What short-term events sparked the beginning of World War I?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in June 1914 sparked the beginning of World War I.

The immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, on 28th June 1914 in Sarajevo. This event set off a chain reaction of events that led to the outbreak of war. Austria-Hungary, seeking to avenge the Archduke's death, issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which was partially rejected. This led Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia on 28th July 1914.

The assassination and subsequent declaration of war triggered a complex web of alliances and treaties among the major European powers. Russia, bound by a treaty to Serbia, announced mobilisation of its vast army in Serbia's defence, which led Germany (allied to Austria-Hungary) to declare war on Russia on 1st August. France, allied to Russia, found itself at war against Germany and, by extension, on Austria-Hungary following a German declaration on 3rd August. Germany then violated Belgium’s neutrality to attack France, which led Britain to declare war on Germany on 4th August. These actions marked the beginning of the war.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the spark that ignited the war, but it was the underlying tensions in Europe that made the war inevitable. These tensions included militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. Militarism, or the arms race, had been going on for years among the European powers. The alliances system had divided Europe into two hostile camps: the Triple Entente (France, Russia, and Britain) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Imperialism and the scramble for colonies had created further tensions. Nationalism, or the desire of subject peoples for independence, had caused a series of crises in the Balkans.

In conclusion, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the immediate cause that led to the outbreak of World War I. However, it was the underlying tensions in Europe, including militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism, that made the war inevitable.

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