The Causes of World War I

Causes of the Great War Today, most of the countries of Europe cooperate as members of the European Union. However, a century ago (100 years ago) they had not yet learned the lessons of two horrible world wars that cost 70 million lives. Instead, Britain, Germany, Russia, France, Austria-Hungary, and Italy struggled constantly for power and wealth. They were in conflict along their borders and in the lands they held in distant corners of the world. The tension and hostility gave rise to four main causes and one “spark” that historians usually use to explain why the Great War begun.

Causes of the Great War – M.A.I.N. The four long-term causes: Militarism Alliances Imperialism Nationalism The immediate cause, or “spark”: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Militarism In the early 1900s, there was no United Nations to help settle disputes between countries. Instead, nations kept their armies ready in case they needed to settle problems by force. As tensions grew, European nations continually built up their military power and armies.

Militarism Germany1.3m5.0m France0.73m4.0m Russia0.40m1.2m

Alliances As tensions grew in Europe, countries began to look for friends (allies) they could count on for military support and help. Could bring more countries into a conflict. Two alliance systems developed: 1. Triple Alliance: Germany Austria-Hungary Italy 2. Triple Entente: Britain France Russia

Alliances Red= Triple Entente Pink= Triple Alliance

Imperialism European nations were in competition with each other – and very jealous too! Countries built empires by getting control of other areas of the world called “colonies.”

Imperialism By the late 1800’s, Britain was the world’s largest imperialist power.

Nationalism Europeans felt great pride in their own nation; called nationalism. Citizens were expected to be devoted and loyal to their country. This caused Europe to become very unstable in the early 1900’s as nations competed to dominate each other. Any spark would send Europe into total war

The First Shots Fired THE SPARK By 1914, tensions were high in Europe; yet, no one saw a full-scale war on the horizon. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophia, were travelling in a parade in Sarajevo. Future king and queen of Austria- Hungary. Sarajevo (a city in Bosnia) was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Most wanted Bosnia to no longer be part of the AH Empire, and they were willing to fight to achieve this freedom. The Black Hand: a terrorist group opposed to AH rule.

Assassination As Franz Ferdinand and Sophia travelled in their unguarded motorcade, they were unaware of the Black Hand presence. A bomb was thrown into their car, but Ferdinand threw it out (blew up the car behind them). The parade route was quickly changed, but no one informed the driver in the confusion. A wrong turn was made, and as the cars slowed to turn around, Gavrilo Princip (Black Hand) broke forward and fired two shots. The royal couple were fatally wounded (died on route to the hospital).

Causes of the Great War The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was the spark that set all of Europe on fire.