1. The Great War (World War One)
Contents entry & Page heading Cornell Notes: The Great War

2. Background (pg. 841)
Early 1900s Europe had been peaceful for decades
Many believed war was a thing of the past
Peace is popular - many peace advocacy groups
So-called “Peace Congresses” meet to discuss issues without fighting

3. Rising Tensions in Europe (pp. 841-842)
Nationalism = Strong devotion to one’s nation:
Good for national pride and strength
Bad for creating rivalries with other nations
Nations bickered about...
Materials & Resources
Territory
Independence
Imperialism (i.e. who had claim to what/where)
Militarism = Glorifying military power, and building-up military force:
Good for imperialism and national pride
Bad for making other nations nervous
Other nations react by building-up their own militaries

4. Tangled Alliances (pp. 842-843)
Chancellor Bismarck creates alliances to make Germany the power-player in Europe...
1879: forges the “Dual Alliance” with Austria-Hungary
1882: Italy joins Dual Alliance; renamed “Triple Alliance”
1881: Creates a treaty with Russia
1888: Wilhelm II becomes Germany’s Kaiser (king)
1890: Wilhelm fires Bismarck and lets the Russian treaty expire
1892: Russia makes treaty with France (strengthened in 1894)
Bismarck’s fear because now Germany had enemies on both sides
1907: Great Britain makes a treaty with France and Russia (Triple Entente)
Stage is set for trouble: Triple Alliance nations vs. Triple Entente nations

5. Crisis in the Balkans - A (pp. 843-844)
Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkan Peninsula in SW Europe; some regions had broken away to become independent states: Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia
Serbia had a large ethnic Slavic population and was supported by Russia to absorb all Slavs in the Balkans
Austria-Hungary feared a large, powerful new Slavic nation on their border being allied with Russia (Russia is also a Slavic nation)
1908: A-H takes over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balkan regions with large Slavic populations
Serbia wanted B&H for itself, and vowed to take B&H back from A-H; A-H vowed to stop such a thing from happening (uh-oh ... them’s is fightin’ words!)

6. Crisis in the Balkans - B (pp. 843-844)
June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to A-H throne) was assassinated while visiting Bosnia.
Assassin was a 19-year-old Serbian man.
A-H used the assassination and fact that the assassin was a Serbian to punish Serbia.
A-H sent Serbian leaders harsh demands for retribution.
Serbia couldn’t fight A-H, so agreed to most demands but asked for an international conference to settle others.
A-H refused and sent troops to Serbian border.
Russia responded by sending troops to the A-H border.
European leaders in Britain, Italy, and Germany urged negotiations but it was too late...

7. Assigned Tasks
Summarize your Cornell notes
Answer each of the following in your notebook:
How do imperialism and militarism combine to promote war?
What is one logical argument against militarism?
What did Bismarck mean by calling Germany “a satisfied power”?
How could a dispute between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente draw all of Europe into a conflict?
How did nationalism contribute to the unrest in the Balkans?
What act by A-H set Europe on the path to WWI?
Geography Skillbuilder questions on page 843