We have reached the year 1914, marking the beginning date of the first world war in history. What has happened so far in history to lead us to this event?

What led to the outbreak of World War I: ( ) The MAIN causes of World War I were: Militarism- building up one’s military Alliances- a pact between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. Imperialism- a policy or practice by which a country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world. Nationalism- pride in one’s country

What alliances emerged prior to WWI? Triple Alliance [Central Powers] –Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy –Italy refuses to honor alliance in WWI –Ottoman Empire joins the Central Powers Triple Entente [Allied Powers] –France, Russia, and Great Britain –Later joined by Italy in 1915 –USA becomes an associated power during WWI

Central vs. Allied Austria-Hungary Germany Italy (Triple Alliance) Ottoman Empire Bulgaria (shut down Russia’s use of transportation in the Black sea & Mediterranean) Serbia Russia France (Schlieffen Plan) Belgium Great Britain Japan Greece United States In addition to these nations, all of the colonies that belonged to the above nations also participated in WWI.

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, June 1914 Assassinated by Gavrilo Princep, a Serbian Nationalist. Sparked a chain reaction of events that had disastrous consequences. of-archduke-franz-ferdinand-2

Significant events that sparked WWI... Austrian officials saw nationalist minority groups as threat to monarch & the assassination as an opportunity to crush Serbian-sponsored movement in Bosnia… (justification to take action. ) Austria-Hungary dispatched an “ultimatum” that Serbia couldn’t accept in 48 Hours. Serb military mobilizes and so does Austria Austria declares war (given the support from Germany) Germany then issues ultimatum to Russia demanding cessation of military measures against A-H; Russia doesn’t respect it and thus Germany declares war.

What factors contributed to each country entering World War I?