There were four main causes of World War I: Militarism, Nationalism, Imperialism, and Treaties and Alliances. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was only a short-term cause of the war and therefore caused the countries to declare war on other countries without much background knowledge or historical events. The four main causes had been seen throughout the years leading up to the war. Prior to the start of World War I, many European nations had been building up their military strength, this was considered Militarism. This was mainly to protect their colonies. Germany was seen as a threat to other to other nations, especially Britain, because they had drastically increased their military spending, implying that their military
