The Causes of World War I

Major Causes of WWI

1. European empire building (imperialism)

2. Nationalism3. Militarism4. Forming Alliances

1) Empire Building

In the beginning, tensions grew out of the desire of European nations to enlarge their empires (imperialism).

The “Devilfish”

Political

Cartoon

Example:

Scramble for Africa

2) Nationalism

In the early 1900’s, nationalism caused great conflict between some major European nations.

2) Nationalism

Nationalism- being loyal to and proud of your country, often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries.

3) Militarism

As nations competed for colonies, they strengthened their armies and navies to protect their interests.

3) Militarism Militarism is the belief that a country should

build strong armies to defend itself from threats of war.

3) Militarism In this atmosphere of

militarism, Germany, France, and Russia developed huge armies and they used conscription to fill their armies with soldiers.

Strongest Military

Britain had the world’s largest and strongest navy.

Germany began to build up its navy.

A bitter rivalry soon grew between these two countries.

4) Forming Alliances

Alliances were formed between some countries to protect one another in time of need.

4) Forming Alliances An alliance is a union formed for mutual

benefit, esp. between countries or organizations.

The Allies One major alliance was

between Great Britain, France, and Russia.

When war broke out in 1914, they became known as the Allies.

Italy joined this group a year later.

US joined after Russia left in 1917

The Central Powers

The other alliance was between the countries of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.

They were known as the Central Powers.

Ottoman Empire?

Empire of the Turks (people from modern day Turkey)

Created in the 1300s and lasted until the end of World War I WOW!

Leaders of the WWI Central Powers:

"In struggle united"

Trick to Remember

They were AMIN for war!

Alliances

Militarism

Imperialism

Nationalism

The War Begins World War I, also

known as the Great War, began in June of 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.

He was the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary.

Weaponry

This war was different from any others. More powerful weapons such as artillery guns, poisonous gases, and tanks were developed.

U.S. Involvement

The United States entered the war in 1917 after Germany began sinking American ships.

The U.S. sided with the Allies.

The End of the War

U.S. involvement marked a turning point in the war.

On November 11, 1918, Germany ended the war with a cease-fire.

Paris, 1919 The Big Four leaders of the Allies.

Left to right: Vittorio Orlando (Italy), David Lloyd George (Great Britain), Georges Clemenceau (France) and Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)

The Treaty of Versailles

In January 1919, peace talks began at Versailles, France.

The Treaty of Versailles stripped Germany of… Most of its armed

forces Land claimed And required Germans

to pay war damages (reparations) of $33 billion to the Allies.

Delivery of reparations (1920)

Effects of The Treaty of Versailles

1. The war and treaties redrew the map of Europe.

2. The Austro-Hungarian Empire completely disappeared.

WWI- The War in Europe

Flow Map- Make a flow map to sequence at least six events in the video. Focus on events and the names of people/places that we have discussed in the notes. Don’t forget to include a frame of reference, sources inside the corners of the frame, and colorful pictures to represent the information that you wrote about.