July 1914 - November 1918

1) Imperialism: Tensions exist and arise

Britain’s Industrial Revolution makes it an economic superpower

By the early 1900’s Germany catches up and surpasses Britain due to its newer infrastructure

Germany also feels that Britain is denying Germany their position in world Imperialism (Germany’s “place in the sun”)

Germany to increase its navy

Makes an alliance between the two difficult

This made access to Germany’s African claims difficult

France and Germany clash over parts of Africa

Europe

1914

French are embittered by the loss of the

Alsace and Lorraine regions to Germany in

the Franco-Prussian war 1870

German’s referred to

this area as “German

France”

Austria-Hungary is afraid of

Balkan nationalism that may

split the Austro-Hungarian

Empire along the Danube

Problems???

• Nations in the Balkans are

becoming increasingly

nationalistic and want their

own nation state

• Bosnians want

independence but were part

of Austria-Hungary

2) Nationalism

3) Militarism

Britain had a “two power standard”

Their navy had to be equal or better than any

two other nation’s navies

Germany starts an arms race (naval) with

Britain

HMS Dreadnought SMS Helgoland

4) Alliances: Treaty commitments

binds states against other states

”Dual Alliance” (1879) of Germany under Otto Von Bismarck and Austria (known as Anschluss – the uniting of Austrians and Germans in history) Germany’s plan to isolate France in the

case of revenge over the losses in 1870

Russian treaty with Germany (Three Emperors League 1873, Reinsurance Treaty 1887)

Italy and Germany (Triple Alliance 1882)

Bismarck assumed that Britain would not ally itself with France because they were Imperialistic rivals

Otto Von

Bismark

Ca.1969

Under Kaiser Wilhelm II, Russia is allowed to

drop out of the Reinsurance Treaty with

Germany – Germany’s idea, not Russia’s

Russia was concerned that the failure to resign the

treaty would ally Germany and Austria further and

making a treaty with the French would give them

confidence to begin a war

Germany stated that the Reinsurance Treaty

conflicted with the treaties they had with other states

Russia joins in a Triple Entente with France and

Britain for protection

“Entente” was an “understanding” of military

cooperation and imperialistic competition

Immediate Events that Caused WWI

1) 1905-1911 Moroccan Crises where Germany

attempted to block France’s effort to establish

sovereignty over Morocco

Immediate Events that Caused WWI

2) Austria had taken over Bosnia 1908.

○ Serbia wanted Bosnia and was backed by Russia.

○ Serbia was pressured to back down by Germany.

Immediate Events that Caused WWI

3) Balkan Wars 1912-

1913

• Serbia, Greece, and

Bulgaria fight the

Ottomans (Turkey)

• Ottomans lose

territories in the

Balkans

• Serbia is growing

more powerful

4) Terrorist group (Black Hand) wanting an independent Bosnia and supported Serbia, assassinates (by Gavrilo Princip) the Austrian heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in late June 1914 on his visit to Sarajevo.

This causes a chain of events that brings

many states into war:

i) With the assurance of German support, Austria issues an ultimatum to Serbia to punish those involved in the assassination and suppress nationalism.

ii) Serbia does not accept the part to allow an Austrian inquiry

iii) July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. Russians mobilize to support Serbia.

iv) France is eager to enter the war to regain Alsace and

Lorraine

v) Germany orders Russia and France to stop mobilizing

vi) Germany makes good on its word to Austria and war is

declared by Germany on Serbia-Russia and France on

August 1, 1914.

vii) Germany decides to strike France through Belgium

viii) Britain is against the attack on neutral Belgium and

enters the war.

ix) Italy enters the war on the side of the Triple Entente in

order to protect its naval routes from the Germans and to

protect its war loans and military sales to the Allies (Triple

Entente)

Assignment:

Create a mind map of the causes of

WWI with illustrations

Read pp21-24 Counterpoints

Causes

of WWI Contextual

Causes

Immediate

Causes

Militarism

Nationalism

Alliances

Archduke

Franz

Ferdinand is

Assassinated

Read “The Great War, 1914-1918”

Answer the following questions in detail: 1) What is the “Schlieffen Plan” and how did it affect the players in

WWI? 2) What could be argued as the German’s mistake at the Battle of

the Marne? 3) Explain the situation that coined the popular phrase “They shall

not pass”. 4) Describe the conditions of trench warfare? 5) Why was trench warfare new? 6) Briefly describe the new technologies utilized in WWI. (What were

they? How were they used?) 7) What is meant by “total war”? 8) How did total war affect women? 9) What major changes occurred in 1917 and what were the reasons

for it? 10) What was promised in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk? 11) Why do you think the war ended? 12) How did Imperialism affect The Great War? How did Nationalism

affect The Great War?

Imperialism

“the policy of extending the rule or

authority of an empire or nation over

foreign countries, or of acquiring and

holding colonies and dependencies.”

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Nationalism

1.national spirit or aspirations.

2.devotion and loyalty to one's own nation; patriotism.

3.excessive patriotism; chauvinism.

4.the desire for national advancement or independence.

5.the policy or doctrine of asserting the interests of one's own nation, viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Militarism

Definition:

National policy of strengthening the military

War as a method to pursue interests and

solve problems

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.