World War I
Major Players
Austria-Hungary and Germany
Germany• Desired to expand its empire
and get colonies• Built a powerful army and navy
to equal Great Britain.• Feared France due to anger
over lost territories of Alsace & Lorraine
Germany and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary• Contained a large number of
Slavic peoples living in the southern part of the country who wanted their freedom
• Annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, which angered the Slavics
Europe in 1914
Italy• Main goal to colonize, mainly
northern Africa
• No large empire to defend and not much of a threat militarily
Great Britain• Industrialized-large, strong navy.
• Wanted to maintain a balance in Europe so she couldn’t be threatened.
• Was threatened by Germany’s military build-up and desire to expand.
France• Feared Germany’s growing
power!
• Angry with Germany over the loss of territories (Alsace and Lorraine) during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)
Russia• Largest of the Slavic countries
and acted as a protector
• Looking to expand its empire, especially in the south to allow for sea access.
Serbia
• Wanted to bring all of the Slavic peoples together.
• Angered over the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Slavic territories) by Austria-Hungary
The Balkan Region 1914
Triple Entente
Balkans