causes of wwi essential question: what caused world war i?
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Text From 1914 to 1919, World War I erupted in Europe What caused World War I? This “Great War” was the largest, most destructive war the world had yet seen WWI was a global war that altered the course of the 20th centuryTRANSCRIPT
Causes of WWI Essential Question: What caused World War I? Text
From 1914 to 1919, World War I erupted in Europe
What caused World War I? This Great War was the largest, most
destructive war the world had yet seen WWI was a global war that
altered the course of the 20th century MILITARISM IMPERIALISM
ALLIANCES
From 1870 to 1914, a number of developments gradually increased
tensions among the European powers that led to the outbreak of
World War I The MILITARISM ALLIANCES IMPERIALISM NATIONALISM causes
of World War I While peace and harmony characterized much of Europe
at the beginning of the 1900s, there were less visibleand
darkerforces at work as well. Below the surface of peace and
goodwill, Europe witnessed several gradual developments that would
ultimately help propel the continent into war. MILITARISM
IMPERIALISM ALLIANCES
From 1870 to 1914, a number of developments gradually increased
tensions among the European powers that led to the outbreak of
World War I The MILITARISM ALLIANCES IMPERIALISM NATIONALISM causes
of World War I While peace and harmony characterized much of Europe
at the beginning of the 1900s, there were less visibleand
darkerforces at work as well. Below the surface of peace and
goodwill, Europe witnessed several gradual developments that would
ultimately help propel the continent into war. MILITARISM The
Industrial Revolution led to large, advanced militaries in Europe
Europeans believed that to be great, nations had to have strong
militaries As a result, an arms race began among European nations,
especially between Britain & Germany Nations glorified military
power & kept an army prepared for war (called militarism) Yet
another troubling development throughout the early years of the
20th century was the rise of a dangerous European arms race. The
nations of Europe believed that to be truly great, they needed to
have a powerful military. By 1914, all the Great Powers except
Britain had large standing armies. In addition, military experts
stressed the importance of being able to quickly mobilize, or
organize and move troops in case of a war. Generals in each country
developed highly detailed plans for such a mobilization. The policy
of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war
was known as militarism. Having a large and strong standing army
made citizens feel patriotic Having a strong army increased
patriotism among citizens MILITARISM IMPERIALISM ALLIANCES
From 1870 to 1914, a number of developments gradually increased
tensions among the European powers that led to the outbreak of
World War I The MILITARISM ALLIANCES IMPERIALISM NATIONALISM causes
of World War I While peace and harmony characterized much of Europe
at the beginning of the 1900s, there were less visibleand
darkerforces at work as well. Below the surface of peace and
goodwill, Europe witnessed several gradual developments that would
ultimately help propel the continent into war. IMPERIALISM Germany
& France almost went to war three times over Morocco European
nations competed fiercely for colonies in Africa & Asia
England& France argued over rights to the Sudan Germany,
England, Russia argued over building a railroad in India
Competition for colonies often pushed Europeans to the brink of war
This competition increased European rivalry & mistrust Another
force that helped set the stage for war in Europe was imperialism.
As Chapter 27 explained, the nations of Europe competed fiercely
for colonies in Africa and Asia. The quest for colonies sometimes
pushed European nations to the brink of war. As European countries
continued to compete for overseas empires, their sense of rivalry
and mistrust of one another deepened. MILITARISM IMPERIALISM
ALLIANCES
From 1870 to 1914, a number of developments gradually increased
tensions among the European powers that led to the outbreak of
World War I The MILITARISM ALLIANCES IMPERIALISM NATIONALISM causes
of World War I While peace and harmony characterized much of Europe
at the beginning of the 1900s, there were less visibleand
darkerforces at work as well. Below the surface of peace and
goodwill, Europe witnessed several gradual developments that would
ultimately help propel the continent into war. ALLIANCES Growing
rivalries among nations led to the formation of two military
alliances that threatened to draw European nations into war
Germany, Italy, & Austria-Hungary made up the Triple Alliance
England, France,& Russia formedthe Triple Entente MILITARISM
IMPERIALISM ALLIANCES
From 1870 to 1914, a number of developments gradually increased
tensions among the European powers that led to the outbreak of
World War I The MILITARISM ALLIANCES IMPERIALISM NATIONALISM causes
of World War I While peace and harmony characterized much of Europe
at the beginning of the 1900s, there were less visibleand
darkerforces at work as well. Below the surface of peace and
goodwill, Europe witnessed several gradual developments that would
ultimately help propel the continent into war. NATIONALISM
Rivalries due to militarism & imperialism increased nationalism
among European powers European rivals tried to maintain a balance
of power while also trying to overpower each other One such
development was the growth of nationalism, or a deep devotion to
ones nation. Nationalism can serve as a unifying force within a
country. However, it also can cause intense competition among
nations, with each seeking to overpower the other. By the turn of
the 20th century, a fierce rivalry indeed had developed among
Europes Great Powers. Those nations were Germany, Austria-Hungary,
Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France. This increasing rivalry
among European nations stemmed from several sources. Competition
for materials and markets was one. Territorial disputes were
another. France, for example, had never gotten over the loss of
Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War (1870).
