Causes of World War I

SSWH17Demonstrate (Determine) an

understanding of long-term causes of World War I and its global impact.

■a. Identify (classify) causes of the war, include: nationalism, entangling alliances, militarism, and imperialism.

■ Text

From 1914 to 1919, World War I erupted in Europe

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

What caused World War I?

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

MILITARISMALLIANCESIMPERIALISM

NATIONALISM causes of World War I

MILITARISMThe 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 glorifiedmilitary power &

kept an armyprepared for war (called militarism)

Having a strong army increased

patriotism among citizens

ALLIANCESGrowing 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 formed

the Triple Entente

IMPERIALISMEuropean nations competed fiercely

for colonies in Africa & Asia

Competition for colonies often pushed Europeans

to the brink of war

This competition increased European rivalry & mistrust

Germany & France almost went to war three times

over Morocco

Germany, England, Russia

argued over building a

railroad in India

England & France

argued over rights to the

Sudan

NATIONALISM

Austrian national poster, 1900

Rivalries due to militarism & imperialism

increased nationalism among European powers

British propaganda poster, 1897

European rivals tried to maintain a balance of

power while also trying to overpower each other

“European Balance of Power, 1914”

NATIONALISMWhile nationalism unified

people in the powerful nations, it was dividing

people in weakening empires

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 Serbiawanted to unify all Slavs

but Austria-Hungary opposed giving up the

largely Slavic territories Bosnia & Herzegovina

The Balkans became a “powder keg” waiting for a spark to blow up

■b. Describe (define) conditions (situations) on the war front for soldiers, include: new technology and war tactics (strategies).

When the war began, Germany’s biggest problem was the potential of fighting on two fronts

Germany’s solution was the Schlieffen Plan which involved quickly defeating

France in the West…

…then sending troops to the East before Russia was fully

mobilized for war

■ Text

Europe before the war

The Allied Powers

The Central Powers

Europe at the outbreak of World War I

The Schlieffen Plan seemed to be working when the German army marched through

Belgium & France, within miles of Paris

But, English & French troops saved Paris at the Battle of

the Marne…

…Meanwhile, Russia mobilized faster than

expected, so Germany had to divert troops from France

Because the Schlieffen Plan failed, the Central Powers were forced to fight a two-front war

The fighting between Germany & France was

known as the Western Front

The fighting between Germany & Russia was known as the

Eastern Front

By 1915, the war settled into a stalemate as each

side fortified their positions with trenches

Soldiers going “over the top”

The soldiers had very little decent food, and what food they had was often attacked by rats.

These rats were the size of small rabbits and badgers because they had fed on the decomposing bodies of dead soldiers.

Trench Foot

New weapons were invented to try to gain an advantage & win the war

Machine guns

New weapons were invented to try to gain an advantage & win the war

Long-range artillery

New weapons were invented to try to gain an advantage & win the war

Tanks

New weapons were invented to try to gain an advantage & win the war

Airplanes & zeppelins

New weapons were invented to try to gain an advantage & win the war

Flamethrowers & grenade launchers

New weapons were invented to try to gain an advantage & win the war

Poison gas

New weapons were invented to try to gain an advantage & win the war

Submarines

New weapons killed soldiers more effectively;During World War I, 8.5 million soldier died &

21 million were wounded

To keep Germany from trading with other nations, Britain used its navy to blockade Europe

Germany responded by using unrestricted submarine warfare to attack the British navy

& any merchant ships supplying the Allies

German u-boat attacks played a role in bringing the USA into World War I

Fighting on the Western Front slowed to a stalemate as neither side could gain an advantage

During the 10 month Battle of Verdunin 1916, 1 million

soldiers were killed or wounded

Another 1 million soldiers were killed or wounded at the Battle of Somme

Despite the deaths, neither the Allies or

Central Powers gained an advantage

after these battles

Russia was not as industrialized as the rest of Europe & failed to produce enough weapons or food

