These alliances that took place before World War 1 in a way started the war. For an example, Germany was in an alliance with Hungary and when they declared war against Serbia, Germany had to fight with them, and so on, finally creating World War 1. Within weeks, Germany declared war with other countries that declared war with others, creating a "domino effect" which just means that most countries just started fighting with one another, either because they declared war with them or because their allies did.
~Hope I helped!~
A large population of wealthy people
The European nations that controlled territory bordering the United States are United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Russia or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. They also compete for control over territory in the Americas because the United States of America had generally good soil where crops are planted.