Setting the Scene On June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria Hungary was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in Saravejo. He believed that Bosnia should be part of Serbia, not Austria Hungary. This would set in motion a series of events that would start World War I. Causes of World War I Imperialism By 1910 the most desirable colonies had been taken. Competition for the land that remained led to conflict. Germany was jealous of Britain and France s control of large, resource rich empires. Germany and others realized that they could only expand by taking land in Africa from other colonizers. Militarism Diplomacy had taken a back seat to an aggressive buildup of a nation s armed forces in preparation for war. Militaries were also given more authority over governments and foreign policy. Austria Hungary, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia all spent large sums of money on new weapons and warships. Nationalism There was a tendency for countries to act in their own national interest. If this went against the interest of another nation, war could result. Example: France wanted Alsace Lorraine, which had been conquered in 1871 by Germany, returned. Germany said it had historic ties to its country and would not return it. 1
Alliances In countries with diverse ethnic populations, individual groups sought self government. Example: Austria Hungary controlled Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, Italians, Romanians, and Serbs who wanted to be part of neighboring countries instead. The longings of ethnic minorities often led to war. A system of alliances developed in Europe bounding the powers to come to each other s aid in the event of an attack. Germany and Austria were linked by treaty, as were Russia and France and France and Great Britain. The Conflict Expands 1. What event is considered to have started World War I? Austria Hungary blamed Serbia for Francis Ferdinand s assassination due to an ongoing dispute over control of Bosnia. 2. What were the causes of World War I? On July 23, Austria Hungary demanded that Bosnia cease its support for terrorism within 2 days or risk war. Unsatisfied with Serbia s response, Austria Hungary declared war on July 28. This set off a chain reaction of alliances. Russia, as Serbia s protector, began to mobilize troops. Germany, Austria Hungary s ally, demanded that Russia stop mobilizing. Russia refused, and France, Russia s ally, began to prepare for war, as did Germany. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia. Germany, which sits between France and Russia, decided to quickly attack France to knock it out of the war, them focus on Russia. This was known as the Schlieffen Plan. To get to France, Germany had to go through Belgium, a neutral country. This caused Britain to enter the war on August 4. 2
One week later, all of the major European powers had been drawn into the war. Germany and Austria Hungary were known as the Central Powers. Russia, France, Serbia, and Great Britain were the Allies. Stalemate 1. What alliances causes the expansion of the war? By September, Germany had swept through Belgium and northern France and had advanced within 30 miles of Paris. 2. What was the Schlieffen Plan? The French and British stopped them at the Marne River. 3. Why did Great Britain enter the war? This led to a stalemate where neither side was able to gain an advantage. Holed up in muddy, rat infested trenches, each side fought across a no man s land for months with little success. In the east, Russia invaded Germany and Austria Hungary. Germany expected to give up some land to Russia until it defeated France, but due to the stalemate, Germany was forced to move troops to the east faster than it had planned. At the end of 1914, the Ottoman Empire, centered in what is now Turkey, entered the war on the side of the Central Powers. In the spring of 1915, Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies. Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in October, and Romania joined the Allies the following year. Neither side was still able to gain an advantage. 3
Modern Warfare http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm? guidassetid=149e5ff0 1775 48B7 B180 2ECCE5ECF5C4&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US The soldiers of World War I came up against new killing machines of amazing efficiency. Defensive forces used machine guns and rapid fire artillery to stop advancing soldiers. Grenades and poison gases also were used. Commanders repeatedly sent troops charging over the trenches into no man s land where they were mowed down by the new weapons. In desperation, armies, burned fields, killed livestock, and poisoned wells, refusing to distinguish between soldier and civilian. They tunneled under enemy trenches to plant bombs. German submarines attacked any ship believed to be carrying supplies to the enemy. Britain blockaded Germany, starving the German people. 1. What was no man s land? 2. Describe life in the trenches? 3. What new weapons were used in the war? 4. How did the new weapons affect the fighting during the war? 4
The American Response Many Americans felt personally involved in the war because they were immigrants. Germany Americans and Irish Americans tended to support the Central Powers, but most Americans supported Great Britain and the Allies. Others, who supported democracy, dislike Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany because he had strong powers over the government. American Neutrality Reporters described the Germans as cold blooded soldiers who killed civilians and destroyed libraries, cathedrals, and towns in Belgium and France Much of this was actually propaganda spread by Britain to sway American opinion. The Preparedness Movement American investments overseas had reached $3.5 million by the start of the war. Those who supported Great Britain wanted the U.S. to be prepared to help Britain if necessary. To protect investments, the U.S. declared itself a neutral nation and tried to act as a peacemaker. In December 1914, the National Security League was founded. The Peace Movement Former Populists, Midwest progressives, and social reformers organized a peace movement. Women were particularly active in this group. This group convinced the government to begin training soldiers for combat and to increase the armed forces. 1. How did Americans feel about the outbreak of war in Europe? 2. How did propaganda effect the opinion of Americans about the war in Europe? 3. What role did the U.S. decide to play in the war? 4. What was the preparedness movement? 5