1. The Great War:  
The Road to WWI

2. Essential Question: What were the CAUSES of WWI?

3. WWI Causes of World War I LONG TERM CAUSES SHORT TERM CAUSE
Imperialism
Nationalism
Alliances
Militarism
SHORT TERM CAUSE
“The Powder Keg”
WWI

4. NATIONALISM
CAUSE #1
Remember, Nationalism means having a strong sense of devotion and loyalty to one's country.
A newly unified Germany quickly became an industrial and military power in Europe. However, it wanted more power.
France was once the dominant power in Europe but had lost some regions to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War. France wanted to regain this territory.
Britain was still the most powerful empire in the world and it wanted to remain so.
Some groups who were ruled by powerful empires wanted to build their own nation states.  (ex: Bosnia-Herzegovina wanted independence from Austria-Hungary).

5. CAUSE #2
IMPERIALISM
Remember, Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule.  
The British Empire extended over six (of seven) continents. 
France had colonies on four continents.  
The Russian Empire extended from eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean. 
Germany only had a few colonies in Africa and Asia and  wanted to expand its empire.
Austria-Hungary, as well as the Ottoman Empire were weak and mostly wanted to keep what was left of their empires intact.

6. Great Britain and her colonies in 1914
France and her colonies in 1914

7. Ottoman Empire in 1914
Germany and her empire in 1914

8. ALLIANCES Before the outbreak of war the alliances were:
CAUSE #3
ALLIANCES
An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if needed.  
Before the outbreak of war the alliances were:
Triple Entente
France
Russia
Great Britain
Triple Alliance
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Italy
During war, known as...
ALLIED POWERS
During war, known as..
CENTRAL POWERS.

9. Despite its alliance agreements, Italy did not join the war until 1915.
What happened to Italy?
Remember… Italy had sided with Germany and Austria- Hungary in the Triple Alliance. In theory, Italy should have joined in the sides of these two nations when war broke out in August 1914 but...She did not!
What Italy did was wait and see how the war progressed. On April 26th 1915, she came into the war on the side of the Allied Powers – Britain, France and Russia. WHY??????
Italy was promised land by the Allied Powers if she would switch sides. This was done through a secret alliance.

10. CAUSE #4
MILITARISM    
An Arms Race is when 2 or more countries compete with each other to build bigger and stronger militaries.  
French and German armies had nearly doubled by 1914. 
The British Navy introduced the 'Dreadnought', a large and powerful battleship in 1906.
The Germans soon introduced their own fleet of battleships.
Stockpiles of new weapons were built.  These included tanks, machine guns, planes, flame throwers, and poisonous gas.

11. 'Dreadnought' battleships, tanks, planes and chemical weapons were just some of the new weapons that each European powers tried to acquire more and more of.

12. SHORT- TERM Cause
“The Powder Keg”
The tense, nationalistic feelings of the people in the Balkan region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Serbia, Bosnia, etc.) gave the region the nickname of the "Powder Keg of Europe."
IT WAS READY TO EXPLODE!

13. “The Powder Keg” What was the spark to ignite the explosion? SHORT-
TERM Cause
“The Powder Keg”
What was the spark to ignite the explosion?
Assasination of Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne by a SERBIAN.

14. European military alliances of WWI
Allied Powers
Great Britain
France
Italy
Russia
Romania
Serbia
Montenegro
Greece
Portugal
Belgium
Central Powers
Germany
Austria-
Hungary
Bulgaria
Ottoman Empire
Dark orange = Entente allies
Light orange = Central powers
Green = Neutral countries

15. MILITARY PERSONNEL
MILITARY DEATHS
MILITARY CASUALTIES
RUSSIA
12,000,000
1,700,000
9,150,000
GERMANY
11,000,000
1,773,700
7,142,558
AUSTRIA HUNGARY
7,800,000
1,200,000
7,020,000
FRANCE
8,410,000
1,357,800
6,160,800
BRITISH EMPIRE
8,904,467
908,371
3,190,235
ITALY
5,615,000
650,000
2,197,000
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
2,850,000
325,000
975,000
UNITED STATES
4,355,000
126,000
364,800
OTHER
4,104,343
497,444
1,298,293
TOTAL
65,038,810
8,538,315
37,508,686

16. Passchendaele poem and video:
WWI leaders:
WWI satirical maps:
WWI casualties:
WWI Art:
Passchendaele video
Passchendaele poem and video:
Passchendaele Trench Detectives:

17. Zeppelin
Big Bertha
Submarine mines ship