World War I was an extremely long and painful process. The war lasted four years (1914-1918) and took hundreds upon thousands of lives during its course. Six factors are responsible for this tragic massacre. National rivalry, alliances, an arms race, imperialism and the trigger that sparked the war- the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This bloodbath would be remembered for ages to come.

Rivalries between Germany, Britain, France, Russia, Italy and Austria-Hungary were the initial causes that influenced tension between the nations. Due to British attempts of befriending Germany's neighbors and developing a new battleship to challenge the German fleet, Germany felt that Britain was limiting its right to seek an overseas empire. The French had strained relations with both Germany and Britain. Britain and France had fought wars in both the 1700s and 1800s . In addition, many of the French colonies bordered those of Britain and there...