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