Causes of The Great War

IB History

Causes of WWI - MANIA

•Militarism

•Alliances

•Nationalism

• Imperialism

•Assassination

Militarism• Nation’s armed forces come to dominate a country’s

national policy• Glorification of the military and war itself

• Military was huge part of Europe’s nations – Officers were considered de facto government ministers

acting as advisors.– “For king and country”– Wilhelm II strongly pushed military and modernization- keep

“place in the sun”

• Militarists were also driven by experiences and failures in previous wars, such as the Crimean War, Boer War and Russo-Japanese War.

Militarism• In 1870, the combined military spending of the six great powers (Britain,

France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Italy) totaled $144 million. 

• By 1914 it had quadrupled to 398 million pounds.• Germany added 170,000 full-time soldiers to its army in 1913-14• Led to advances in new weapons and military technology

1910-1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures

France 10%

Britain 13%

Russia 39%

Germany 73%

Militarism• “The Charge of the Light Brigade”

– In Britain by Alfred Tennyson, 1854.(1) Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward,All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred."Forward, the Light Brigade!"Charge for the guns!" he said:Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

(6) When can their glory fade?O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered.Honor the charge they made,Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred.

Alliances• Signed treaties in which each nation involved pledges to defend the other if

attacked by an aggressor• Basically, countries agreed to help each other

– Treaty of London (1839)- acknowledged Belgium as an independent state.– Dual Alliance (1879)- military alliance between Germany and Austria-

Hungary, that required each signatory to support the other if one was attacked by Russia.

– Triple Alliance (1882)- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy was driven by anti-French and anti-Russian sentiment.

– Franco-Russian Alliance (1894)- allowing Russia access to French loans and providing French capitalists with resources.

– Anglo-Russian Entente- agreement between Britain and Russia eased tensions.

– Triple Entente- three way agreement between Britain, France and Russia (not a military alliance)

Alliances

Germany

Italy

Great Britain

France

Russia

Austria-Hungary

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Nationalism

• Pride and patriotism in one’s nation• In terms of WWI, nationalism became

aggressive and subsequently (because of this) a major cause of international tension

• Independent nations desired dominance and prestige and as these powers tried to dominate each other in Europe, their rivalries may be regarded as one of the causes of the First World War

Nationalism• Many Europeans nurtured a firm belief in the cultural,

economic and military supremacy of their nation.– England, France and Germany had become used to victorious

colonial wars. (Only France had lost a recent war – Franco-Prussian War)

• Forgotten how terrible war really is.

• Germany recently just unified– Relied on nationalism to consolidate the nation

• Desire for independence– 80 ethnic groups in Russia– Austria-Hungary threatened by Slavic nationalists

• Upset by Vienna’s annexation of Bosnia, Serbian nationalists assassinated the archduke to create a “Greater Serbia”.

Imperialism

• Domination by one country over the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or region

• Due to the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, some European nations had a large portion of the world under their control

Imperialism and Colonial Rivalries• After 1870, the European nations began to acquire

colonies in Asia, Africa and the Pacific• The deterioration of another imperial power, the Ottoman

Empire, attracted the attention of European powers, who sought territory, influence or access in the Balkans and eastern Europe.

• Colonial rivalry led to:– strained relations among the European powers. In Africa, all the

European powers except Austria and Russia had colonies there. Thus there were many clashes among France, Britain, Germany and Italy.

– the formation and strengthening of alliances and ententes. (indirectly)

– an intensification of the arms race. • Partially to maintain control after wars like the Boer War and Russo-

Japanese War.

Imperialism

• “Rush for Empire”

• Scramble for territories in Africa– Led to several diplomatic incidents

• Morocco– Not a colony, but France wanted to make it a protectorate

» In 1905, Wilhelm II, travels to Morocco and speaks about his support for their independence

– 1911, French were suppressing a rebellion in Morocco.» Germany parked a vessel in the harbor without

permission and with no clear purpose – nearly brought the two to war. (Germany was trying to create division between GB and France).

Assassination

• The “spark” that started WWI

• On June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria Hungarian Throne was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist who believed that Bosnia should belong to Serbia

More

• Police and Chief of security were in first two cars. Ferdinand was in third car with top down.

• Recommended that police line the street by the local security officer, but was told this would offend the royal citizenry.

• Route was publicized.

More• Assassination

– First assassin failed to act with bomb.– Second assassin failed to act (bomb & pistol)– Third assassin through bomb (bounced off and blew up next car)

• Tried to commit suicide after but failed (cyanide pill and jumped in river- cyanide just caused vomiting and river was too shallow)

– Next three assassins failed to act due to the speed of the procession after bomb.

• Continued with next with Townhall Reception- written speech was bloody

– Car took same route home and stopped in spot where Princip was waiting.

• Princip jumped forward and fired two shots.– "the first bullet wounded the Archduke in the jugular vein, the second

inflicted an abdominal wound on the Duchess.“– Both died on the way to the governors house.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie at Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914

• Gavrilo Princip after his assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The Point of No Return• Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s

death.

• Austria-Hungary, with the backing of Germany, delivers an ultimatum to Serbia.

• The Serbs propose arbitration and agree to all terms of the ultimatum but one as a way to resolve dispute, but also begin mobilization of their troops.

The Point of No Return

• Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

• Germany pledged their support for Austria -Hungary.

• Russia pledged their support for Serbia.

• Germany warns Russia not to mobilize; Russia mobilizes anyways.

• Germany declares war on Russia

• France pledges their support for Russia

• Germany declares war on France

• Germany invades Belgium on the way to France

• Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany; United States declares neutrality.

Allied PowersAllied Powers::Allied PowersAllied Powers:: Central Central PowersPowers::Central Central PowersPowers::

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Great Britain

France

Russia

Italy

Germany

Austria-Hungary

Ottoman Empire

Sources

• http://www.thecorner.org/hist/wwi/colonial.htm• http://www.mrberlin.com/8th/WWI/

World_War_I_causes.ppt • http://www.msroachesplace.com/causes1.ppt