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asacvhvdgfvedwidhekwjhrduwWorld war 1 had five main causes known as MAINA
Militarism
This is not just an arms race, but also a government's attitude of mind, seeing war as a valid means of foreign policy. (This often includes the influence of government by the generals.) All the nations of Europe were militaristic, but the governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary were especially so. All the countries of Europe built up their armies and navies. In 1914, their armed forces stood like this:
• Germany: 2,200,000 soldiers, 97 warships
• Austria-Hungary: 810,000 soldiers, 28 warships.
• Italy: 750,000 soldiers, 36 warships
• France: 1,125,000 soldiers, 62 warships
• Russia: 1,200,000 soldiers, 30 warships
• Great Britain: 711,000 soldiers, 185 warships
As one country increased its armies, so all the others felt obliged to increase their armed forces to keep the ‘balance of power’. Germany and Britain clashed over the size of their navies - in 1900 Kaiser Wilhelm began to build up the German navy (Tirpiz's Navy Law), announcing that he wanted Germans to sail all over the world and take for Germany 'a place in the sun'. After 1906, he began to build numbers of the new, large 'Dreadnought' battleships, which were more powerful than any other ship.
Alliances
As well as seeking protection in the size of their armies, the countries of Europe sought protection by forming alliances. At first, Bismarck had kept Germany friendly with Russia. Kaiser Wilhelm overturned this, and concentrated instead on the Dual Alliance of 1879 between Germany and Austria-Hungary - which became the Triple Alliance (or Central Powers Alliance) when Italy joined in 1882. The Triple Entente alarmed Germany, which felt itself surrounded by the France-Russia alliance. The countries of Europe thought that the alliance system would act as a deterrent to war; in fact...