USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
Serbians in the Balkans didn’t want to be ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. What explains this?

(A) Militarism

(B) Alliances

(C) Imperialism

(D) ** Nationalism

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Austria had long seen Serbia as a threat to the stability of its multi-ethnic empire. Austria’s annexation of Bosnia in 1908 and Serbian ambitions to unify south-east Europe’s Slavic people further strained relations in this volatile part of Europe.

Concept note-2: -The threat of Serbian nationalism This was because Serbia was growing in power and becoming a magnet for the South Slav people, including Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs, most of whom lived within Austria-Hungary. Conrad von Hötzendorf had called for war with Serbia a dozen times before 1914.

Concept note-3: -Answer and Explanation: Nationalism led to the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire because it fostered a sense of identity and allegiance among different ethnic groups within the empire. Each group began to see itself as separate and distinct from the others, leading to secession and independence calls.