Austria-Hungary and Russia both tried to dominate in the Balkans, a
region in southeast Europe. Within the Balkans, the intense
nationalism of Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians, and other ethnic
groups led to demands for independence. European Balance of Power,
1914 British propaganda poster, 1897 Austrian national poster, 1900
The Balkans became a powder keg waiting for a spark to blow
up
NATIONALISM No region was more tense in the years before World War
I than the Balkans While nationalism unified people in the powerful
nations, it was dividing people in weakening empires The Balkans
became a powder keg waiting for a spark to blow up Serbia, Greece,
Albania, Bulgaria, & Romania broke from the Ottoman Empire to
create new nations Nowhere was that dispute more likely to occur
than on the Balkan Peninsula. This mountainous peninsula in the
southeastern corner of Europe was home to an assortment of ethnic
groups. With a long history of nationalist uprisings and ethnic
clashes, the Balkans was known as the powder keg of Europe. By the
early 1900s, the Ottoman Empire, which included the Balkan region,
was in rapid decline. While some Balkan groups struggled to free
themselves from the Ottoman Turks, others already had succeeded in
breaking away from their Turkish rulers. These peoples had formed
new nations, including Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and
Serbia. Nationalism was a powerful force in these countries. Each
group longed to extend its borders. Serbia, for example, had a
large Slavic population. It hoped to absorb all the Slavs on the
Balkan Peninsula. Russia, itself a mostly Slavic nation, supported
Serbian nationalism. However, Serbias powerful northern neighbor,
Austria-Hungary, opposed such an effort. Austria feared that
efforts to create a Slavic state would stir rebellion among its
Slavic population. In 1908, Austria annexed, or took over, Bosnia
and Herzegovina. These were two Balkan areas with large Slavic
populations. Serbian leaders, who had sought to rule these
provinces, were outraged. In the years that followed, tensions
between Serbia and Austria steadily rose. The Serbs continually
vowed to take Bosnia and Herzegovina away from Austria. In
response, Austria-Hungary vowed to crush any Serbian effort to
undermine its authority in the Balkans Slavic people in Serbia
wanted to unify all Slavs but Austria-Hungary opposed giving up the
largely Slavic territories Bosnia & Herzegovina The Outbreak of
World War I
Serbians vowed to take Bosnia & Herzegovina from
Austria-Hungary On June 28, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Archduke
Franz Ferdinand & his wife were assassinated by a Serbian
terrorist The assassin Gavrilo Princip The Outbreak of World War
I
On July 23, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia:turn over
conspirators & allow an investigationORgo to war When Serbia
balked at some of the terms, Austria-Hungary declared war on June
28, 1914 Russia had a large population of Slavs &was an ally of
Serbia; Russia moved troops to the Austrian border These events set
off a chain reaction that started World War I Austria-Hungary
declared war on Serbia & its ally Russia
World War 1 Begins Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia & its
ally Russia On August 4, 1914, England declared war on Germany
& Austria-Hungary On August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on
Russia On August 3, 1914, Germany declared war on France Russia
mobilized for war to protect Serbia Italy backed out of its
agreement with Germany & Austria-Hungary and joined the Allies
On July 28,1914, Serbia declined the ultimatum World War I had
begun During the war Germany & Austria-Hungary became the
Central Powers; they were joined by Bulgaria & the Ottoman
Empire The members of the Triple Entente became known as the Allied
Powers and eventually were joined by many nations throughout the
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