This statement was made by Gavrilo Princip, the Bosnian student who assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand at Sarajevo in 1914. According to accounts of the WWI, this assassination set off the series of events that eventually built up to the War. However, if the assassination had not happened, would the war have proceeded anyway"

Looking at the previous series of events, I definitely have to agree to Princip's statement. The assassination was merely the spark that ignited the explosion of war. It would never have brought about the entire war by itself. The preceding events of the war and the motives of parties involved almost guaranteed this war.

Firstly, there was an awkward network of opposing alliances. On one side, there were the Central Powers--Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. On the other, there were the Allied...