Causes of the First Great War

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The Causes of the First Great War World War I, which was predominantly called the “World War” or the “Great War” from its beginning until 1939, was a major war centered in Europe that began on July 28, 1914 and ended November 11, 1918. It was the first war that involved all of the world’s strongest powers. More than nine million combatants were killed, largely due to the technological advances in firepower without corresponding advances in mobility and tactics. It was the sixth deadliest conflict in world history, thus paving the way for various political changes and in politics, both international and national. The long-term causes of the war included the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the imperialistic foreign policy of European Countries, and the several alliances formed over previous decades of conflict. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by a Yugoslavian nationalist. This assassination triggered the approximate beginning of the war. The assassination of the Archduke angered the Serbian leaders, for the Archduke was next in line for the throne of Austria-Hungry. So, the leaders of this country declared war against Serbia. The several alliances formed over the previous decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers and their colonies were at war, thus the conflict soon spread around the world. Starting in the early 1800’s, several European countries began to adopt imperialistic foreign policies. Countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom started building large efficient armies, which posed as a threat to several neighboring countries. Germany’s army from 1890 to 1914 grew quickly to become the world’s largest military force assembled at that time period. These massive growths of the German armed forces cause a “blood lust” for war between Germany and its enemies’ thus, giving extra push to the
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