Download Handout: Jigsaw WWI Causes Activity

I. Imperialism
“Imperialism was clearly a contributing cause of World War I. The competition for
overseas possessions often brought European powers into conflict. In the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, Germany became more and more aggressive in its quest for imperial
possessions. In 1905, the leading imperial powers acceded to Germany’s demand for a
conference to dispute French control of Morocco. Though Germany gained nothing, other
nations began to view Germany as a threat to stability in Europe. Britain and France had
vied for control of areas in Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. It was
not until the Anglo-French Entente of 1904 that the two nations finally settled their
colonial disputes. Many the “entangling alliances” that historians often cite as a premier
cause of World War I actually came about as a result of conflicts over imperialism.”1
“What was most strikingly novel about the new imperialism was its intense concentration
upon two continents: Africa and eastern Asia. These were the only two important areas of
the globe still not brought under European influence before 1870. The decades between
1870 and 1914 speedily completed the expansion of European influence and civilization
over the whole of the earth; and it was accomplished in an era when the realism,
ruthlessness, and rivalries of European national governments were exceptionally great. It
therefore had a temper uniquely masterful and remorseless, brooking no obstacles and
pushily self-assertive. This quality came as much from the nature of European politics as
from the urges of European economic development. There was no international
organization fitted to exercise any kind of control or regulation over the scramble for
territories in which the great powers now indulged. The naked power politics of the new
colonialism were the projection, onto an overseas screen, of the interstate frictions and
rivalries of Europe. It was this combination of novel economic conditions with anarchic
political relations which explained the nature of the new imperialism. Among the
economic forces behind it, the urge to find new outlets for the "glut of capital" and fresh
1
Quoted from: www.socialstudies.com
markets for industrial output were in general more important than either the quest for raw
materials or the factor of overpopulation.”2
2
Quoted from http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/world/lectures/imperialism.html
II. Alliances
“An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help
if it is needed. When an alliance is signed, those countries become known as Allies.
A number of alliances had been signed by countries between the years 1879 and 1914.
These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to
declare war if one of their allies.”3
“European alliances were designed to keep a balance of power. The Triple Entente (U.K.,
France, and Russia) balanced the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy).
Belgium had pledged neutrality but made a treaty with the U.K. to protect it in case of
attack. The Ottoman Empire was weak and had allowed Germany too much control over
its foreign policy. As a whole, these alliances assured total peace or total war. There was
nothing in between: one incident could set off a chain reaction that would draw all the
countries of Europe into a conflict.”4
3
4
Quoted from: http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/world/lectures/imperialism.html
Quoted from : www.socialstudies.com
III. Militarism
“The Industrial Revolution brought great changes to all aspects of life, including the
military. Armies were now swifter, stronger, more mobile and more deadly. New
technologies also created new weapons. The cavalry and bayonets of the past would now
meet tanks, machine guns, howitzer cannons, and airplanes on the battlefields of
Europe.”5
“The menace of the hostile division led to an arms race, another cause of World War I.
Acknowledging that Germany was the leader in military organization and efficiency, the
great powers of Europe copied the universal conscription, large reserves and detailed
planning of the Prussian system. Technological and organizational developments led to
the formation of general staffs with precise plans for mobilization and attack that often
could not be reversed once they were begun. The German von Schlieffen Plan to attack
France before Russia in the event of war with Russia was one such complicated plan that
plan drew more counties into the war than necessary.
Armies and navies were greatly expanded. The standing armies of France and Germany
doubled in size between 1870 and 1914. Naval expansion was also extremely
competitive, particularly between Germany and Great Britain. By 1889, the British had
established the principle that in order to maintain naval superiority in the event of war
they would have to have a navy two and a half times as large as the second-largest navy.
This motivated the British to launch the Dreadnought, invented by Admiral Sir John
Fisher, in 1906. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had demonstrated how effective
these battleships were. As Britain increased their output of battleships, Germany
correspondingly stepped up their naval production, including the Dreadnought. Although
efforts for worldwide disarmament were made at the Hague Conferences of 1899 and
1907, international rivalry caused the arms race to continue to feed on itself.”6
5
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Quoted from: www.socialstudies.com
Quoted from: http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/great_war/causes.htm
IV. Nationalism
“In countries like Germany, nationalist movements united the people with a sense of
greatness of who they were. Nationalism takes patriotism and adds to it a sense of
superiority that calls for the conquering of the inferior. In the 19th century, nationalism
was expressed as dedication to and identification with the nation-state as evidenced by
the unification of Germany and Italy.”7
“Austria-Hungary was established as the Dual Monarchy in 1867. The Dual Monarchy
ruled over a large empire consisting of many nationalities, but only the Austrians (racially
they were German) and the Hungarians had the right to rule. The other nationalities
Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, Rumanians and Poles resented their loss of political
freedom. They desired for political independence. Thus the policy of the Dual Monarchy
was to suppress the nationalist movements both inside and outside the empire. The
particular object of the Dual Monarchy was to gain political control over the Balkan
Peninsula, where nationalist movements were rife and were always giving
encouragement to the nationalist movements within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The
centre of the nationalist movements in the Balkans was Serbia. Serbia always hoped to
unite with the Serbs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire so as to create a large Serbian state.
Therefore the first enemy of Austria-Hungary from 1871 to 1914 was Serbia. Besides
Serbia, Austria-Hungary also hated Russia because Russia, being a Slav country, always
backed up Serbia in any Austro-Serbian disputes.
Nationalism in Britain
In 1870 Britain was the most industrially advanced country in Europe. She also possessed
the largest overseas empire and the largest navy in the world. She did not want to trouble
herself with the continental affairs of Europe. Her main concern was to preserve her
overseas empire and her overseas trade by maintaining a large navy. Before 1890, her
chief enemies were France and Russia. The colonial interests of France often clashed
with those of Britain . (Britain and France had colonial rivalries in Asia and Africa--for
example, India, Burma, Thailand, Egypt.)
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Quoted from: www.socialstudies.com
Russia's interest in the Balkan area also alarmed Britain, as British naval interests in the
Mediterranean Sea would be immediately threatened. After 1890, as Germany went on
increasing her naval strength and threatened British naval supremacy and the British
overseas interests, she became Britain's chief enemy.8
8
Quoted from: http://www.thecorner.org/hist/wwi/national.htm
Name____________
Handout: MAIN Causes WWI Activity
Date________
MAIN: There are four causes that led to war between the major powers of the world in
1914: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.
LEARNING TARGET
I can explain the four main causes of WWI.
DIRECTIONS
In your group read the main cause you have been assigned and answer the questions.
After you have completed your part, you will present your information to the class. Use
this handout to take notes during the presentations.
QUESTIONS
1. What factors led to the cause you are studying?
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
2. Summarize in one sentence how the cause led to war
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
3. What is the connection of the image to the cause?
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
4. What could have been done to prevent the cause from leading to war?
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism