The Great War – WWI Ch. 29, Sec. 1 Advanced World History Adkins

Peace? At the beginning of the 20 th century, Europe was at peace. However, below the surface, tensions ran high.

MAIN Causes of WWI

Militarism Militarism (def.) - the policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war Most believed that to be great, you needed a powerful military By 1914, all the Great Powers, except for Great Britain, had a large standing army ready to mobilize quickly. GB had a huge navy. Large armies  Increase in patriotism for many; Fear for others  Arms Race

Alliances Alliance (def.) - a formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes. Rivalries and Mistrust led to alliances  designed to keep peace but it actually helped push them into war Bismarck – German (previously Prussia) chancellor – Saw France as biggest enemy Goal – isolate France – Created the Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy – 1881 – Made a treaty with Russia

Alliances Change 1890 – German Kaiser Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign – he didn’t want to share power. Then, Wilhelm let his treaty with Russia lapse. So what did Russia do?  Formed an alliance with France. Later, GB will join this alliance (GB didn’t like how Germany was building a bunch of ships) Why is this so bad for Germany? If Germany fought either France or Russia, it would make an enemy of both  2 front war.

A New Alliance is Formed Triple Alliance Germany Austria-Hungary Italy Triple Entente Great Britain France Russia A dispute between 2 rival powers could draw all the nations of Europe into war.

Imperialism Imperialism (def) – policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, economically, and/or socially. European nations competed for colonies in Africa and Asia, especially GB and Germany. In addition, Germany had taken control over Alsace-Lorraine (the border of France) in the Franco-Prussian War. France wanted it back. This quest for colonies sometimes pushed European nations to the brink of war. Rivalries and mistrust increased.

Nationalism Loyalty and devotion to a nation Positive – Unifying Negative – Increased competition between nations Modern Ex: Assumption\Sacred Heart Rivalry What were they competing for? – Markets – Raw Materials – Territories

Nationalism and The Balkans Balkans = Southeast corner of Europe “Powder keg of Europe” - Many different ethnic groups wanting their independence. As the power of the Ottoman Empire started to decrease, some groups got their wish  Serbia. Serbia – mainly Slavs (people who speak a Slavic language – Russian, Polish, Ukranian, etc.), wanted all Slavs in the Balkans to be part of Serbia. Russia (mainly Slavs) supported this. A-H opposed it.

Bosnia and Herzegovina So what did A-H do? – It annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina (two Balkan areas with large Slavic populations). B and H had been part of the Ottoman Empire. – Serbia was outraged – they had hoped to gain this area themselves – A-H and Serbia are now enemies

Archduke Franz Ferdinand Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Wife – Sophie June 28, 1914 – Visiting Saragevo, capital of Bosnia “The spark that set off the powder key” = Shot dead by Gavrilo Princip, 19-year old Serbian and member of Black Hand (a secret society committed to ridding Bosnia of Austrian rule). In fact, this was the 2 nd attempt on his life while in Saragevo. The first attempt was a car bomb. The bomb did not kill the Archduke, but instead injured someone else. It was while on his way to visit this injured person that the Archduke was killed.

No Mood to Negotiate Austria blamed Serbia A-H presented an ultimatum  Serbia, for the most part, complied A-H was in no mood to negotiate. They declared war on Serbia on July 28 th. Russia (a Slavic Serbian ally) ordered mobilization of its troop toward the Austrian border. Other European countries tried to help with negotiations, but it was too late.

Show this YouTube video on the causes of the WWI.