Causes of the Great War
World War I and its beginnings
Scholars today still discuss what led all of the five major powers in Europe to fight in the early 20th century. Some claim the assassination of Austria-Hungary’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the reason while others claim it is due to the creation of Germany that led to the war. The truth is, the question of what really led to one of the most horrific wars up to its time is much more complex. There are numerous factors that led to the Great War such as Nationalism, Social Darwinism, the creation of Germany, Imperialism and the complete hatred between France and Germany. While all of these factors helped contribute to the beginning of the war, the ideology of nationalism was the strongest factor that led to the Great War because the other factors are correlated with the ideology itself. On June 28, 1914, a major event occurred that would shape the beginning of one of the most horrific wars that our world has known, World War I. On that day, Archduke France Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated. At the time, Austria-Hungary was technically one nation yet “it was a racial mélange of at least a dozen minorities”. Within this nation, there were various radical groups who did not agree with the ideas that the heir wanted. One of the ideas was that Ferdinand wanted to advance the “Trialism”. This would allow Slavs to share power within the empire. Because the heir to the throne was assassinated, Austria-Hungary was going to be in a state of chaos as their current ruler was nearing his death and their new ruler was too young to run one empire, much less two empires. The assassin, a Serbian man who belonged to a radical Serbian group, killed the heir not only because he did not agree with Ferdinand’s ideas but also because the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary had a growing population of Serbian people and these people wanted to be united as one. This unification would have been possible but
Scholars today still discuss what led all of the five major powers in Europe to fight in the early 20th century. Some claim the assassination of Austria-Hungary’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the reason while others claim it is due to the creation of Germany that led to the war. The truth is, the question of what really led to one of the most horrific wars up to its time is much more complex. There are numerous factors that led to the Great War such as Nationalism, Social Darwinism, the creation of Germany, Imperialism and the complete hatred between France and Germany. While all of these factors helped contribute to the beginning of the war, the ideology of nationalism was the strongest factor that led to the Great War because the other factors are correlated with the ideology itself. On June 28, 1914, a major event occurred that would shape the beginning of one of the most horrific wars that our world has known, World War I. On that day, Archduke France Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated. At the time, Austria-Hungary was technically one nation yet “it was a racial mélange of at least a dozen minorities”. Within this nation, there were various radical groups who did not agree with the ideas that the heir wanted. One of the ideas was that Ferdinand wanted to advance the “Trialism”. This would allow Slavs to share power within the empire. Because the heir to the throne was assassinated, Austria-Hungary was going to be in a state of chaos as their current ruler was nearing his death and their new ruler was too young to run one empire, much less two empires. The assassin, a Serbian man who belonged to a radical Serbian group, killed the heir not only because he did not agree with Ferdinand’s ideas but also because the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary had a growing population of Serbian people and these people wanted to be united as one. This unification would have been possible but