World War 1 was known as the Great War. It was the first war in which all of the world's major powers fought against each other. This war was also the first modern war with new weapons and war machines designed for more effective to kill people. There were also new tactics and strategies used to in this war. World War 1 was one of the bloodiest wars ever fought, but nobody could have foreseen that this war would lead to the bloodiest war of all. There were several causes of World War 1. The first cause of World War 1 was nationalism which is having great pride in one's country and cultural background. Nationalism was very prevalent in the 19th century in Europe. Belgium won its independence from the Netherlands in1830. Italy became unified in 1861 and Germany in1871. However by the end of the 19th century the problem of nationalism was not resolved in some areas of Europe.
English: Drafted borders of Austria-Hungary in the...
The end of Austria-Hungary after the Paris Treaty.
English: Austro-Hungarian mountain corps during Wo...In the Balkans, Panslavism was a very strong nationalistic movement. Southern Austria-Hungary was mainly inhabited by people who supported Panslavism and this caused major tensions that lead to the war. Imperialism played a part in the road to war. After the Industrial Revolution in Europe many of the countries expanded their foreign markets in Africa and colonial interests frequently clashed. As a result of these tensions many European nations made new domestic and foreign policies which steadily increased the chance of war. Militarism was a another major cause of the war. Because of growing tensions in Europe many countries had large standing armies which they kept replenished by peacetime conscriptions (Encarta 98). Many countries also built up their navies. Huge long range guns had proved to be an effective weapon in the Russo-Japanese War. Great Britain followed German naval expansion...