Causes of World War I
Causes of World War I research papers explore the many factors that led to the First World War. World history research papers are custom written by the writers at Paper Masters. You tell us exactly what aspect of WWI you need and our writers explore and explain the research found from the sources you need or from sources that they choose.
The immediate cause of World War I is believed to be the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the presumed heir to the throne of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princep. The assassination was used by some nations to try to humiliate other nations and improve their political or territorial standing. An immediate sense of nationalism was imparted as the rivalries, hostility, and distrust among the big powers of Europe escalated. However, beyond the assassination and a rise in nationalism, the main factors in the cause of WWI are:
- Militarism
- Imperialism
- Nationalism
- The system of alliances
Russia and World War I
On July 19 in the month following the assassination of the Archduke, Austria submitted an ultimatum to Serbia. When the ultimatum became known to Russia, it declared that Austria-Hungary must not be allowed to gain power over Serbia by the terms of the ultimatum or the threatened war if the ultimatum were ignored. A few days later, Serbia accepted most of the terms of the ultimatum except for two. The two terms Serbia rejected were the following:
- Certain Serbian officials be dismissed from their positions at Austria-Hungary's bidding
- Austria-Hungarians officials should take part within Serbia in proceedings against organizations hostile to the Empire.
Although Serbia offered to submit the parts of the ultimatum it had rejected to an international tribunal for arbitration, Austria-Hungary peremptorily severed diplomatic relations and ordered partial mobilization of its armed forces.