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The Countries that started the W.W. I were grouped in two rather consolidated alliances, with the exception of Italy, still formally tied to Austria and Germany by the "Triple Alliance" (signed in Vienna in 1882) that chose to take part to the war against these two former allies. All those Countries were featured by a strong nationalist policy, tending to increase their own political influence on the world and this was the first general reason at the base of this conflict.

Because of its territorial claims for the Italian provinces of Trent, Trieste with Istria and the Dalmatia, still occupied by Austria, Italy had become more and more hostile to Austria and came into the war the following year (May 23rd, 1915) by the side of the other political alliance, formed in 1907 by France, Great Britain and Russia, with the participation of Belgium, Serbia, Japan and USA (since 1917).
This alliance was named "Triple Entente" because the most important Countries that had created it were the first three.

It was a difficult decision for Italy, opposed by Socialists for ideological pacifist reasons and by most of Catholics, but encouraged by the Right movements.
The political target of this prevalent part of the Italian public opinion and parties was a war against Austria to annexe its provinces with an Italian prevalence and complete the Italian reunification; in any case, it was a nationalistic goal, like for all the other powers involved in that conflict.

In September 1914, the imperialist ambitions of Austria in the Balkans were in strong contrast with those of Russia, that kept on to look for an access to the Mediterranean Sea and with those of Italy that feared a further Austrian expansion in that area and had the territorial claims described above.

Then, we must consider that the largest part of the powers involved had large colonial dominions at the top of their rule, except for Russia, Austria and Turkey; especially Germany, one of the most recent colonial powers, didn't hide too much its desire to expand its colonial empire at the expenses of the British or French colonies in Africa and to reduce the dominion of the UK on the seas, that could strangle German economy in case of commercial and military crisis.

The economic policy of these Countries was extremely protectionist, careful to get or keep monopoles of the raw matters in all the world (metals, spices, ivory, India rubber, tropical fruits and spices and all the other "colonial" products).

Diffidence walked

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