1. Ch 12.1 Notes “The Road to War”

2. Imperialism
Countries were competing for natural resources, and the most desirable colonies were already under control of major European Powers. Other European countries realized that the only way to gain control of resource rich countries was to take them from other Europeans

3. Militarism
European Powers had begun to buildup their armies in preparation for war. Also, military factions were gaining more and more influence in European government

4. Nationalism
(A) countries were acting in their own self interest out of national pride, and (B), many ethnic groups in Europe were longing for countries that reflected their own ethnic heritage

5. Alliances
in order to promote national security, many nations signed treaties that bound them to other nations in case of war. If one nation was attacked, then the others would automatically help.

7. The assassination of Francis Ferdinand caused Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia

9. Modern Warfare Machine guns Rapid fire artillery Poison gas shells
Tanks
Submarines

10. Early Stages of the War
Germany wins quick victories in the west vs France and Britain
Russia attacks Germany from the east, diverting troops from the Western Front (two front war)

11. Stalemate
Lack of manpower causes Germany’s attack to bog down in the West
This stalemate leads to Trench Warfare

12. “Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word.” —Friedrich Steinbrecher

13. Trench Warfare

15. British Poet Wilfred Owen - KIA
"“No Man's Land is pocketmarked like the body of foulest disease and its odour is the breath of cancer...No Man's Land under snow is like the face of the moon, chaotic, crater-ridden, uninhabitable, awful, the abode of madness. Hideous landscapes, vile noises....everything unnatural, broken, blastered; the distortion of the dead, whose unburiable bodies sit outside the dug-outs all day, all night, the most execrable sights on earth."

16. Civilian Impact
Soldiers were still fighting with 18th century military techniques, which caused incredibly high casualty rates. Civilians were impacted because of naval blockades that cutoff food supplies to entire countries

17. American Sentiments…
Many Irish and German immigrants had strong anti-British feelings
Americans of English descent opposed the Germans

18. Most Americans opposed the autocratic Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, because they saw his rule as an affront to democracy

19. Foreign investments
Americans had billions of dollars in foreign investments, and entering the war would endanger their money

20. Preparedness Movement
The idea that America remain neutral while building up its armed forces (militarism)

21. The Peace Movement
Former Populists, Progressives, Social Reformers, Suffragists, and Women