Question

What role did alliances play in the beginning and escalation of World War I?
A. Alliances allowed for independent negotiations with combatant nations for negotiated peace settlements.
B. Alliances formed between European countries to protect themselves and promised to protect each other in the event of war.
C. Alliances were meaningless as the war wore on because each nation fought for its individual survival.
D. Alliances were not conceived of until three years into the war.

Answer 1

Austria-Hungary and Serbian tension increased and eventually escalated to war. While I do forget who declared war first, Serbian ally Russia declared war in turn on Austria while Germany, allied with Austria, declared war on Russia.

In turn France declared war on Germany because of its alliance with Russia and Britain followed suit. In essence, the ONLY reason there was a World War was because of these alliances.

After the war, Woodrow Wilson proposed a international organization that would promote peaceful talks instead of alliances between multiple countries such as the ones that led to World War I. The League of Nations, as it was named, wasn't successful, largely due to the fact it lacked power and one of the largest countries, the USA, didn't even join.