WORLD WAR 1

• World War I


  Also known as The Great War, The War to End All Wars (1914-1918)
• Causes of World War I

  • Militarism
  • Alliances
  • Nationalism
  • Imperialism
  • Assassination
• Militarism


  The belief or desire of a nation should maintain a strong military
• Militarism led to an arms race in Europe
• Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany took power in 1890 and rapidly built up the army & navy
• The 1906 launch of HMS Dreadnought by the UK initiated a naval race with Germany, as it marked the advent of the first modern battleship
• Dreadnought


  Means "Fear Not"
• Alliances


  Mutual distrust and rivalries led to the formation of military alliances (treaties of support)
• Major alliances


  • Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
  • Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia
• In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy entered into an agreement known as the Triple Alliance
• In 1894, France and Russia signed an agreement to support each other
• In 1904, the UK and France signed the Entente Cordiale
• The Triple Entente was formed in 1907, including the UK, France and Russia
• Nationalism


  A belief that people should be loyal mainly to the people with whom they share a culture and history rather than a king or empire
• Deep Devotion to One's Nation
• People can blindly follow orders and even join unnecessary wars called by their chief
• Nationalism can serve as a unifying force within a country or it can cause intense competition among nations w/ each trying to overpower the others
• By the 1900s, rivalries had developed among Europe's great powers (Germany, Austro-Hungary, Britain, Russia, Italy, + France)
• Imperialism


  Expansion of European nations as empires
• In 1900, the UK had the largest empire in the world, ruling over 400 million people spread across the UK, Africa, and Asia
• France also had a large empire
• Germany's ambition concerned the UK and France, as they started to see them as a potential threat
• Imperialism


  Policy in which strong nations seek to dominate other countries politically, economically, or socially
• European nations competed for colonies in Africa and Asia
• Sense of rivalry and mistrust
• Assassination


  In 1908, Austria-Hungary had annexed Bosnia. The Black Hand was a group of Serbians who wanted Austria-Hungary to leave Bosnia and assassinate the heir of the Austrian Throne
• Gavrilo Princip, fired two bullets, killing both Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie
• The Archduke (heir to the throne) of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia were visiting Bosnia when they were assassinated while riding in an open car on June 28, 1914
• The assassin was Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist member of the Black Hand (a secret society committed to ridding Bosnia of Austria-Hungarian rule)
• Austria-Hungary (with Germany's "blank check" support) decided to use the incident as an excuse to punish Serbia
• Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia with many demands
• Serbians agree to some
• Austria-Hungary wouldn't negotiate and declared war
• Russia mobilized its military to assist the Serbians
• Sides in World War I

  • Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
  • Allies: Russia, France, Britain, Japan, Italy
• Many believe the war will be quickly over
• Timeline of the beginning of World War I

  • June 28, 1914 - Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
  • July 28, 1914 - Austria-Hungary declaration of war against Serbia
  • August 1, 1914 - German Declaration of War against Russia
  • August 3, 1914 - German Declaration of War against France
  • August 4, 1914 - British Declaration of War against Germany
• Schlieffen Plan


  Germany planned to fight a war on two fronts, offensive towards France on the west, and defensive towards Russia on its east
• Schlieffen Plan


  1. Conquer Belgium

  2. Conquer France

  3. Use the French and German Army to attack Russia
• When Germany was denied passage through Belgium, it attacked Belgium