Essential Question:

What caused World War I?

Warm Up Question:

From 1914 to 1919, World War I erupted in Europe

Text

What caused World

This Great War wasWar
the I?WWI was a global war

largest, most destructive that altered the course

war the world had yet seen
of the 20th century

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

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)

Having a
strong army
increased
patriotism

IMPERIALISM
European
nations
competed Germany,
fiercely
Germany
&
England
for colonies
in Africa & Asia
France almost
England,
& France
went to war
argued over Russia argued
Competition
for to the over building a
three
times
rights
colonies
often pushed
over Morocco
railroad in India
Sudan

Europeans
to competition
the brink of
war
This
increased

European rivalry & mistrust

ALLIANCES
Germany,
Italy, &
Growing
rivalries
among England,
nations led
to the
France,
Austria-Hungary
made
formation of two
military
alliances
that
& Russia
formed
up the Triple
Alliance
threatened
to draw
European
into war
the nations
Triple Entente

NATIONALISM
Rivalries due to
militarism & imperialism
increased nationalism
among European powers

European
British propaganda poster,
1897

European rivals tried to

maintain a balance of
power while also trying to
overpower each other

Balance
of Power,
1914poster, 1900
Austrian
national

NATIONALISM
No region was more
tense in the years
before World War I
than the Balkans

Serbia, Greece,
Albania, Bulgaria,
& Romania broke
from the Ottoman
Empire to create
new
nations
Slavic
people
in Serbia

While nationalism unified

The
Balkans
people
in the
powerful
nations,
it was dividing
became
a
people powder
in weakening
empires
keg

wanted to unify all Slavs

but Austria-Hungary
opposed giving up the
largely Slavic territories
Bosnia & Herzegovina

waiting for a
spark to blow up

The Outbreak of World War I

Serbians vowed
On June 28, 1914, the Austroto take Bosnia &
Hungarian Archduke Franz
Herzegovina from
Ferdinand & his wife were
Austria-Hungary assassinated by a Serbian terrorist

The assassin Gavrilo Princip

The Outbreak of World War I

On July 23, AustriaHungary issued an

ultimatum to Serbia: turn
over conspirators & allow
an
investigationORgo
When
Serbia balked at some
to Austria-Hungary
war
of the terms,

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

World
War 14,Begins
Austria-Hungary
On
August
1914, England
On
August
1,
1914,
declared
war
on
Serbia
On
August
3,
1914,
declared
war on
Germany
&
Russia
mobilized
for
Italy
backed
out
of
its
Germany
declared
& its ally Russia
and Serbia
joined
Austria-Hungary
Germany
declared
war
to protect
agreement
with
Germany
war
on
Russia
on France
& war
Austria-Hungary

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 world