USA HISTORY

The Causes of World War I:Conclusion"This article has not by any means encompassed all of the suggested contributory factors that led inexorably to world war. It has however attempted to pull together the main strands:Austro-Hungarian determination to impose its will upon the Balkans; a German desire for greater power and international influence, which sparked a naval arms race with Britain, who responded by building new and greater warships, the Dreadnought; a French desire for revenge against Germany following disastrous defeat in 1871; Russia’s anxiety to restore some semblance of national prestige after almost a decade of civil strife and a battering at the hands of the Japanese military in 1905.” ____ Source:http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htmThe passage above demonstrates that ____

(A) An aggressive Germany was to blame for starting World War I.

(B) ** Many of the main combatants in World War I had selfish reasons for entering into the conflict.

(C) Alliances were the leading cause of World War I.

(D) The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand is the only reason World War I happened.

Concept note-1: -The immediate cause of World War I that made the aforementioned items come into play (alliances, imperialism, militarism, nationalism) was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. In June 1914, a Serbian-nationalist terrorist group called the Black Hand sent groups to assassinate the Archduke.

Concept note-2: -The assassination of Austrian Archduke: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by the Black Hand organization. This was the spark that set off World War 1, which killed 9 million people.