2. Europe had been at peace for almost 30 years.
*Nationalism spread - created competition between countries

3. Nations competing against each other:
1. Germany
2. Austria-Hungary
3. Great Britain
4. Russia
5. Italy
6. France

4. Reasons for the Rivalry

5. 1. Economic competition - Great Britain lead the Industrial Revolution, however, Germany competed.

6. 2. Territorial disputes - France still bitter about its loss in the Franco-Prussian War

7. 3. Austria-Hungary and Russia both tried to dominate the Balkans
*Argument between Serbs, Bulgarians, and Romanians

8. 4. Imperialism

9. 1910-1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures
5. Growth of militarism - the policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war
Increase in Defense Expenditures
France
10%
Britain
13%
Russia
39%
Germany
73%

10. Alliance system-- An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if it is needed. These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies declared war first. Two major alliance system dominated Europe in 1914.

11. Triple Alliance
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Italy

12. Triple Entente
Great Britain
France
Russia

13. THE WORLD JUST NEEDED A SPARK
That spark comes from the Balkans
* "powder keg" of Europe *

14. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sofia (heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne) by Gavrilo Princip a Serbian nationalist on June 14, 1914, in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary

16. Princip was in the terrorist organization the Black Hands
Princip was in the terrorist organization the Black Hands. *Because the assassin was Serbian ,Kaiser Wilhelm II urged Austria to fight

17. *On July 23, Austria presented Serbia with an ultimatum
*July 28, Austria declares war against Serbia. The two enemies pull their allies into the war until most of the continent of Europe was involved.

18. Victor Emmanuel II [It]
The Major Players:
Allied Powers:
Central Powers:
Nicholas II [Rus]
Wilhelm II [Ger]
George V [Br]
Victor Emmanuel II [It]
Enver Pasha [Turkey]
Pres. Poincare [Fr]
Franz Josef [A-H]

19. The Allies and the Central Powers believed the war would be over by Christmas.