World War I

The Great War

Focus Questions

• How do imperialism and militarism work together to promote war? What arguments exist against militarism?

• How did nationalism contribute to the unrest in the Balkans?

• How could a dispute between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente draw all of Europe into the conflict?

• What act by Austria- Hungary set the world on the path to war?

• Why did Germany attack France first?• What country had taken over territories that Bulgaria and

the Ottoman Empire wanted to regain?

I. Formation of European AlliancesA. Triple Alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary, &

ItalyB. Triple Entente- France, Russia, Britain

1. The Alliances preceding World War I divided Europe into two opposing armed camps, representing a roughly equal balance of power

Alliance System of Europe

Answer now:

• What are the positives and negatives of the alliance system?

• Remember these are secret alliances and the six nations are engaged in Imperialistic policies

Advocates & Critics

2. Advocates argued this guaranteed peace. Neither alliance could be sure of military victory, the individual nation-states would proceed cautiously in foreign affairs.

3a. Critics of the balance of power theory held that the existence of the two alliances eventually would lead to war.

3b.Since each alliance represented tremendous military power, the individual nation states would miscalculate, abandon caution, and adopt an aggressive attitude in international affairs.

Immediate causes cont’d

II. Immediate Cause of World War I

A. Assassination of the Austrian Archduke Francis (Franz) Ferdinand

B. His assassination sparked a chain reaction that led to the outbreak of WWI

C. Assassinated by a Serbian nationalist

A. Garvilo Princip, 19 years old

Timeline of WWI

AUSTRIA DEALS WITH SERBIA…Here is an ultimatum that will not satisfy

1. Austria decided to deal harshly with Serbia and obtained from Germany a promise of unconditional support- a diplomatic blank check . Thus fortified, Austria presented an ultimatum demanding that Serbia

(a) stop anti-Austrian propaganda (b) Dismiss anti-Austrian officials (c) permit Austria to investigate, within Serbia, the

assassination plot. *Austria Denounced Serbia’s reply as unsatisfactory

and declared war on Serbia*

2. Germany was alarmed when Russia mobilized its forces in preparation for helping Serbia and in anticipation of a major war. Germany therefore seized the initiative and declared war against Russia and France.

3. Germany’s Armies moved toward France, not by crossing the mountains on the fortified Franco-German border, but by going through the Belgian level plain. By invading Belgium, Germany violated its pledge to respect the country’s neutrality

-Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1914

4. Britain feared German control of Belgium- opposite the British isles- as a threat to its security. When Germany rejected a British ultimatum to withdraw from Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany.

III. Fundamental Causes of World War I

A. The Rise of Nationalism1. France was determined to recover the French-inhabited provinces of

Alsace and Lorraine2. Serbia wanted Austro-Hungarian territory inhabited by the Yugoslav

peoples3. Subject nationalities- Yugoslavs, Czechs, Slovaks, and Poles- sought

independence, even at the price of war.4. Intense patriotism assured popular support for warlike measures

B. Imperialism1. France and Germany clashed over Morocco2. Russia and Austria-Hungary were rivals in the Balkans3.Britain and Germany, both highly industrialized, competed for

imperialist control in Africa and the Middle East and for world trade.

C. Militarism1. By conscripting soldiers, lengthening their training period, and providing

them with modern equipment, the continental European nations each sought military superiority

2. Germany had a military tradition and extolled armed might3. Armament manufacturers encouraged increased production of military

equipment4. Britain, which relied heavily upon its navy for protection of its island

homeland, considered Germany’s huge naval building program a threat to British security

D. International Anarchy5. No strong international organization existed with facilities to enable

nations to settle disputes peacefully6. The Hague Court of Arbitration, est’d 1899, was ineffective. It could not

compel nations to submit their quarrels to its judgment or to accept its decisions

What does this war mean?

• A prolonged stalemated war… resulting in– New methods of fighting

• A peace treaty that will leave the continent on the verge of war again.

• A changed map of Europe

• An embittered populace struggling with defeat

• A disillusioned generation

• An entire generation of young men gone- the best and the brightest– The future becomes just

a little more darker.

Quick Check-in!1. How did unrest in the Balkans (breakdown

of the Ottoman Empire) contribute to the momentum toward war?

2. How did the shifting balance of power contribute to the momentum toward war?

3. Europe had not had a major war for 100 years. How did naive ideas about war contribute to the start of World War I?

1. The breakdown of the Ottoman Empire and subsequent unrest in the Balkans led to clashes for territory; the breakdown of old alliances; the rise of nationalism; and the assassination of the archduke.

2. The rise of Germany as a great power, the demise of the Ottoman Empire, the competition for territory in the old Ottoman Empire, and changing alliances were all manifestations of the shifting balance of power; these various factors together contributed to the momentum toward war.

3. Europeans neither wanted nor expected a war; many years of peace caused them to take it for granted; 100 years of peace also caused some naïve ideas: that war could be won quickly and that war leads to glory. Many people idealized war and dreamed of its glories.

Trench Warfare… not cool.