Unit 5: Crisis and Change

Lesson A: Competition Leads to Global Conflict

Opening: The Causes of World War I

There are many intertwined factors that caused World War I, which began in Europe in 1914. To explain some of the causes and to help us organize information about this event, we can use the acronym MAIN. Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism played major roles in this conflict.