Root Causes of World War One

For decades the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Josef and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was considered the cause of World War I. Certainly the June 1914 assassination in Sarajevo, Bosnia ignited the firestorm that ended up costing millions of lives, but it was the culmination of much deeper root causes that had been part of the European fabric for hundreds of years.

Countries throughout Europe made mutual defense agreements that if one country was attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them. Before World War I, such mutual defense agreements or alliances existed between Russia and Serbia; Germany and Austria-Hungary; France and Russia; Britain and France and Belgium; and Japan and Britain.

So when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia immediately following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Russia vowed to defend Serbia. Germany seeing Russia mobilizing, declared war on Russia. France was then drawn in against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium pulling Britain into war. Then Japan entered the war. Later, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies.

Before World War I, Africa and parts of Asia were points of contention amongst the European countries. This was especially true because of the raw materials these areas could provide. The increasing competition and desire for greater empires led to an increase in confrontation that helped push the world into World War I.

As the world entered the 20th century, an arms race had begun. By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies in this time period. In Germany and Russia particularly, the military establishment began to have a greater influence on public policy. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved to war.

Much of the origin of the war was based on the desire of the Slavic peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina to no longer be part of Austria Hungary but instead be part of Serbia. In this way, nationalism led directly to the War. But in a more general way, the nationalism of the various countries throughout Europe contributed not only to the beginning but the extension of the war in Europe. Each country tried to prove their dominance and power.

The assassination of Franz-Ferdinand and Sophie in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip set off a rapid chain of events, fueled by centuries of alliances, imperialism, militarism and nationalism. The assassination was in protest to Austria-Hungary having control of this region. Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. When Russia began to mobilize due to its alliance with Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia. Thus began the expansion of the war to include all those involved in the mutual defense alliances.

The great Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, the man most responsible for the unification of Germany in 1871 once said that "One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans."

He died in July 1898 never having seen his prediction come true in what became among the deadliest conflicts in human history with over 17 million military and civilian deaths and another 20 million wounded.