Question

How did alliances in Europe contribute to the start of World War I? (4 points)

When any nation resorted to waging war, allied nations were pulled into the conflict.
The alliances meant that large, powerful countries could abstain from joining conflicts.
The alliances were not enforced, so nations typically ignored them.
Alliances prevented conflict, so they did not contribute to the start of World War I.

Answer 1

Russia got involved because Russia had an alliance with Serbia. Germany then declared war on Russia because Germany had an alliance with Austria-Hungary. Britain declared war on Germany because of its invasion of neutral Belgium. Britain had agreements to protect both Belgium and France.