What caused the First World War?

Investigate the factors that led to the outbreak of the First World War, including the impact of the Alliance System and international diplomacy on the likelihood of war, the role of colonial issues in escalating tensions among the Great Powers, the challenges posed by the Balkans, and the significance of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Key topics to explore include the origins of the war from 1890 to 1914, the Alliance System and European diplomacy, the 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance, the arms race, colonial rivalries, developments in the Balkans, and the crisis of June-July 1914 that triggered the war.