The Causes of WWI Long Term Causes Monarchy Alliances Imperialism/Militarism Nationalism

Family Ties King Edward VII 1841-1910 “The Father of Europe.” King Edward VII was the King of Great Britain from 1901-1910. He was the Uncle of Kaiser Wilhelm (of Germany) and through marriage, Czar Nicholas II (of Russia). His niece, Alix was the Czarina of Russia. His daughter Maud was the Queen of Norway His niece Ena was Queen of Spain His third niece was soon to be the Queen of Rumania His wife’s family occupied the throne of Denmark, mothered the Czar of Russia, & Kings of Greece and Norway

Alliances By 1914 all the major powers were linked by a system of alliances. The alliances made it more likely that a war would start. Once started, the alliances made it more likely to spread. Triple Entente Triple Alliance Neutral throughout war

Political cartoon depicting the tangled web of European alliances.

Triple Alliance Triple Entente Germany Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Great Britain France Russia Russian 1914 poster. The upper inscription reads "agreement". Shown are the female personifications of France, Russia, and Britain. Bismark and the Three Emperor’s League

Nationalism- Love and pride for one’s Country In the mid 1800’s Nationalism swept through Europe. It spurred the unification of Italy and Germany and it pushed leaders to make changes in government to create stronger nations. Nationalism also served to cause problems. It created competition between nations. Countries fought over borders, water rights, and trade, all in the name of Nationalism.

Imperialism- Domination by one country of the political, economic or cultural life of another country or region. Since the 1400’s, counties in Europe had been competing for political, economic and cultural control around the world. These European countries were searching for wealth, manpower and natural resources. Counties such as Germany and Italy unified late and therefore had missed out on the early rush of Imperialism. Germany made several attempts to secure land outside of Europe and had failed. This led Germany’s Emperor, Wilhelm II, to turn to alternate methods. He used militarism to help him attain his goals.

The British feared Germany in Africa. This map shows Africa in 1914 and shows how much land the major nations had taken over. The British feared Germany in Africa. The Austrians feared Serbia/Russia in the Balkans. BRITAIN FRANCE GERMANY ITALY BELGIUM

Militarism- Glorification of the military. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany decided that if he could not compete with other nations for control of foreign soil, he would beef up his military and force other nations to give him what he wanted. The larger and more powerful his army became, the more of a threat Germany became to surrounding nations, including the small unstable area south-east of Austria-Hungary, known as the Balkans. “Germany must have its place in the sun.” “The world belongs to the strong.”

Germany and the UK were competing to build battleships. Germany was competing with Russia and France to expand their armies.

The Crisis June 28th, 1914 Heir to Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand visits Sarajevo. Capital of Bosnia, recently grabbed by Austria. Hotbed of Slav Nationalism

Black Hand “Black Hand” terrorists attack the Arch Duke Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian Nationalist, shoots Archduke and wife to protest Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia Austrians blame Serbia for supporting terrorists. Seal of the Black Hand group

The Great War Austrians, supported by Germany, send Serbia a tough ultimatum. Serbia agrees to all but two terms of the ultimatum. Russia mobilises her troops to support Serbia Germany demands that Russia stands her armies down. On August 1st, Germany declares war on Russia On August 3rd & 4th, Germany declares war on France and its armies march into France and Britain declares war on Germany. Europe plunges into war for four years… “Demands must be put to Serbia that would be wholly impossible for them to accept …” Count Berchtold, the Austrian Prime Minister.

Immediate Effects Russian Revolution Breakup of Austro-Hungarian Empire Defeat of Central Powers Destruction & loss of life Treaty of Versailles League of Nations

Long Term Effects German & Italian resentment of treaty Rise of fascism World War II