WORLD WAR I 1914 – 1918
#1
1. Marching Toward War
A. Rising Tensions in Europe
Nationalism – can unify people domestically, but can also create
international rivalries with other states
Causes of rivalry between nations:
- Competition for markets and resources (imperial rivalry)
- Territorial disputes:
- France wanted Germany to return Alsace-Lorraine
- Russia & Austria-Hungary fought over the Balkans
- Intense nationalism inflamed Balkan States that vied
for independence from empires
Imperialism & Militarism: (#2)
Imperialism- Quest for colonies in Africa & Asia caused tension
- Ex. Boer War – Dutch vs. British
Militarism – def.- The policy of glorifying military power and
maintaining large armies/navies
- It fuels and is fueled by Nationalism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nkIpPD3xJ1A&feature=endscreen&NR=1
- Industrialization – made it possible to mass-produce and
stockpile weapons and equip massive standing armies
B. Tangled Alliances (#3)
Bismarck Forges Alliances:
- OVB started wars to unite Germany
- After unification in 1871, OVB declared Germany a
“Satisfied Power” – he wanted to secure peace in Europe
- Feared France would want revenge for Franco-Prussian losses
-  Triple Alliance – Ger/A-H/Italy – designed to isolate France
and scare it into accepting peace
- Signed a peace treaty with Russia, too
Kaiser Wilhelm II
- Became king of Prussia in 1890
- Traumatized by physical deformity – compensated for it by
bullying others - arrogant, ego-maniacal, unpredictable
- An extreme militarist
- Fired OVB, destroyed his attempts
to restore peace in Europe by:
- Ending treaty w/ Russia
- Rapidly increased size of navy,
Alarming Gr. Britain
(#3)
Triple Entente – alliance made between France, Russia,
and Great Britain:
France – feared Germany’s alliance was hostile
Russia – alarmed that WII ended their treaty
Great Britain – reacted to Germany’s naval build-up
- Now there were 2 gangs – Triple Alliance & Triple Entente
A conflict between any of the nations could drag them all into
a war
C. Crisis in the Balkans – (#4)
- The Balkan Peninsula -Called the “Powder Keg” of Europe – A
dense mix of ethnicities, Empires, and intense nationalism
- Ottoman Turks ruled it for centuries, but were in rapid decline
- Some groups were trying to break from Turks, others already had
- Some were Slavs, others were not
- Austria-Hungary ruled in the north,
not Slavs themselves, but ruled over many
- Russia – Slavic Empire that supported
other Slavic rebellions
- Serbia – central Balkan Slavic state –
wanted to unite & govern all Balkan
Slavs
BALKANS
Balkans – The
Powder-Keg of
Europe
(#5) Assassination and Ultimatum:
The Black Hand – Terrorist group that wanted to free Bosnia
From Austrian rule
- Archduke Franz Ferdinand – crown prince of A-H – visited
Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia on a historic anniversary of Slavic defeat
- The Black Hand
ambushed the
Archduke and his
wife, killing the
heir to the A-H
throne
The Archduke
Assassin Gavrilo Princip
Gavrilo Princip being taken into custody after the assassination
- Austria was furious, intent on punishing Serbian Slavs because
they were viewed as the force behind Slavic nationalism
Ultimatum – an “either/or” set of demands – Austria made
Demands that Serbia could not accept if it wanted to remain
a free nation
- Serbia agreed to most demands, but requested an international
conference to settle some of the issues
- Austria refused to negotiate & declared war
- Russia mobilized its forces & sent them to the Austrian border
To defend their Slavic ally, Serbia
-  Last-minute frantic attempts to negotiate by the leaders of
Germany and Russia failed to prevent the conflict