1. Bell Ringer Analyze the political cartoon:
Who does each person in the cartoon represent?
What are they doing? Why?
What is the point of view of the cartoonist?

2. The Great War – Causes of World War I
Essential Question: What were the underlying causes of the Great War?

3. The Pursuit of Peace 1869 – First Olympic games to promote peace
Alfred Nobel ->Peace Prize
Hague Tribunal -> a world court to settle disputes between nations.

4. Nationalism
Aggressive nationalism was one leading cause of international tensions.
Caused rivalries between nations
Pan-Slavism held that all Slavic peoples shared a common nationality. Russia felt that it had a duty to lead and defend all Slavs.

5. Imperial rivalries divided European nations.
Imperialism
Imperial rivalries divided European nations.
Competition for colonies brought countries to the brink of war.

6. Militarism
The 19th century saw a rise in militarism, the glorification of the military.
The great powers expanded their armies and navies, creating an arms race that further increased suspicions and made war more likely.

7. European Alliances
Distrust led the great powers to create alliances intended to create powerful combinations that no one would dare attack.
Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
Triple Entente – Great Britain, France, Russia
Entente – an informal alliance

8. Standing Armies in Europe, 1914

9. June 28, 1914 – Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary
Targeted by a Serbian nationalist group called the Black Hand who wanted independence from Austria.

10. How Did The Conflict Widen?
Austria issued Serbia an ultimatum, or final set of demands, which Serbia did not meet.
Austria declared war on Serbia (w/ German support)
Russia mobilized to defend Serbia
Germany declared war on Russia
France declared war on Germany
Alliances pulled most of Europe into war

11. How Did The Conflict Widen?
Germany invaded Belgium in order to pass through and strike France swiftly. (Schlieffen Plan)
Britain had signed a treaty with Belgium guaranteeing Belgian neutrality, a policy of supporting neither side in a war.
Britain declared war on Germany.

12. The Historians’ View
How could an assassination lead to all-out war in just a few weeks?
Today, most historians agree that all parties must share blame.
Each of the great powers believed that its cause was just.
Once the machinery of war was set in motion, it seemed impossible to stop.
Although leaders made the decisions, most people on both sides were equally committed to military action.

14. Assessment
MAIN is commonly used as an acronym to explain the causes of WWI. What does M.A.I.N. stand for?

15. Assessment
Which European royal figure’s assassination was the spark that set off WWI?

16. Assessment
Who was Britain defending when they finally decided to enter the war?

17. Newspaper Headline
Create a newspaper headline for an important event in starting WWI, the newspaper headline must include:
An attention grabbing headline
A drawing of the event
A description of the event (including how it helped cause WWI)
Must be colored