Causes Of World War One

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History Essay The topic that will be explored in this essay is "Some historians, in exploring the immediate origins of the First World War, conclude that in a sense all the European powers, to a greater or lesser degree, bore responsibility for the outbreak. To what extent do you agree?" This essay will examine why Austria-Hungary and France (the European powers) were to blame for causing the First World War. This essay will also talk about some causes of the war that dealt with such ideologies as Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism, along with the prominent alliance systems in Europe all strongly affected the outbreak of the war. All of these factors where established in many of Europe's 'Great Powers' which consisted of Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. First let's look at Austria-Hungary. The most significant reasons that Austria-Hungary were one of the main powers responsible for World War One is because; 1) They issued an ultimatum to Serbia after the assassination of the archduke Franz Ferdinand, that was designed to be rejected and give them a reason to go to war. 2) They asked for Germany to support them in the event that their dispute with Serbia caused problems with Russia, thus obligating Germany to declare war on Russia if it came to Serbia's defence. 3) They then declared war on Serbia when the ultimatum was rejected. Now let's look at the assassination of archduke Ferdinand and how his death was a catalyst when starting the war. On Sunday 28th June, 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a nationalistic student, part of a Serbian Terrorist Group called the Black Hand at Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovnia. After the assassination Austria-Hungary gave Serbia 48 hours to reply and clearly stated that all terms
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