Can a single nation cause global conflict?
A single nation cannot cause global conflict, especially one as large as the First World War. The war commenced as "all the nations of Europe slithered over the boiling cauldron of war in 1914" according to British prime minister David Lloyd George. At its very core, World War I was fought on the base of calculated self-interest of the countries involved. Expounding on that, the war ostensibly had long-term, short-term, and immediate causes that were shared among the nations involved. Long-term issues included the alliance system, nationalism, militarism, and imperialism. The large alliance system in place made a global conflict possible. It created two groups of the major European Powers: the Allies (France, Britain, Russia, Serbia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria). As soon as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28th, 1914 (in retaliation for the assassination of Austria-Hungary's heir to the throne by a Serb nationalist), a chain reaction of sorts took place, as each country clamored to defend its ally. The atmosphere of tensions that had been building up between all the countries in Europe sparked during the July Crisis. At this time, latent nationalism was shown to have broken through the surface, and finally light the spark of World War I. Although Serbia was at fault here, Austria-Hungary and Germany must share the blame in the harsh terms of settlement to avoid war (issued by Austria-Hungary to Serbia) and the 'blank check' issued by Germany allowing Austria-Hungary to act with impunity. Russia was also at fault because it mobilized so quickly to support Serbia, and Britain shoulder some blame because it refused to stand firmly behind its ally Russia. Even countries not directly involved in the outbreak of the war still impacted the environment that led to the war. This all returns to the system of alliances, and the level of connection among the countries involved. Again, however, WWI was caused by many countries who all had calculated self-interests. The war was a practical way for all countries to pursue their self interest. In the process of pursuing these interests, the countries collided.A war on the scale of WWI was caused by many countries who all had calculated self-interests. In the process of pursuing these interests, the countries collided. And no one nation could have caused World War I, a vast, extensive, conflict among many nations.