Next, think more about the four main causes of World War I. Which cause do you think had the biggest impact on starting the war?
Which one had the least impact? In the space provided, rank the causes from one to four in a list. Number one should be the cause that had the biggest impact. Number four should be the cause you think was had the least impact. Feel free to look back through the lessons in this unit or research the topic on the Internet to help you with your ranking.
1) Alliances: When two countries made an alliance to keep each other protected from a country, the country decided to do the same thing and eventually either one of them declared war. 2) Imperialism: When a larger country took over a smaller country, sometimes the smaller one would try fighting back. Sometimes countries would fight over a country they both want to take over. 3) Nationalism: The head of the country would love his country and hate to see it fall, so when things get rough (Say poverty or lack of food/materials) A lot of times they would go scavenging through someone else's territory (usually smaller) to get the materials they needed so their country could thrive. This could also help to start a war. 4) Militarism: A lot of countries had this type of government and a lot of times it soon became a competition between land and seas, which also lead to fights and later on, war.
I think the answer is that The 1850s was a pivotal decade in the 19th century. In the United States, tensions over slavery became prominent and events began to put the nation on the road to civil war. In Europe, new technology was celebrated and the great powers fought the Crimean War.
