1. Militarism Alliances Imperialism Nationalism Significant individuals
Adapted from schoolhistory.co.uk
The Causes of WW1
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
Significant individuals

2. Militarism 1. Arms race Naval mostly Germany building up navy
1700s & 1800s – Britain ruled the seas

3. Militarism 2. Army expansion
Germany was competing with Russia and France to expand their armies
More military = greater threat of war
Germany 1.3m 5.0m
France 0.73m 4.0m
Russia 0.40m 1.2m

4. Do Now… Label your map of Europe using this one

5. Alliances
By 1914, all the major powers were linked by a system of alliances.
Alliances = more likely for war to start
You have to defend your ally if they are attacked
Alliances = bigger wars
Once started, the alliances made it more likely to spread.

6. Do Now… Get 2 colored pencils/light colored markers
On your map of Europe in 1914, create a key that looks like this:
Triple Alliance/Central Powers
Triple Entente/Allies
Neutral
Decide which color is going to be with which alliance

7. Use the map below to color the alliances & neutral countries

8. Imperialism Age of Imperialism – 1870-1914
Berlin Conference = diplomacy…
But L= W = P
British worry about Germany in Africa
Austrians worry about Serbia / Russia in the Balkans

9. Nationalism
This was an age when all nations wanted to assert their power and independence.
In Europe Slavs, aided by Serbia and Russia, wanted to be free of Austrian rule.
Serbia’s national flag

10. Significant Individuals 1
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Built up German army and navy
Aggressive foreign policy
Determined to make Germany a top nation.
Distrusted by other powers
“Germany must have its place in the sun”
“The world belongs to the strong.”

11. Significant Individuals 2
Gavrilo Princip
Serbian
Member of the Black Hand
Assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand (A-H)

12. Significant Individuals 3
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Heir to the Austro-Hungarian Throne
Assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia

13. Balkans = Europe’s Powderkeg
28 June 1914
Heir to Austrian throne Franz Ferdinand visits Sarajevo.
Sarajevo = Capital of Bosnia, recently grabbed by Austria.
Assassinated by Serbian Black Hand
Seal of the Black Hand group

14. Do Now…
Read the eyewitness account of the assassination and complete the SOAPSToneE chart on it.
For each box, you need to have
1 quote from the document
1 piece of analysis of the quote

15. Steps to War 1
Austrians, supported by Germany, send Serbia a tough ultimatum.
Serbia agrees to all but two terms of the ultimatum.
Russia mobilises her troops to support Serbia
Germany demands that Russia stands her armies down.
“Demands must be put to Serbia that would be wholly impossible for them to accept …”

16. Steps to War 2 A-H declares war on Serbia Russia (Serbia’s ally)  A-H
Germany (A-H’s ally)  Russia
France (Russia’s ally)  Germany
Schlieffen Plan
Germany invades Belgium
England (Belgium’s ally)  Germany
Italy (Germany’s ally) remains neutral for now

17. The Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s military plan to defeat France and Russia.
“Knock out blow” aimed at France first.
Avoid French defences by invasion of Belgium.
Germans thought Britain would not intervene.

18. Review… Write down and finish the rest of the word: M A I N
Now define each word
Who killed whom to start WWI?
Who declared war first?
What was the most important cause of WWI?