The First World War, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, was known at the time as the Great War. It involved more countries than any previous war. World War I introduced new technology into fighting and destruction on an unequaled scale. It was "total war", involving the mobilization not just of vast armies but of whole nations.

The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary sparked the outbreak of World War I. But the war had deeper causes that originated from the 1800's. The main causes of World War I were (1) the rise of nationalism, (2) the growth of militarism, (3) the competition for colonies {imperialism}, and (4) to gain military alliances.

The rise of nationalism created much tension in pre-war Europe. It is the belief that loyalty to one's nation and its political and economic goals come before any other public loyalty. During the 1800's, the love and devotion of one's nation took hold among people who shared a common language, culture, or historical experience. They saw themselves as members of a national group. A nation's pride caused themselves to magnify small disputes into major issues. Therefore, this exaggerated form of patr

In order to keep up with Britain's powerful navy, Germany had developed submarines, known as U-boats (short for Unterseeboot, meaning "undersea boat"). As soon as war broke out, the British moved to blockade German ports; by preventing any ships from entering its ports, they hoped to cripple Germany. The Germans, for their part, announced that they would use their U-boats to attack merchant ships trading with Britain. The "neutral" United States vigorously protested German's interference with its shipping because the United States was one of Britain's major suppliers. In May 1915, a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania, which resulted in the deaths of several hundred American lives. The United States exploded in anger, and President Woodrow Wilson threatened Germany with war. In response to maintain the neutrality of the United States, the German government promised to order its U-boat captains to limit their attacks to armed vessels.

Finally, World War I transformed the attitudes of middle-and upper-class Europeans. They had lost the confidence and optimism felt before the war. Many people began to question long-held ideas about the superiority of European civilization.

A growing militarism across Europe added to the danger of war. Militarism is the policy of making military organization and power very strong. Nationalism encouraged public support for military build-ups and for a country's use of force to achieve goals. In order to build up this public support, European governments launched massive recruiting campaigns. In Britain, the government launched posters of Lord Kitchener, the British secretary of war, fiercely pointing his finger at the onlooker and saying: "Your country needs YOU." The campaign was a tremendous success and there were not enough recruiting stations to cope with the flood of volunteers who rushed to enlist. The use of propaganda was also used to create a sense of nationalism and to stir up animosity towards rival countries by spreading prejudice opinions and ideas of opposing nations.

As a result of World War I, society became more democratic. The distinction between social classes began to disappear. The upper classes, which had occupied government positions in the past, lost some of their power and privilege after leading their country into a disastrous war. Men of all classes who had fought and suffered for their country gained the right to demand a say in running the government.

European imperialism also contributed to tension. Imperialism is the extension by one country of its authority over other lands by political, military, and economic means. Throughout the 19th century, Europeans had sought to gain control of foreign countries and their markets mainly because colonies supplied European nations with raw materials for factories, markets for manufactured goods, and opportunities for investment. By 1914, most of the rest of the world, with the exception of the United States and the countries of Central and South America, were under the political and economic domination of Europe's industrialized nations.

On the other hand, in Eastern Europe, particularly in t

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Approximate Word count = 2129
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)