Pre-Conditions to WWIWhat starts the war?

Advances During WWINew Strategy and Technology

Industrialization/Mechanization

The industrial age leads to amazing advances in military technology• Submarines• Tanks• Airplanes• Machine-guns• Artillery Guns

Trench Warfare Perhaps the most ineffective war

strategy conceived• Dig large ditches, many times only tens of

feet apart• Pop up and shoot• Machine guns and long-range artillery make

advancing almost impossible• Costs hundreds of thousands of lives for

very little gain

Propaganda Developed by the British

• Creates “good v. evil” diameteric• “Evil” enemy eliminates idea of diplomacy• Causes war to be lengthened

Changes Growing imperialism leads to a race

for foreign conquest Expansion into international markets

forces various nations into contact Rising militarism leads to arms race Nationalism leads to countries

seeking to take ethnic lands

Alliances Triple Alliance

• Germany• Austria-Hungary• Italy

Triple Entente• France• Russia• England

Purpose of Alliances Countries agree to support one

another in event of attack Theoretically, would prevent war by

having massive consequences for action

German conquests and ambitions upset balance of power

The Spark Alliances actually serve to de-stabilize

• False sense of confidence and aggression June 28, 1914

• Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Austria-Hungary) is assassinated by Serbian

• A-H concerned Serbia trying to break away• Russia feels that Serbia is in its domain,

warns A-H to back off• Germany then threatens Russia to back off• France and Britain support Russia