1. Chapter 13-1 The Stage is Set for War –I) An Uneasy Peace Grips Europe –II) Tangled Alliances –III) Crisis in the Balkans

2. I) An Uneasy Peace Grips Europe At the turn of the 20 th century the nations of Europe had been at peace for nearly 30 years, and some believed that progress had made war a thing of the past. Several peace organizations were active, but below the surface of goodwill, several forces were at work which would propel Europe into war. One such force was nationalism ( a deep devotion to one’s nation) which can serve as a unifying force within a country, but also leads to commercial and territorial rivalries. Great Britain had been home to the Industrial Revolution, and other nations, like Germany, began to challenge Britain’s power.

3. I) An Uneasy Peace Grips Europe Another force that helped set the stage for war was imperialism. Competition for materials and markets among European nations over colonial holdings in Asia and Africa fueled rivalry Beginning in 1890, increasing nationalism led to an arms race, where countries in Europe believed the only way to be great was to have a powerful military. The policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army ready for war was known as militarism, which led to a concentration on large armies with the ability to mobilize quickly for war.

4. II) Tangled Alliances The growing international rivalries had led to the creation of several military alliances. These were designed to keep peace in Europe but instead help push the continent into war. Otto van Bismarck's wish to get revenge for the Franco-Prussia War and isolate France lead to the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and a separate treaty with Russia.

5. II) Tangled Alliances In 1888 Kaiser Wilhelm II became leader of Germany and forced Bismarck to resign because he did not want to share power with anyone. He sets Germany on a new course when he lets Germany’s treaty with Russia lapse, and Russia responds by forming an alliance with France. Britain becomes alarmed with Germany’s naval buildup and allies itself with France and Russia to form the Triple Entente.

6. III) Crisis in the Balkans Now a dispute between two rival powers could draw the entire continent into war, and nowhere did that dispute seem more likely than on the Balkan Peninsula. This mountainous region had a long history of nationalist uprisings leading to ethnic clashes, and was known as the “powder keg” of Europe. By the early 1900’s the Ottoman Empire, which included the Balkan region, was in rapid decline and some groups struggled for freedom. Serbian nationalism forces wedges between Russia, which supports them, and Austria-Hungary, which wanted their land.

7. III) Crisis in the Balkans A Serbian nationalist member of the secret Black Hand organization, Gavrilo Princip, assassinates the Austro- Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo on June 14, 1914, in an effort to ride Bosnia of Austrian rule. Austria issues an ultimatum to Serbia, rejects Serbia’s offer to negotiate, and declares war with Germany’s backing. Russia responded by ordering the mobilization of troops toward the Austrian border. Leaders all over Europe suddenly took alarm, but it was too late, the machinery of war had been set in motion.