QUESTION ONE (part 1): What was the reason behind World War I? Was it states seeking power? Was it states seeking security? Answer: According to Dr. Martin Levinson, in an article called "Mapping the Causes of World War I To Avoid Armageddon Today," World War I wasn't so much states seeking power, as it was a series of untimely and belligerent events in which various nations who had formed allegiances and alliances with other nations began, like bullies on the street taking sides, to line up in support of those alliances, and it erupted into a major world disaster. .

             As Levinson put it in ETC: A Review of General Semantics, "What was intended to be a strictly limited war between accuser and accused, Austria-Hungary and Serbia," ballooned into a bloody international war. It was based on "alliance system that brought about a mindless mechanical reaction once hostilities began," Levinson writes.

             It actually began on June 28, 1914, when the "Black Hand," a Serbian group, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. So in retaliation, the government of Austria-Hungary demanded the killers be brought to justice or it would attack Serbia. When Serbia refused to accept the ultimatum, decided to attack Serbia. There had been bad blood for years, and this provided a good excuse. Before attacking, Austria-Hungary went to the Germans and asked for their support, just in case, somehow, Russia counter-attacked against Austria-Hungary in support of Serbia. Austria-Hungary's belligerence against Serbia did cause Russia to mobilize; Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914. France was allied with Russia and declared war on Germany on August 3; Germany invaded Belgium on its way to Paris; Britain had a treaty with Belgium and declared war with Austria-Hungary; the U.S. got involved when German submarines torpedoed American commercial ships; Japan, allied with Britain, declared war on Germany; Austria-Hungary declared war on Japan.