World History: The Causes of World War 1 (550 words)

Write an essay on the causes of World War 1.
Essay should include general ideas with specific examples for support.
Explanations should be clear and thorough.

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The causes of WWI were had been long in coming and were triggered by one small event that led to a chain reaction of beginning hostilities.
First, the world was tense due to long term imperialism. Most of the high resource lands in the world had been claimed making the competition fierce for remaining lands. This tended to cause a buildup of military power as countries tried to discourage attack.
Second was a rising sense of Nationalism. While many countries were feeling an increased sense of national pride, it was especially intense in non-independent countries. Where this was causing the most problems was Serbia. Serbians had zero political power and were becoming increasingly rebellious in their desire to gain independence. Austria, their ruling power, was becoming angry and looking for a way to put down the rebels....