The Powder Keg: Long-Term Causes of WWI
Think of Europe before 1914 as a group of overly competitive mates who couldn't stand each other. Nationalism made every country believe they were absolutely brilliant whilst everyone else was rubbish - not exactly a recipe for friendly relations!
Meanwhile, imperialism had nations scrambling to grab as much land and resources as possible around the world. It was like a massive game of Monopoly, except the stakes were real colonies and everyone was cheating.
The arms race made everything worse. When one country built bigger guns, everyone else panicked and built even bigger ones. Soon, Europe was armed to the teeth and looking for an excuse to use all those shiny new weapons.
Remember: These long-term causes created the perfect storm - all Europe needed was a spark to set everything off!
