World War I: Causes Leading To War

Imperialism Nations of Europe competed fiercely for colonies in Africa and Asia that supplied their economy with raw materials The quest for colonies contributed to tensions between nations over territorial claims

Nationalism A deep devotion to one’s own nation. Competition developed between nations who sought to overpower each other.

Nationalism……. Middle class educated citizens owed their loyalty not to the nobility of the past, but to their native land. Nations became very egocentric and a sense of national satisfaction came at the expense of another nation Best way to demonstrate fitness was to dominate one’s fellow neighbors “This is my own, my native land”

Militarism Increasing nationalism led to a dangerous arms race. European nations believed that a powerful military made them truly great and respected

Militarism…… War was attractive to a generation that had not experienced a major war since 1815 (Napoleonic Wars) All wars had been short or fought on land far away from the home country Germany doubled army by 1861 leading to wars with Denmark (1864), Austria-Hungary (1866), and France (1870); Proclaim their empire the “Second Reich” in 1871 Otto Von Bismarck proclaims the philosophy of “realpolitik” Tough Power Politics Rule without Parliamentary Support Decisions made by “blood and iron”, not by speeches Two things will change the nature of war 1. technology 2. alliances

Technology…. One of the most outstanding examples of technology that impacted WWI stemmed from the development of a device to control cattle on the Western plains of the U.S. (It is the………… The Machine Gun……..had a devastating effect (Maxim Gun: 500 rounds/minute) the During the Russo-Japanese War fought in 1904-05. Observers believed the machine gun would be no match for the elite trained European soldiers

Alliances Growing rivalries among nations led to several military alliances (agreements/compacts). They were intended to keep the peace; but instead pushed nations closer to war

alliances Germany forms Dual Alliance with Austria- Hungary in 1879, then added Italy to form “Triple Alliance” in 1881 (Objective: Protection From France) Russia an France form an alliance in 1892, encouraging Germany to enlarge their naval force. Prompts Britain to enter into the “Triple Entente” with France/Russia in 1907

Assumptions……. War would be short because no one country could sustain an effort for a long period of time Underestimated the passions held by nationalism for one’s country and the extent people would go to in order to sacrifice their life for one’s country