Differences and Similarities: World War I and World War II

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Trench Warfare 1914: German soldiers sleeping in their trench in the snow as two stand guard with rifles poised, near the Aisne River valley, Western Front, France, World War I. Source: (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

What provoked the First World War in history? Was it the same motivating factors that caused the Second World War or was it something totally different?

There are many theories on what started World War I. Various factors led up to the start of the war. Certain empires were trying to increase their empire, claiming more territory and therefore, more resources from those territories. As these empires were sizing each other up, tensions began to increase. All it took then was just a spark like a match to a gas-soaked log of wood to ignite the fire. That spark was the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and wife, Sophia of Austria. The icing on the cake was also Serbia fighting for independence.