European expansionism led to the outbreak

Before the onset of WW1, there was a great scramble for colonies in Africa, resulting in various diplomatic issues between European actors. With the age of imperialism in full swing, most European powers were greatly interested in spreading and imposing their culture and values onto Africa's inhabitants. A specific crisis, known as the First Moroccan Crisis, involving Morocco, France, and Germany, stands out. In this case, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany declared support for Morocco to maintain their independence amidst France and Britain's attempts to colonize the territory. His declaration also served to dispute the balance of European powers at this time, which was dominated by the Entente Cordiale, France, and Britain.^[1] By declaring support for Moroccan independence, the Kaiser also advocated for equal trade opportunity for Germany in Morocco. Although unintended, this action strengthened the relationship between France and Britain, united by distaste in Germany. A second Moroccan crisis arose in 1911 when a German gunboat, the Panther, was dispatched to the territory.^[2] This led to a series of negotiations and dialogues between the powers to discuss both the Morocco crisis and compensation to Germany for events occurring in the Congo, another African colony. These conflicts, risen from the imperialistic foreign policy employed at the time by many major powers, resulted in increased tensions, formations of allyships, and ultimately caused World War 1.