4/15 DBQ

In 1914, a chain reaction of events took place which plunged Europe into World War I, or the War to end all wars. The world had never seen anything like it before. Over 10 million people lost their lives from 1914-1918. The war started after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but there was more that happened before this. Germany and Italy had just unified. Germany was looking to become a vast and expanding empire by expanding her army. There was a new sense of nationalism in newly established countries such as Serbia. Serbia believed that anything bad that happened to Austria-Hungary was great for them. Tensions were high. War was coming. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was the spark to set it off. At the time, Europe was divided into two different alliances, the Triple Alliance and the Central Powers. The main reasons that brought about World War I were increasing Serbian nationalism, rising imperialistic Germany, and the Alliance systems in place at the time.
Some say that it was in fact Germany who started this Great War instead of Serbia. It was a Serbian who killed Archduke Ferdinand, however Germany acted on behalf of Austria- Hungary without thinking. The alliance system between to two required them to support the other should she go to war. This was the main reason why Wilhelm II supported Austria-Hungary's aggression against Serbia, without considering the risk. (Doc 1). The Triple Alliance that was formed obliged the others to join no alliance at that time against any one of the other members. Also, no matter what cause the one country has to attack another, the rest of the alliance is required to back them up (Doc 2).
Serbia was a newly unified country at the time of WWI. Serbians were very nationalistic, but the organization known as the Black Hand took it to a new level. The black hand was a secret underground organization of Serbian nationalists who plotted terrorist attacks against their enemies (Doc 6). They were oppressed for the longest time by Austria-Hungary, making Franz Ferdinand a prime target for an attack. This specific attack plunged Europe deep into WWI. After the assassination, Austria-Hungary sent Serbia a list of demands for the death of the Archduke. These demands were so unrealistic that it would have been an insult to give Austria-Hungary what it wanted. Austria-Hungary was looking for another excuse to go to war at the time, therefore, the unrealistic demands. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia July 28, 1914 (Doc 7).
Recently united Germany was taking a more imperialistic stance on matters in the early 20th century. Kaiser Wilhelm II expanded the army. They believed that they had not interest in conquering others lands for the sake of expanding. They believed they were saving the weaker states from unstable governments, and wanted to maximize the potential of each new region under the kaiser's control (Doc 4). They wanted to model themselves after the British Empire (The sun never sets on the British Empire). When Austria-Hungary pleaded for German help before declaring war, Wilhelm supporter them before thinking of the consequences. He thought this would be a prime opportunity to expand his borders. By this time, Austria-Hungary was at war with Serbia, and an ally of Germany. Serbia pleaded with Russia for help. After Russia had started to mobilize its army, Czar Nicholas II pleaded with his cousin Wilhelm II to help him avoid the great war which he foresaw. In this later Willy and Nicky communication, Nicholas begs Germany to not go to war, and to prevent Austria-Hungary from going to war. However, Wilhelm cites his alliance with Austria-Hungary, saying he must support their wars. Nicholas does not wish it this way, but he is going to be forced into the Great War by both his own people, and the terms of his alliance (Doc 8). Shortly after, Germany declared war on Russia, and France so that they can attack before they mobilized their entire armies. Neither of these two emperors would have their position after the war. The war cost Nicholas his life, as well as the lives of his family, and Wilhelm was exiled in the Netherlands.
The events leading up to World War I brought about the "Great War" in Europe. The world hadn't seen a conflict that was so global before. There was never a war that claimed so many lives. There were many causes. Franz Ferdinand's assassination was the spark to set the war in motion, however, other international reasons were the main causes of the war.