Have you ever heard of the “Great War,” otherwise known as World War I? It was the first time in history that all countries were at war with each other, and this was and still is a big problem today. Now, a question that might be running through your head right now might be something like this: “What on earth caused all the nations to war with each other?” Well, the answer to this question is not the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, because although this was the event that triggered World War I, it was technically not the cause of it. The pressures and tensions that led to the assassination were the real causes. Three of the main causes of World War I include imperialism, alliances, and nationalism. The definition of imperialism is basically a policy of conquest and domination over other lands. The need for a country to expand its empire by conquering and ruling foreign countries was a major cause of the First World War. Before World War I, countries sent men to fight foreign battles with other imperialist countries over territory in order to expand their power. power of the empire. France, Spain, Portugal, AHE (Austro-Hungarian Empire), Russia, England and Holland were the major imperialist countries during the mid-1800s, of which Great Britain was the most powerful. Great Britain began to colonize the countries and lands it ruled over, and other countries soon followed, with Belgium, Italy, and Germany following those countries, and the United States and Japan expanding abroad. Now that France and England gained more and more power, tensions between Germany and England and France also began to grow. Imperialism didn't seem to help their rivalry. Around 1900, France had control over much of the paper world, eager to fight in the war. With all this pressure mounting, the empires began to take sides before it was too late. Russia, France and England (the 3 major powers of the time) formed an alliance against Germany, AHE and Italy. Once these alliances were made, it became clear that war was inevitable, with alliances being made, people feeling patriotism, schools using militarism, and countries fighting for imperialism, war was clearly on its way. In conclusion, World War I was a big problem, which was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, even though that was not the cause. World War I was preceded by many tensions, which allowed something as small as the assassination of an Archduke to cause a war. The 3 main causes of the world war were actually imperialism, nationalism and alliances, which allowed the start of the First World War.