1. Chris Anderson Randolph-Henry High School

2. The Congress of Vienna had created a relative peace in Europe that lasted almost 100 years Many in Europe believed that a major war would never occur in Europe again Social reforms and new scientific advances made many people believe that Europeans had outgrown war

3. By the late 1800s, this European peace began to show signs of strain Four (4) main characteristics started to develop in many of the European nations Nationalism 1.) Nationalism Imperialism 2.) Imperialism Militarism 3.) Militarism Alliances 4.) Alliances By 1914, Europe was a “tinderbox waiting for the spark to make it explode”

4. Nationalism This created many tensions between European nations People were willing to sacrifice anything for their homeland, even their own lives This nationalism would lead many people to fight for very vague objectives Nationalism also divided many nations, especially those nations with a diverse ethnic make-up

5. Imperialism Different European nations attempted to create overseas empires The major nations scrambling for land: Germany Belgium Italy France Great Britain

6. Nationalism motivated European nations to compete for colonial possessions European economic, military, and political power forced colonized countries to trade on European terms Industrially produced goods flooded colonial markets and displaced their traditional industries Colonized peoples resisted European domination and responded in diverse ways to Western influences

7. Forms of imperialism Colonies Protectorates Independent area (usually) under the protection of another nation Spheres of influence An area that is under the influence of another nation

8. Imperialism in Africa and Asia European domination European conflicts carried to the colonies Christian missionary efforts Spheres of influence in China Suez Canal—controlled by Great Britain East India Company’s (GB) domination of Indian states America’s opening of Japan to trade

9. Responses of colonized peoples Armed conflicts (e.g., events leading to the Boxer Rebellion in China) Rise of nationalism (e.g., first Indian nationalist party founded in the mid-1800s)

10. 1905: a problem arose over a little area called Morocco France began taking steps to add Morocco to its list of possessions Germany also had interests in Morocco and opposed France’s actions Germany asked for a conference on the issue Great Britain acted as mediator The final result: Morocco would stay independent but have French influence

11. Militarism In order to back up their imperialistic goals, many nations believed they needed a strong military presence Militaries began actually having political influence over many nations The most evident example of militarism can be seen in Germany by 1900, Germany had the most powerful weapons and the best military in Europe Germany had already created a very strong navy in the 1890s; an attempt to outdo Great Britain

12. Great Britain attempted to match Germany’s naval buildup in the 1890s and 1900s, causing more tensions to grow between the 2 nations More and more nations began joining in on the arms race between Germany and Great Britain France began to develop a strong military Russia began to increase the size of its military

13. Alliances European nations began creating alliances in an attempt to protect themselves 1879: Bismarck created the Dual Alliance A pact between Germany and Austria-Hungary 1882: Italy was added as a member of the alliance to create the Triple Alliance Italy Germany Austria-Hungary

14. Bismarck created the alliances for 2 main reasons 1.) To avoid a 2-front war 2.) To keep France weak and unable to revenge its loss in the Franco-Prussian War

15. France wanted to make alliances against Bismarck 1894: France made an alliance with Russia, both agreeing to help each other if either were attacked by the Triple Alliance 1904: France and Great Britain make an agreement to end hostilities against each other (entente) 1907: Great Britain and Russia sign an entente By 1907, Great Britain, France, and Russia were together in an alliance called the Triple Entente—designed to counterbalance the Triple Alliance

16. By 1907, two very distinct sides were emerging in Europe These alliances would prove to be very dangerous for both sides