1. World War I & the 1920s
Topic 5

2. -Fredrick Passy - Otto Von Bismarck “The future belongs to peace.”
“ I shall not live to see the Great War, but you will see it and it will start in the East.”
- Otto Von Bismarck

3. Main Causes of the Great War
M: Militarism
A: Alliances
I: Imperialism
N: Nationalism

4. Great Britain & Germany
Militarism
Biggest rivalry:
Great Britain & Germany
Glorification of the military
Increasing international tensions lead to great powers building up their armies & navies
Arms race
Romanticism of war
Machine guns
Mobile artillery
Tanks
Submarines
Airplanes

5. They had the opposite effect
The Great War Begins
Germany
Russia
France
Distrust in Europe
Major nations signed peace treaties pledging to defend one another
These alliances were intended to promote peace by creating powerful combinations that no one would dare attack
Austria-Hungary
Italy
They had the opposite effect
Britain

6. Alliances Germany, Italy, & Austria-Hungary Central Powers
1882, Otto von Bismarck started the Triple Alliance
Germany, Italy, &
Austria-Hungary
(Italy never fought with it)
1893, Rival bloc took shape
France & Russia formed an alliance
1904, France & Britain form entente
Triple Entente
Allies

8. Rivalries & Nationalism Increase Tension
European powers jealously guard their status
Old empires struggled to survive
Austria-Hungary & Ottoman
Germany
Newest of great powers
Growing into military & economic powerhouse
Other powers not giving them enough respect
Feared Russia’s industrializing

9. Nationalism Great pride in one’s nation Russia supported
Alsace-Lorraine: territory France lost to Germany, 1871
Great pride in one’s nation
Especially strong in Germany & France
Hurt minorities
Russia supported
Strong nationalism called
Pan-Slavism
All Slavic peoples shared
A common nationality
Russia felt it had duty to
Defend all Slavs
By 1914, Russia ready to support Serbia, a proud young Slavic nation

10. Nationalism Nationalism worked against old multinational empires
Austria-Hungary
Worried about rebellions from many minority nations
Ottoman Empire
Threatened by new nations like Serbia
1912, several Balkan states attacked Turkey & took lots of land
Then fought amongst selves for spoils of war
Balkan Powder Keg

11. Assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand
The Powder Keg Ignites
As Otto von Bismarck predicted… The Great War began in Eastern Europe
June 28, 1914
Assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand

12. Sarajevo Archduke announced he would visit Sarajevo
Sarajevo was capital of Bosnia, then under rule of Austria- Hungary
But home to many Serbs & other Slavs
Visit angered Serbian nationalists
Sarajevo

13. Raise your “Black Hand”
Serbian terrorist group
(1) Oath sword by all members of the Black Hand group. I, in joining the organization "Union or Death", swear by the Sun that warms me, by the Earth that nourishes me, before God, by the blood of the ancestors, on my honor and on my life, that I will from this moment until my death be faithful to the laws of this organization; and that I will always be ready to make any sacrifice for it. I swear before God, on my honor and on my life, that I will take all the secrets of this organization into my grave with me.

14. Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Member of Black Hand terrorist group assassinated the archduke and his wife
Gavrilo Princip

15. Powder Keg Ignites
Francis Joseph reluctant to go to war but government saw it as an excuse to crush Serbia
Germany, Kaiser William II horrified by death of ally’s heir
Germany gives Austria a blank check
Promise of unconditional support, no matter the cost
Austria sent Serbia an ultimatum
End all anti-Austrian propaganda
Punish Serbian officials involved in assassination
Let Austria join the investigation
48 hours

16. Austria declared war on Serbia
Serbia agreed to most but not all
July 28, 1914
Austria declared war on Serbia

18. Alliances kick in
War between Austria & Serbia might have been small if not for careful alliances
Serbia turns to Russia
The champion of Slavic nations

19. Wilhelm’s mom was George’s dad’s sister
Wilhelm & Nicholas were third cousins (great-great grandsons of Paul I of Russia)
Wilhelm’s mom was George’s dad’s sister
George’s mom & Nicholas’ mom were sisters
Wilhelm was 1st cousin of Nicholas’ wife
All were fifth cousins, equal descendants of King George II of England

20. Britain remained uncommitted Italy chose to stay neutral
The triple alliance was supposed to be defensive
But the choice was soon made for Britain

21. By early August Italy & Britain still not committed Schlieffen Plan
Developed years earlier for Germany to avoid two-front war
Move against France first because Russia would be slow to mobilize
Defeat France quickly to turn attention to Russia

22. War was set in motion
Nations had to mobilize
No time for leaders to negotiate