodGermany and Austria-Hungary. On theother side was Russia, France, and Great Britain.

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Any dispute involving a country fromone alliance threatened to bring in

other countries.

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The late 1800s saw a rise in militarism or the glorification of the military. An arms race also played a key role in the outbreak of World War I.

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Military leaders thought it wouldbe better to attackfirst rather thanto wait until beingattacked. Whenevera crisis occurred, military leaders were prepared tofight.

Questions for Reflection: Why was the Archduke of

Austria assassinated? What was the alliance system

and how did it lead to war? Define militarism and discuss

its role in World War I. How did ethnic rivalries and

imperialism lead to conflict?E. Napp