Causes of WWI• Nationalism and

Imperialism• Balkan Powder Keg

– Serbia/Russia– PanSlavism– Sarajevo –the Black Hand

• Militarism• Mobilization• System of Alliances

– Triple Entente – Allied Powers

– Triple alliance – Central Powers

The Great WarWorld War IMain Causes

World War I

MAIN Causes

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

Militarism

• Military Spirit• The

Glorification of Armed Strength

Alliances• A union or agreement to cooperate between nations

• Designed to balance power in Europe

• Alliances assured total peace or total war

“The game of the day,” 1879

• The political, military, or economic domination of one country over other countries or colonies

Imperialism

“The game of the day,” 1879

Nationalism

• A love for ones country, Patriotism combined with a sense of superiority

• A uniting force• Called for

conquering the inferior nations or peoples

The Balkan Powder Keg

• Decline of the Ottoman Empire left a power vacuum in the Balkans

• Pan-Slavism– Serbia wants to unite all Slavic

people in the Balkans– The Black Hand is a Serbian

Nationalist Group working in Austria Hungary trying to break off Bosnia

The SPARK

•Assassination of Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary

– The Arch-Duke is the Crown Prince of Austria Hungary

– Gavrilo Princip is the Assassin– Gavrilo Princip is a member of

the Black Hand

The Dominos begin to fall•Austria Hungary Issues a Harsh Ultimatum to Serbia•Serbia aggress with all but one demand•Austria-Hungary attacks Serbia with German consent•Russia mobilizes against Austria•Germany Attacks Russia and France•Great Britain declares War on Germany

Europe WWI - 1914