Millions of Russian soldiers & civilians died

during the war

By 1917, Russia was on the brink of collapse

Russian women training for combat

On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was struggling to hold on against the German military

The stalemate on the Western & Eastern Fronts turned World War I into a war of attrition where

each side tried to out-produce & outlast the enemy

Turkish CavalrySikh British Soldiers in IndiaChinese Soldiers

When World War I began in 1914, the United States remained neutral…

…But, the USA was pulled into the war by 1917

As a neutral nation, the USA was trading with

the Allies during the war

Germany’s policy of unrestricted submarine

warfare led to attacks on U.S. merchant ships & British passenger ships

President Woodrow Wilson demanded

“freedom of the seas” but Germany refused

Americans were outraged in May 1915 when a German u-boat sank the British ship Lusitaniakilling 1,200 people including 128 Americans

America’s anger with Germany increased in

1917 after the discovery of the

Zimmerman Telegram

Germany knew that u-boat attacks would eventually bring the

USA into war Germany proposed

that Mexico attack the USA in exchange for the return of Texas,

New Mexico, Arizona Americans were

outraged

On April 2, 1917, the United States declared

war on Germany & entered the war

The arrival of millions of American soldiers in 1918

gave a boost the Allies

But in November 1917, Russia signed a peace &

exited the war

By 1918, the Central Powers were running out of supplies &

tried a massive attack into France

But, the Allies halted the attack

& pushed back

Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire, & Austria-Hungary surrendered in October 1918

On November 11, 1918 Germany agreed to an armistice (ceasefire) & World War I finally

came to an end

■c. Explain (clarify) the major decisions made in the Versailles Treaty, include: German reparations and the mandate system that replaced Ottoman control.

In 1919, representatives from 32 nations attended the

Paris Peace Conference to write a treaty to end the war

The conference was led by the “Big Four”: Britain, France, Italy, & the United States

French Premier George Clemenceau

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson

British Prime Minister David Lloyd George

Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando

Neither Germany nor any of the Central Powers were allowed to attend…Russia could not

attend because they already quit World War I

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson

Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando

Creating a treaty would not be easy because the major powers had different agendas

French Premier George Clemenceau

British Prime Minister David Lloyd George

Britain & France wanted to weaken

Germany so it could never go to war again

Britain & France wanted Germany to accept full

blame, pay reparations, & lose all overseas colonies

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson disagreed the these harsh punishments for Germany

President Wilson presented his own peace proposal known

as the Fourteen Points

The major provisions of the Versailles Treaty included:

A League of Nations that would serve as an

international organization to keep peace among nations

The League also included an Court of International Justice

to settle disagreements

The League covenant included an agreement

that all member nations would work

together to stop future acts of aggression

The terms of the treaty severely punished Germany

Germany had to give up land in

Europe & all of its overseas colonies

Germany was forced to sign the “war guilt clause” accepting all

blame for the war & pay $33 billion in reparations to the Allies

The German military was reduced to 100,000 troops, 6 warships, no submarines, & could not manufacture war equipment

Central Europe was redrawn to reduce the power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Land was taken from Germany to create Poland; The German-French border was demilitarized to avoid a future invasion

New nations were created from territories that Russia gave

up when it left the war early

Ottoman Empire was divided; Britain & France gained mandates in the

Middle East

The mandates gave Britain & France control over oil

resources in the Middle East

On June 28, 1919, Germany & the major Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Versailles

and World War I officially came to an end

Most nations celebrated the official

end of World War I

But, Germans protested the harsh terms & resented their

gov’t for signing the treaty

“Down with the brutal peace!”

In the United States, reactions to the Treaty of Versailles were mixed

According to the U.S. Constitution,

only the Senate can approve treaties

Many Senators fearedthat signing the treaty & joining the League would force America

to become involved in future wars

Members of the League of Nations (in black)As a result, the USA

never signed the treaty or joined the League of Nations