Causes of World War I

M.A.I.N.P Remember this acronym as it sums up the causes for the start of World War I

Militarism Militarism- policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war Rise of a dangerous European arms race By 1914, all of the great powers had huge armies besides England Stressed the importance of mobility in case of war Having a large military makes you feel patriotic! However, it also can be frightening!

Militarism

Alliances After Franco-Prussian War, Germany still viewed France as its greatest threat Otto Von Bismarck believed France sought revenge Goal was to isolate France by forming alliances 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary are allies 1882- Germany, Austria-Hungary, & Italy form the Triple Alliance

Alliances By 1881, Germany had an alliance with Russia Reinsurance Treaty- provided for neutrality in case either Russia or Germany became involved in a defensive war Treaty is gone when Kaiser Wilhelm II comes into power

Kaiser Wilhelm II By 1890, Kaiser Wilhelm II is in power and forces Otto Von Bismarck out of power Wilhelm did not wish to share power with anyone He was proud of his military and wanted to show it off Losing the treaty with Russia could have been a big mistake! Could face war on 2 fronts Wilhelm starts building a navy that can compare with the British

Alliances England is worried about Germany and all of its allies England forms an alliance with France and Russia known as the Triple Entente By 1907, 2 rival alliance groups existed in Europe A dispute could bring all of these countries to war

Imperialism European countries were always competing for colonies in Africa and Asia Formed a distrust and rivalry with one another

Nationalism A deep devotion to ones country Unifying force but also can cause intense competitions Rivalry developed among Europe’s great powers Competition for land and resources

Powder Keg Also referred to as the Balkan Powder Keg Austria-Hungary and Russia attempt to dominate the Balkans Serbia wanted to create a united Slavic state on the Balkan Peninsula Would include the provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovnia, but Austria controlled them Russia supported a union of Slavic states

Last Straw Archduke Ferdinand was the heir to the Austria- Hungarian throne June 28, 1914, Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were killed in Sarajevo Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia They were killed by gun-shot at point-blank range

Last Straw Gavrilo Princip was the killer He was only 19-years old and a member of the Black Hand The Black Hand was a secret society to rid Bosnia of Austrian Rule Austria used murders as an excuse to punish Serbia

War Begins Austria declares war on Serbia On same day, Russia orders mobilization of troops towards Austrian border Leaders across Europe urged to work out a peace agreement but it was too late! Russia looks for France to help, but Germany did not wait for France and declared war on them anyways

The Great War World War 1 was known as the “Great War” First of its kind Drafted Soldiers Everyone was involved in the war (Women and Children) Costs of the War = Almost 400 billion 10 million dead and 20 million wounded Different innovations and techniques used in this war never seen before