It could be argued that there are four main reasons for the outbreak of World War I in 1914. European countries were forming and reforming alliances against each other. Imperialism allowed many great powers to expand their countries' power and influence through military force or diplomacy. Nationalism grew and the ideal of independence evolved. The desire of countries to maintain a strong military force and also be prepared to use it to defend or protect national interests was at its peak. This situation developed over a period of twenty years, culminating in the Great War. The following essay gives a brief overview of the four main reasons for the outbreak of war. Militarism played an important role in the preparations for the First World War. By 1914, French and German military numbers had more than doubled. The German navy was now the second largest in the world and posed a threat to Britain's undisputed dominance of the seas. It could also be seen as a threat to Britain's Channel ports. Germany had new military and naval technology that caused fear and apprehension in the British public. “Britain was visibly alarmed. The public wanted more battleships out of fear of the rapid growth of the German navy. Britain responded by launching the massive battleship HMS Dreadnought in 1906 to boost the confidence of the British public. Germany “…simultaneously undermined the long-held supremacy of the Royal Navy, inevitably antagonized Britain and inaugurated a bitter naval arms race…” There was now an increase in the number of HMS-class ships Dreadnoughts commissioned. The Kaiser, determined to have the best navy, ordered an even more prodigious fleet to rival the British mass navy. Meanwhile, Republican France was also... middle of paper... the result of numerous events accumulated over several decades. The power struggles that took place in Europe at a time when some countries were losing strength while others were experiencing economic and political growth are well documented. For example, this is seen in the shrinking of the British Empire and the growing power of Germany. It could be argued that greed for power and land was the underlying driving force behind the politics of this era. The rise of nationalism resulted in the formation of nationalist groups and secret organizations willing to take violent action to achieve their goals of independence for their countries. The naval race, which could be seen as a showdown between Germany and Britain for supremacy of the canal, threatened Britain's security. All of this, combined with the alliances that had been formed, makes it difficult to see how war would not have been the end result..