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Wwi Causes Notes

World War I was caused by extreme nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and a system of entangled alliances in Europe. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the war. When Austria declared war on Serbia, the alliance system pulled other countries into the conflict due to preexisting defense agreements. Within a few months, the major European powers were engaged in a war along the Western Front that resulted in four years of bloody trench warfare.

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4K views

Wwi Causes Notes

World War I was caused by extreme nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and a system of entangled alliances in Europe. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the war. When Austria declared war on Serbia, the alliance system pulled other countries into the conflict due to preexisting defense agreements. Within a few months, the major European powers were engaged in a war along the Western Front that resulted in four years of bloody trench warfare.

Uploaded by

api-295914646
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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World War I

Outcome: Causes for World War I

Underlying Causes
1. What Causes Most Wars
a. Extreme Nationalism (Super Patriotism or love for ones country)
b.

Imperialism: Spreading the political or economic control of one country


over another

c.

Militarism: using force or the threat of force against another nation

d.

Entangled system of alliances (secret)

e.

Fanatical leaders

Underlying Causes
2. Rival Alliances Created a False Sense of Security
a. Triple Entente
i. Great Britain: King George V
ii. France: Premier Clemenceau
iii. Russia: Czar Nicholas II

b. Triple Alliance
i. Germany: Kaiser Wilhelm II
ii. Austria-Hungary: Emanuel II

Causes of World War I


3. What Caused World War I
a. Unrest in the Balkans
i. Bosnians felt abused under the rule of Austria-Hungary
ii. Goal: To create a Greater Serbia (unite Slavic people)
iii. This movement was strongly supported by Mother Russia

Causes of World War I


b. June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Austrias heir to the

throne) was assassinated by a Bosnian Serb Nationalist while on a


good will trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia. This spark would ignite the war.

Archduke shot by Gavrillo Princip

Causes of World War I


c. Alliance Unfolded:
i.

Austria declared war on Serbia

ii. Russia supported Serbia (mother country w/ethnic ties)


iii. Germany sided w/Austria & declared war on Russia
iv. France was obligated to help Russia & Great Britain to help France
v. By August 5, 1914, Europe was engulfed in war!

Causes of World War I


d. Germanys Schlieffen Plan to avoid a 2 front war failed
i.

Front: zone of conflict between armies

ii.

Western Front would mostly be in France

iii. Area between armies was known as no mans land


iv. Fighting two fronts puts a giant strain on resources and man power

Trench Warfare

No Mans Land

Causes of World War I


4. The Fighting Sides
a. Triple Alliance becomes The Central Powers (The Bad Guys)
i.

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria

ii.

Italy gave up its defensive agreement w/Germany & joined other side

Causes of World War I


b. Triple Entente becomes The Allied Powers or Allies (The Good Guys)

Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy,


ii. U.S. would join in April of 1917
i.

Eventually over 50 nations were involved in The Great War

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