Causes of World War One In the late 19th century and early 20th there were a series of alliances between the superpowers of Europe. These powers included Britain, Russia, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. The complex nature of the numerous alliances between the different powers along with the Balkan crises and the significant need for the preservation of Imperial power were largely responsible for the ensuing world war. The alliance system developed in two parts. …
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…Germany. This factual account of the events leading up to World War One show that the competing alliances were not directly responsible for the outbreak of the war but had a significant role nonetheless. The tensions they created escalated smaller conflicts to the point where all that was necessary was the cataclysmic event of the Austrian emperor's assassination to plunge the two allied sides of Europe along with the rest of the world into war.