The major causes of World War 1 were aggressive nationalism, economic competition, imperialism. militarism, and an arms race. Economic competition is a major cause of World War 1 because Germany was growing in its economy. Germany felt that they were not getting enough respect and that they needed to pay attention to Russia and the threats they would pose to Germany. Another important cause of World War 1 is imperialism because European nations became divided which started conflicts. Ties with Germany, France, and Britain were strengthened, and Germany had gained more territory. Militarism became another factor in starting World War 1 because as policies and international problems rising, the nations of Europe began to build up their armies. Britain and Germany were rivals in their navy. Britain had the best navy and Germany was beginning to build up its own navy. Militarism also went hand-in-hand with the arms race. Civilian governments turned to military leaders for advice and the forces of Europe grew. Because of this, tensions continued to arise. Nationalism was also a main cause for World War 1 and caused the most tension in Europe. Nationalism was strong in Germany and France, and Russia had a moral that stated that all Slavic people should be protected because they share a common nationality with Russia. There were also countries that were threatened by nationalism, like Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman-Turkey. These countries were scared of territory being taken away.
