Pre-World War I alliances are the main reason World War I began. This can be concluded by analyzing the events of the war. World War I began as a dispute between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, but then many other European superpowers became involved. Whether this was intentional or not, no one can argue that alliances are not the main reason behind this uncontrolled escalation of war. Some historians call World War I the domino war because of the way the superpowers (one by one) became involved in the war. As I said before, the first to fight were Serbia and Austria-Hungary, followed by Russia, Germany, France and then Great Britain. While there are other factors that explain why World War I escalated from a small conflict, alliances trump them all. Why did many superpowers sign those alliances? Was the war already foreseen? Has the war escalated uncontrollably or intentionally? All these questions have surprised many historians and truth seekers for decades, but hopefully, in this research paper, all these questions will be answered and some light will illuminate the truth. World War I (also known as World War I and Great War) was the first global war in human history, meaning that many nations on different continents were involved in this war. The First World War Having started in Central and Eastern Europe, the First World War began from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. The Great War all began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary, at the age of 50. There are many reasons behind his assassination by the Serbian terrorist group called "The Black Hand". Franz Ferdinand was not assassinated... middle of paper... Primary documents on events from 1914 to 1919. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2008. Print. Discussion of historical issues in the media of the time.: "League of Nations". League of Nations. Ask.com and Web. May 26, 2014. "Map." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Remembrance Council, nd Web. May 25, 2014. .Brouwer, René. "The Major Battles of the First World War." Big battles. Np, 2001. Web. May 15, 2014. “Outbreak of World War I.” : Political cartoon. Blogger and Web. May 26, 2014. .Tennant, rich. "Treaty of Versailles." Featured cartoon. Digital Loom Inc., 2010. Web. May 27 2014. .