World War I (WWI) was known as the Great War; it was also called "the war to end all wars". Between 1914 and 1918, over 21 million soldiers and civilians died. Even more people were seriously wounded or disabled in the conflict. How did World War 1 start? Historians point to four long-term causes of World War I: 1. alliances, 2. nationalism, 3. militarism, and 4. imperialism.
In addition to the above long-term causes, historians note that the spark that "lit the powder keg" of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was next in line to govern the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He would be making major decisions about how to handle Austria-Hungary's neighbors to the southeast, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Greece. This area is known as the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. A diverse area, many people who lived in the Balkans wanted to be independent from empires. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand officially started World War 1. Declarations of war came on July 28, 1914, when tensions were beyond any diplomatic solutions. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and then Russia began to prepare for war to support Serbia. Germany began to mobilize troops in support of Austria-Hungary. Then Great Britain and France, threatened by Germany, joined the side of the Russians. To help Jaydyn memorize the causes, she was introduced to the acronym: MAIN - M (militarism), A (alliances), I (imperialism), N (nationalism). Jaydyn scored 80% on her review quiz today.