Final answer:
The rise in tensions between European nations was caused by several factors including economic competition, nationalism, imperialism, and the system of alliances. These factors increased tensions to a critical level, contributing to the emergence of major conflicts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Several factors led to the rise in tensions between European nations, primarily economic competition, nationalism, imperialism, and the system of alliances. Economic competition refers to the struggle for economic dominance over resources and markets. Nationalism is the belief that one's own nation is superior, which often led to conflicts among different ethnic groups within the empires. Imperialism resulted in conflicts over colonies and their resources. Finally, the system of Alliances between different nations heightened the tensions as nations were bound to support one another in times of war, leading to a spiraling of minor conflicts into major ones. These factors were interconnected and collectively increased tensions among the European powers to a critical point.
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