CauseCauses of s of WWIWWI

M.A.I.N.M.A.I.N.

• Militarism• Alliances• Imperialism• Nationalism

MilitarismMilitarism• Definition: Armed Strength = Glory!

• Leaders believed that a country got what it wanted through military strength.

– Large standing armies of drafted men

– Arms Race

– If one country mobilized (got its troops ready for combat), other countries would do the same for their own protection

AlliancesAlliances

• Definition: Agreements by countries that pledge to support each other.

• During the 1800s, the unifications of Germany and Italy (from other empires and city-states) gave them more power than the rest of Europe’s countries.

Alliance System in Europe

Alliance System in Europe

Militarism: The Naval Race

1898-Germans begin to build navy and challenge Great Britain’s dominance

Tensions begin to build – Britain, France, and Russia enter “entente cordiale” aka Triple Entente

WWI battleshipWWI battleship

AllianceAlliance Systems in EuropeSystems in Europe

ImperialismImperialism

• Definition: The domination of a stronger country over a weaker country in every aspect: socially, economically and politically.

• Industrialization forced countries to need other markets to supply raw materials and to buy their goods.

NationalismNationalism

• Definition: A sense of pride and loyalty to one’s “nation” (sometimes the same as one’s country but not always).

• Can be a problem when one government rules over many nationalities.

– Germany wanted their “place in the sun”– Pan-Slavism: the movement to unite different Slavic people

under one government

“The Spark”• Serbian nationalist group, “The Black

Hand” was trained and stocked by Serbian gov’t

• Assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to Austria Hungary throne) and his wife while on a trip to Bosnia

• Serbian gov’t denies involvement

• Austria Hungary issues a list of demands that Serbia refuses to agree to and declares war

Falling Dominos: On July 28On July 28thth, Austria declared war on Serbia. , Austria declared war on Serbia.

Russia moves troops to protect Serbia along Russia moves troops to protect Serbia along the Austria Hungary and German borderthe Austria Hungary and German border

Germany declares war on Russia and FranceGermany declares war on Russia and France

Germany enters Belgium to attack France – Germany enters Belgium to attack France – Britain is Belgium’s ally and therefore declares Britain is Belgium’s ally and therefore declares war on Germany war on Germany

Allied and Central Powers

Triple EntenteTriple Entente

AlliesAllies

--France, Russia, and France, Russia, and Great Britain Great Britain

--Italy joins in Italy joins in 19151915

Triple AllianceTriple Alliance

Central PowersCentral Powers

-Germany, Austria- -Germany, Austria- Hungary, Ottoman Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria Empire, Bulgaria