Question

Which events sparked World War I? Check all that apply

Nationalism increased tensions in the Balkan peninsula.
The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand angered Austria-Hungary.
Russia’s mobilization plan called for an invasion of France through Belgium.
Alliances caused a chain of events that pulled each county into war.
Serbia declared war on Austria, which caused Austria’s allies to go to war.

Answer 1

Correct:
- Nationalism increased tensions in the Balkan peninsula. — True. Slavic nationalism and rivalries in the Balkans (e.g., Serbian desire to unite Slavs) heightened regional tensions.
- The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand angered Austria-Hungary. — True. The 1914 assassination in Sarajevo prompted Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum to Serbia and set off the crisis.
- Alliances caused a chain of events that pulled each country into war. — True. The system of alliances (e.g., Triple Entente and Triple Alliance) turned the regional crisis into a wider war.

Incorrect:
- Russia’s mobilization plan called for an invasion of France through Belgium. — False. The plan to invade France through Belgium was Germany’s Schlieffen Plan, not Russia’s mobilization plan.
- Serbia declared war on Austria, which caused Austria’s allies to go to war. — False. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia; that declaration (and the alliance responses) led to wider war.