WHY DO THE CAUSES OF WWI MATTER?

REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR Our nation is attacked

REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR A nation with who we have a mutual alliance is attacked

REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR Our president is assassinated by a terrorist from an unfriendly country

REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR Our President tells us that a country is planning an imminent attack on us

REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR A country has just had a fundamentalist revolution and is sending fighters into a oil-producing nation in the region

REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR An unfriendly nation has just tested a nuclear weapon in violation of a sign un agreement

REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR A US naval vessel is sunk in a foreign harbor by government agents from that country

WWI BACKGROUND ESSAY

BALANCE OF POWER Distribution of power where no nation can dominate another

ENTENTE An agreement between two or more governments

BALKANS ABOUT 10 COUNTRIES LOCATED ON THE Balkan peninsula between Italy and Turkey, including Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece

NATIONALISM Love and devotion to one’s own country based on shared history and culture

Usually relating to a racial or cultural group ETHNIC Usually relating to a racial or cultural group

SPARK Event that triggers a larger event ASSASSINATION OF FRANZ FERDINAND

Answers to Background Essay Questions 1. What is meant by the phrase "In 1900 Europeans believed the world was their oyster"? Europe believed they were free to use the world in any way they pleased.

Answers to Background Essay Questions 2. World War I lasted four years. What were the war years? 1914-1918

Answers to Background Essay Questions The population of Chicago is about 3,000,000. How does that compare to the total number of dead and wounded in World War I? (Give your answer as a fraction.) It is about one tenth (1/10, derived from 3,000,000/30,000,000

Answers to Background Essay Questions 4. Why might a balance of power prevent war? With power about even, neither side could expect easy victory.

Answers to Background Essay Questions 5. Otto von Bismarck once said that a great war might someday be caused by "some damned foolish thing in the Balkans:' Was he right? Explain. Yes. The assassination of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand that triggered World War I occurred in the Balkan country of Serbia.

Answers to Background Essay Questions How did the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary lead to war between Russia and Germany? Austria was, of course, angry at Serbia and wanted an apology. Serbia, fearing trouble, got a promise of help from Russia. When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia came to Serbia's aid. Germany then came to Austria's aid. Russia and Germany were at war.

Summary 11-1 The Great War Begins

Reading Check Which countries made up the Central Powers? Germany Austria

Vocabulary Strategy What does the word overseas mean in the underlined sentence? Foreign External Out of country

Reading Skill Describe the events that lead Austria to declare war on Serbia Assassination Ultimatum

Review Question One How did the network of European alliances cause WW I t0 develop? Overseas rivalries Militarism Nationalism

Review Question Two What act caused Britain to act? Germany’s violation of Belgium's neutrality Germany’s invasion of Belgium