The Powder Keg: Causes of World War I

To understand the Great War, we use the acronym MAIN. Militarism was the arms race where nations glorified military power; by 1914, European arms spending had increased by nearly $300\%$. Alliances were secret treaties that guaranteed mutual defense, meaning a small fight could involve everyone. Imperialism saw nations competing for colonies in Africa and Asia, creating deep-seated resentment. Finally, Nationalism—extreme pride in one's nation—acted as the glue and the gasoline. In the Balkans, Slavic nationalism threatened to tear the Austro-Hungarian Empire apart. These four factors created a 'powder keg'—a situation so volatile that a single spark would cause a massive explosion.

The 'spark' occurred on June 28, 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The assassin was Gavrilo Princip, a member of the 'Black Hand,' a Serbian nationalist group. They wanted to liberate Slavs from Austrian rule. While this was a local political murder, the Alliance System turned it into a global crisis. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, but Serbia was protected by Russia. Because of the Triple Entente and Triple Alliance, a chain reaction began that no diplomat could stop.

By August 1914, the 'Blank Check'—Germany's promise of unconditional support to Austria—pushed the continent over the edge. Germany implemented the Schlieffen Plan, a strategy to avoid a two-front war by quickly defeating France before turning to fight Russia. This required invading neutral Belgium, which violated international treaties and forced Britain to intervene. The war was no longer about an assassination; it was a struggle for European hegemony. The transition from peace to total war happened in less than $40$ days, proving that the structural causes (MAIN) were far more dangerous than the spark itself.