THE SEEDS OF CONFLICT The Causes of World War I

From 1914 to 1918, World War I raged in Europe Text What caused World War I? This “Great War” was the largest, most destructive war the world had yet seen World War I was a global war that altered the course of the 20th Century

MILITARISM IMPERIALISM ALLIANCES From 1870 to 1914, a number of developments gradually increased tensions among the European powers that led to the outbreak of World War I The MILITARISM ALLIANCES IMPERIALISM NATIONALISM causes of World War I While peace and harmony characterized much of Europe at the beginning of the 1900s, there were less visible—and darker—forces at work as well. Below the surface of peace and goodwill, Europe witnessed several gradual developments that would ultimately help propel the continent into war.

What does this word mean to you? “MILITARISM”

Militarism is placing a lot of value in military ideals MILITARISM defined Militarism is having a policy of aggressive military preparedness (being always ready to fight) Militarism is placing a lot of value in military ideals

The Industrial Revolution led to large, advanced militaries in Europe MILITARISM The Industrial Revolution led to large, advanced militaries in Europe Yet another troubling development throughout the early years of the 20th century was the rise of a dangerous European arms race. The nations of Europe believed that to be truly great, they needed to have a powerful military. By 1914, all the Great Powers except Britain had large standing armies. In addition, military experts stressed the importance of being able to quickly mobilize, or organize and move troops in case of a war. Generals in each country developed highly detailed plans for such a mobilization. The policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war was known as militarism. Having a large and strong standing army made citizens feel patriotic Europeans believed that to be great, nations had to have strong militaries

Having a strong army increased patriotism among citizens MILITARISM Nations glorified military power and kept an army that was always prepared for war Having a strong army increased patriotism among citizens

HOW DID MILITARISM HELP START THE WAR? Tension from nationalism and imperialism led to a widespread paranoia throughout Europe Every nation was concerned over the intentions of other nations Because of this paranoia, nations engaged in an arms race. They built up their armies, navies, and weaponry, wanting to be ready for war The two main competitors in the arms race were Germany and Britain

A PRODUCT OF THE ARMS RACE: THE DREADNOUGHT First developed by the British and reproduced by the Germans, the Dreadnought is faster, more heavily armed, and more heavily armored than any class of battleship before

What does this word mean to you? “ALLIANCE”

It is an association to further the common interests of the members ALLIANCE defined An alliance is a bond or connection between nations, groups, or individuals It is an association to further the common interests of the members

ALLIANCES England, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente Growing rivalries among nations led to the formation of two military alliances that threatened to draw European nations into war England, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary made up the Triple Alliance

The member nations of each alliance promised to fight for its partners if one of them was ever attacked So when Russia stepped in to defend Serbia from Austria-Hungary, their alliance partners all eventually joined in the fight

What does this word mean to you? “IMPERIALISM”

IMPERIALISM defined Imperialism is the seizure of a country or territory by another country Imperialism’s purpose is to gain more power and make more money for your country by controlling weaker countries

HOW DID IMPERIALISM HELP START THE WAR? The Industrial Revolution led to an increase in manufacturing in Britain, Germany, and France Because of the increased manufacturing, they needed places to sell what they made as well as sources of raw materials

IMPERIALISM European nations competed fiercely for colonies in Africa and Asia This competition increased European rivalry and mistrust

IMPERIALISM Competition for colonies often pushed Europeans Germany and France almost went to war three times over Morocco Competition for colonies often pushed Europeans to the brink of war England and France argued over rights to the Sudan Another force that helped set the stage for war in Europe was imperialism. As Chapter 27 explained, the nations of Europe competed fiercely for colonies in Africa and Asia. The quest for colonies sometimes pushed European nations to the brink of war. As European countries continued to compete for overseas empires, their sense of rivalry and mistrust of one another deepened. Germany, England, and Russia argued over building a railroad in India

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany Kaiser Wilhelm II was an imperialist monarch who wanted “a place in the sun” for Germany

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany “A place in the sun” is a figure of speech that means having a place as the most powerful nation in Europe Gaining power through imperialism was something the Kaiser was in favor of

What does this word mean to you? “NATIONALISM”

NATIONALISM defined Nationalism is loyalty and devotion to a nation of people. It is a sense of national identity exalting one nation above all others. It can be defined as pride in one’s nation, and it can also be defined as the desire of an ethnic group to have its own nation.

