Causes of war: alliances and crises

What you’ll learn in this WWI build-up quiz

Alliance blocs, imperial rivalry, and a chain of crises all shaped the road to 1914—this quiz helps you connect those dots without getting lost in dates alone.

Each question comes in a 4-option multiple-choice format with no timer, so you can think through causes, consequences, and who benefited from each diplomatic move.

Skills you’ll practice

You’ll practice identifying alliance commitments, distinguishing long-term causes from short-term triggers, and tracking how decisions in one crisis influenced the next.

Expect a mixed difficulty curve: easier questions reinforce core terms and key events, while tougher ones test nuance (like competing motives and miscalculations) to keep the challenge balanced.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Treating the assassination at Sarajevo as the only cause instead of the final trigger
• Mixing up alliance memberships and the timing of treaties
• Confusing Balkan crises with Moroccan crises (and their main actors)
• Assuming every alliance guaranteed automatic war without considering diplomacy and mobilization
• Overlooking how nationalism, militarism, and imperial competition fed the crises

How to play and set your challenge

Before you start, choose your question count and a difficulty setting that matches your goal—quick review, steady practice, or a deeper test of details.

Because there’s no timer, you can slow down on harder items, learn from mistakes, and replay to improve consistency across the full 196-question set.