M.A.I.N. causes of wwi And Georgia’s Role

M - Militarism Militarism is a policy of aggressive military preparation Before WWI, European countries began to build up their armies. They wanted to appear formidable so that other countries would not want to declare war. They also needed this military strength to protect their expanding empires.

A - Alliances A union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organization. “I got your back”, “if they come for you, Imma come for them”!! Countries began to form alliances promising to come to the aid of each other if attacked.

I - Imperialism Imperialism is the practice of one country controlling the government and the economy of another country or territory. Empire building by European countries began as early as the 1400s, and continued through the 1900s. The industrial revolution in the 1800s fueled competition in the race for land acquisition and natural resources. Newly acquired lands created new markets for manufactured goods.

N - Nationalism Nationalism is strong pride in one’s nation or ethnic group. Before WWI, Germany, France, and other European countries put the interests of their home country above the interest of world cooperation. Each country began to have contempt or hatred towards each other. This is a factor that lead to WWI.

The Catalyst Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914 in Sarajevo (Bosnia). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyCmh9G1fpo Due to a complex alliance system in Europe, WWI soon erupted. It lasted four years (1914 – 1918) and resulted in the death of millions across Europe. The US stayed out of the war until 1917 when the Germans sunk the passenger ship Lusitania resulting in 128 American civilian casualties. The Zimmerman Telegraph (a German message sent to Mexico offering an alliance against the US if Mexico would attack the US to keep them out of the war). Was another contributing factor. The US declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917.

Opposing Sides Allies Central Powers Great Britain France Russia Serbia Belgium United States Germany Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Ottoman Empire **WWI was the first time that tanks, airplanes, machine guns, and mustard gas were used making it the deadliest war to that time**

Georgia’s Role During WWI, Georgia provided more military training camps than any other state in the nation. Fort McPherson, Camp Gordon, Camp Benning, and Camp Stewart. More than 100,000 Georgians contributed to the war effort and 3,000 Georgians died fighting in Europe. Georgians at home contributed by buying war bonds and growing Victory Gardens. These helped finance and supply the troops. **Georgia also built factories which were able to can fruits and vegetables, and developed techniques to preserve and package meat. These were sent to support our Troops and our Allies**