NATIONALISM Rivalries due to militarism and imperialism increased nationalism among European powers One such development was the growth of nationalism, or a deep devotion to one’s nation. Nationalism can serve as a unifying force within a country. However, it also can cause intense competition among nations, with each seeking to overpower the other. By the turn of the 20th century, a fierce rivalry indeed had developed among Europe’s Great Powers. Those nations were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France. This increasing rivalry among European nations stemmed from several sources. Competition for materials and markets was one. Territorial disputes were another. France, for example, had never gotten over the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War (1870). Austria-Hungary and Russia both tried to dominate in the Balkans, a region in southeast Europe. Within the Balkans, the intense nationalism of Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians, and other ethnic groups led to demands for independence. British propaganda poster, 1897 Austrian national poster, 1900

“European Balance of Power, 1914” NATIONALISM European rivals tried to maintain a balance of power while also trying to overpower each other “European Balance of Power, 1914”

HOW DID NATIONALISM HELP START THE WAR? First, a little German history… For centuries, Germany was a divided nation. At one point, the German-speaking people were divided into nearly 200 states, ruled by kings and princes who protected their own private little empires. (Imagine if the U.S. were 50 separate nations!)

This was NOT a natural development for a nation HOW DID NATIONALISM HELP START THE WAR? First, a little German history… For nearly a 1000 years, the German people tried to unite, but were met with failure over and over This was NOT a natural development for a nation While other European countries had been forming great, powerful nations, divided Germany was stuck in medieval times for centuries

“Germany will be united through blood and iron!” A UNIFIED GERMANY “Germany will be united through blood and iron!” As a result, when the Germans finally DID become unified, they were very aggressive in guarding that unification After becoming unified, the Germans worked hard to catch up with the major European powers (such as Britain and France) in terms of industry, colonies, and military might OTTO VON BISMARCK

SEETHING WITH NATIONALISM: THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY A MULTI-ETHNIC EMPIRE Austria was the main part of the empire, ruled over by the Hapsburg royal family Hungary was part of the Austrians’ empire, but had equal status within it

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY A MULTI-ETHNIC EMPIRE All of the other ethnic groups within the empire were ruled over by the Austrians

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY A MULTI-ETHNIC EMPIRE Many of these ethnic groups wanted to have their own nations, outside of the rule of the Austrians Over a dozen different languages were spoken in Austria-Hungary’s empire

THE BALKANS: THE POWDER KEG OF EUROPE Austria-Hungary ruled over part of the Balkans, a group of nations (Serbia, Bosnia, and others) in Southeast Europe. The Balkans had many conflicting national groups. Many of them, under Austrian rule, wanted nations of their own.

THE BALKANS: THE POWDER KEG OF EUROPE The Balkans had many wars over the years; the region was so unstable, it was referred to as “The Powder Keg of Europe”

THE BALKANS: THE POWDER KEG OF EUROPE Serbia was pro-Slavic and was supported by its Slavic brother, Russia The Serbs wanted to create one great Slavic nation out of the Balkans; this directly conflicted with Austria-Hungary’s territorial goals for the Balkans (who owned the Slavic nation of Bosnia)

THE BALKANS WERE LIKE A TIME BOMB, WAITING TO EXPLODE THE BALKANS: THE POWDER KEG OF EUROPE All of these countries and national groups had their own goals, and they often conflicted with other nations THE BALKANS WERE LIKE A TIME BOMB, WAITING TO EXPLODE

With the tensions in Europe high from MILITARISM, ALLIANCES, IMPERIALISM, and NATIONALISM …all that was needed for an explosion to occur was a spark

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand THE SPARK: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

 Brooks Baggett Originally created by Christopher Jaskowiak Some slides created by Brooks Baggett