The causes of WW1

• WW1 began in 1914 and lasted 4 years. Tension was increasing in Europe for 3 main long term reasons:

  1. empires/imperialism
  2. An arms race/ militarism
  3. alliances

  And one main short term reason:

  1. the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife- rulers of Austria-Hungary
• Empires/ imperialism

  • fierce competition for oversea colonies developed in Europe
• Militarism

  • race to build the new and best battleships/navy
• Allinaces:

  • Europe divided into two Alliances
  • both sides became suspicious of each other
• Triple entente: France, Russia and Britain
• Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
• Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination:

  • archduke and wife sophie visiting sarajevo
  • student throws bomb which injured people in 4th car
  • archduke furious and cancels visit
  • driver takes a wrong turn and has to reverse
  • gavrilo princip( member of the Black Hand) throws bomb at car and kills archduke and his wife
  • princip arrested and beaten up in jail
• How archduke’s assassination led to war:

  • austria hungary declares war on serbia
  • germany Orders Russia not to help serbia
  • germany declares war on Russia and moves toward France
  • germany declares war on france
  • germany invades belgium
  • britain orders germany to get out of belgium but they dont
  • britian declares war on germany
  • austria hungary declares war on Russia