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The Causes And Effects Of World War I

        What were the causes and effects of World War I?   The answer
to this seemingly simple question is not elementary. There was more to
the onset of the war then the event of an Austrian prince being
murdered in Serbia, as is what most people consider to be the cause of
World War I. Furthermore, the effects of the war were not just
concentrated to a post-war era lasting for a generation of Westerners.
No, the effects of the war were widespread throughout the world and
can be traced to generations after the war.
        It is not a rare occasion that when a person is asked what the
causes of World War I were, that they answer with the simple comment
of an Austrian Prince being shot in Serbia. However the assignation of
the Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie , in Sarajevo was
not the main cause of the Great War.   Rather, it was the breaking
point for Austria in its dealings with Serbia. The truth of the matter
is that several factors played a role in the outbreak of the
catastrophic war the engulfed the nations of Europe for over four
years. World War I truly was the result of building aggressions among
the countries of Europe which was backed by the rise of nationalism.
To add to the disastrous pot, there was also imperial competition
along with the fear of war prompting military alliances and an arms
race.   All of these increased the escalating tensions that lead to the
outbreak of a world war. (Mckay, pg. 904)
        Two opposing alliances developed by the Bismarckian diplomacy
after the Franco- Prussian War was one of the major causes of the war.
In order to diplomatically isolate France, Bismarck formed the Three
Emperors League in 1872, which was an alliance between Germany,
Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Then in 1882 , Bismarck took advantage of
Italian resentment toward France and formed the Triple Alliance
between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungry. In 1890 Bismarck was
dismissed from...