How Did the First World War Start?

The first world war began with the murder of Australian Archduke Franz
Ferdinand on June 28th, 1914. He was the nephew and heir of Franz Josef
who was the emperor of Austria. Franz Ferdinand was on an official visit to
Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital when he along with his wife was shot dead
allegedly by a member of a secret Serbian terrorist society, the Black Hand.
Austria blamed on Serbian government and implement specific strict
conditions along with ultimatum of war if Serbia refused to obey. Serbia
refused some of the conditions. Austria assured of German support,
declared war on Serbia on July 28th, 1914. Russia sided with Serbia and
ordered mobilization of the troops.
Upon this Germany opened war on Russia. German knew that France would
side with Russia in case of war. Thus, they also declared war on France. To
attack France, German had to cross Belgium which had been opened
impartial country since 1839. Britain one of the guarantors of its
impartiality when German attacked Belgium. Britain wanted from German
a withdrawal but the German ignored this and Britain entered the war.
Thus, this began the First World War.

Which Countries Fought in 1st World War?

The sides in the war were Central Power and Allied Powers. The Central
Power included Germany, Austria, Hungry, Turkey and Bulgaria. Turkey
entered in November 1914 and Bulgaria entered in October 1915. The
Allied Powers included Russia which left the war in December 1917.
France, Britain, Italy, Rumania and the USA. Italy entered the war in May
1915 and USA in April 1917.
The First World War continued for more than four years and finally, Central
Powers were defeated and the armistice was signed on November 11th,
1918.

What were the 7 Causes of World War 1?

There is still debate among scholars, strategists and social scientists as to
how a simple conflict between Austria and Serbia led toward First World
War. Numerous theories and explanations have been put forwarded in this
connection. Some blame one country or the other, while some blame tense
theories and explanation, we may conclude that following were the causes
of First World War.

How was Alliances a Cause of WW1?

In the year that proceeded World War 1, Europe was divided roughly into
two opposing blocs: Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. Triple Alliance
was engineered by Bismarck, the German Foreign Minister. In 1879, an
alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungry was formed. In 1882, Italy
joined the to form Triple Alliance. As a defense to Triple Alliance, the Triple
Entente was formed by Great Britain, France and Russia. In 1894, France
concluded an alliance with Russia.
In 1904, Britain and France also concluded agreements. Three years later
Britain and Russia settled their disputes and concluded agreements. Thus,
in 1907 came into existence Triple Entente. Both these blocs were hostile to
each other and Europe was in the grip of tension.

How Did Nationalism Play a Role in Sparking World

War 1?
Nationalism had become a strong force in the countries of Europe during
the nineteenth century. Nationalism had once played a positive role in
aiding the union of Germany and Italy in 19th century. But at the beginning
of the 20th century, nationalism became a narrow and destructive force.
The people began to love their nations and hate other nations. This was not
helpful for peace and proved unhelpful of good relations between Europe,
leading towards World War 1.

How was Militarism a Cause of WW1?

Another factor up surging the danger of war was the existence of rising
military force in several European nations. This created a feeling of distrust
between European leaders. It also led to existence of a powerful class of
military and naval officers headed by the General Staff. These were the
people who dominated the affairs of the countries mainly at the time of
crisis.
Moreover, militarism put too much power into the hands of the General
Staff of every country and they had an effective say in the decision-making
process. All this was not helpful to the maintenance of peace.
How did Imperialism Contribute to the Outbreak of
WW1?
Imperialism usually contributed to stressed relations. In the Near East, for
example, Russia, France, Great Britain and Germany all had conflicting
interests. In other colonial areas, the efforts of nations to obtain economic
or political control also led to arguments between imperialist power.
Frequent economic competition and political drives contributed to the
tension that headed the war.
How did Propaganda Effect WW1?
The diplomats of the period before First World War varied in their abilities.
Some were talented, level headed men who worked carefully for peace.
Others were reckless, emotional men whose errors of judgment produced
risky consequences. On several occasions, diplomatic errors upsurged
tension between nations.
The propaganda in speeches and the press also assisted to make a citizen of
one nation hate or fear those of other nations. When it appeared that war
had finally come, most people did not cry out against the conflict.

How did Balkan Crisis Lead to WW1?

The outbreak of World War 1 was headed by numerous crisis in Balkan. In
1908, Austria-Hungry seized the province of Bosnia and Herzegovina which
annoyed Serbia and Russia. However, Germany supported Austria-Hungry.
The Balkans wars once again blew up in 1912 and 1913. As a result of these
wars, tensions increased among Turkey and the Balkan States between
Austria-Hungry and Serbia and between Germany and Russia.
The climax of Balkan crisis occurred on June 28th, 1914 when the Austrian
Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated which led to
World War 1.

What was Mobilization in WW1?

Another cause that led to First World War was quick mobilization of the
troops. Firstly, Russians quickly mobilized troops followed by German
against Russia and France. British also waited and entered the war soon.
The quick mobilization enhanced the speed of events and left no time
available to employ political channel for talks.
What Led to the Defeat of the Central Powers?
The war continued four and a half years and ended in December 1918 with
the defeat of Central Power. There were numerous reasons for their defeat
which included.
1. The German had chalked out of Schlieffen plan. The main purpose
was a rapid German occupation of France. But this plan failed
because of various causes and the war lasted for four and a half
years. It was against German’s expectations and planning and the
prolongation of war was not in their favour.
2. The sea power of Central Power was not so strong as that of Allies
Power which played a conclusive role in their win. With the strong
sea power, the allies interrupted the supply side of Central Power
while smoothly maintaining their own.
3. The entry of the United States of America was main cause that
contributed to the downfall of Central Power. The USA supplied
food, merchant ships and credit. Most significant was the
psychological boost which the American potential in a resource of
men and material gave the Allies and the correspondence below it
gave to German confidence.
4. The allied political leaders were more capable than the political
leaders of the Central Power. These political leaders improved the
confidence of the nations as well as their army. This was a crucial
factor as it provided local support to the army and boost their
confidence.
5. The allies of Germany showed a problem for it. Germans had to
support Austria and Bulgaria during the war. When both were
beaten Germany could not bear the attacks of the Allied Power.
6. Central Powers suffered continued heavy losses during the war in
men and material. The result was that during the last year of the war
most of the German troops were young and inexperienced and were
no match to the trained army of the Allied Power