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CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I1914-1918
AMERICA ENTERS IN 1917
LONG-TERM CAUSES OF WAR
Europe was in so much conflict it was a powder keg waiting to explode and the powder inside was…MilitarismAlliancesImperialismNationalism
MILITARISM (GLORIFICATION OF THE MILITARY)
European leaders knew there was a war coming so they start to prepareIncrease the size of their armies and
stockpile weapons (arms race)Germany was the frontrunner and
Britain wanted to keep upThis guaranteed that the next war was
going to be deadly Machine guns, tanks, submarines, airplanes
ALLIANCES (MAKING FRIENDS) Another way to prepare for war Allied Powers or Triple Entente: France, Russia, and
Great Britain…United States later Central Powers or Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-
Hungary, and Italy If one of these countries went to war then all of them
would go to war as well…would also ensure that war would be deadly
IMPERIALISM (COMPETITION FOR LAND AND POWER)
The more overseas colonies a nation had, the wealthier they were
major rivalry between western nationsGermany was
threatening America’s dominance
NATIONALISM (DEVOTION TO ONE’S NATION)
Nations are starting to have pride in the majority ethnic group in their countryCountries reject that
they are collections of different ethnic groups
Fueled by Social Darwinism
SHORT TERM CAUSE (IMMEDIATE CAUSE/SPARK)
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary (A-H) and wife
killed by a Serbian nationalists who believed the Archduke was a tyrant wanted Serbia to be part of
Bosnia not A-H, supported by the Allied
Powers A-H investigates…Serbians
are non compliant…A-H declares war
ALLIANCES ARE TESTED
After A-H declared war there is a domino affect: Russia began to mobilize
to help its ally Serbia… Germany declares war
on Russia… France has Russia’s
back and declares war on Germany…
Germany invades neutral Belgium to get to France…
then Great Britain declared war on Germany
in one short week a world war had started
TRENCH WARFARE
On each front (east and west) of Germany trenches were dug in the ground for cover
Led to deadly stalemate (nothing happening)
“no man’s land” Solution: Mustard Gas
new technology used to attack the enemy without getting too close to the trenches
lingered on the battlefield for days leaves chemical burns (blisters) or can burn
the respiratory system if not fatalnow a gas mask is part of a soldiers uniform
WHAT WILL AMERICA DO? President Wilson encouraged America to
be neutral (Washington’s suggestion) Three Opinions of the War
Isolationists (aka Neutralists): the war is none of our business; neutrality is American tradition and too many lives would be lost
Interventionists: the war did affect America; get involved
Internationalists: took the middle road (Pres. Wilson)
But many Americans still chose sides and were affected indirectly…many Americans were immigrants from the countries at war Most side with Britain and France
AMERICA’S NEUTRALITY IS TESTED ( UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE)
Germany set up a blockade around Britain using u-boats or submarines…went undetected and unrestricted
Germany attacked British passenger liner the Lusitania…America is outraged but remained neutral
To keep the US out of the war, Germany promised, in the Sussex Pledge, not to sink passenger or merchant ships…they broke this promise
AMERICA GETS READY FOR WAR
Expanded the size of the US Army and started building more warships (militarism)
Wilson runs for a successful reelection in 1916 on the slogan “he kept us out of war”
AMERICA ABANDONS NEUTRALITY Zimmerman Telegram
was intercepted by the British Germany tries to gain
Mexico as an ally by giving back Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Mexico upon a German victory
Germany resumes its unrestricted submarine warfare (the straw that broke the camels back)
America declares war on Germany in 1917
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