 Imperialism France, Great Britain, Germany, and Russia competed for colonies Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Empire competed for the Balkan states  Militarism By 1900, Germany has largest standing army (1 million soldiers) and a navy as strong as G.B. Other nations began to build up their militaries.

 Nationalism Extreme allegiance to one’s own nation.  Alliances For security, European nations formed alliances Triple Entente (1880’s): Britain, France, Russia, and Serbia Central Powers (1900’s): Germany, Austria- Hungary, and Ottoman Empire

 Serbian nationalists killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo, Serbia on June 28, 1914 Serbia wanted independence from Austria- Hungary Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia Alliances force other European countries into war.

 Serbia attacks Austria-Hungary  Germany declares war on Serbia  Russia declares war on Germany  France declares war on Germany  Germany declares war on France (Belgium)  Great Britain declares war on Germany

 Fighting on two fronts: Eastern (Russia) and Western (France)  Germany attacks France first; Russia mobilizes quickly  Deadlock after 3 years Some battles yield more than 1 million casualties  Mass Destruction and New Weapons Machine guns, poison gas, tanks, flamethrowers, airplanes, submarines Trench warfare begins