![]() Russia immediately began to mobilize its troops and prepare for war. When Serbia's response fell short of the demands, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28.Īustria-Hungary had hoped they could quickly take over Serbia and that Serbia's ally, Russia, would not risk a major war in order to help Serbia. They also saw this as an opportunity to regain control of Serbia.Īustria-Hungary issued a number of harsh demands on Serbia, threatening to invade if Serbia did not comply. The Austria government believed that the assassination was organized by the Serbian government. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated in Sarajevo. All it would take was one international event and Europe would be at war. Secret alliances, internal politics, and the desire to grow empires had built up distrust and dislike between many of the European powers. In 1914, the situation in Europe was tense. This caused competition and conflict between many of the countries throughout the world. Other European countries, such as Russia and Germany, wanted to create their own vast empires. Some European countries, such as France and Britain, had created large worldwide empires and had become very rich. Imperialism is when a country expands its influence and power into a large empire. Germany felt that this powerful alliance surrounding them posed a real threat to their existence and power in the region. The Triple Entente was formed between France, Britain, and Russia in 1907. In 1904, Britain and France signed an agreement. In response to Germany's alliances, France and Russia established an alliance in 1892. However, Italy then went and made a secret alliance with France saying they would not aide Germany. These countries all agreed to protect each other in the event they were attacked by France. ![]() Germany made an alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy in 1881. In the years leading up to the war, the nations of Europe were constantly jockeying for power and making alliances. ![]() However, there was one single event, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, which started a chain of events leading to war. The real causes of World War I included politics, secret alliances, imperialism, and nationalistic pride. A lot of these factors were rooted in the deep history of the old powers of Europe including Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Britain. There were many factors that led up to the start of World War I in Europe. Go here to watch a video about the Causes of World War I. ![]()
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