Download Causes of World War I

World War I
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World War I
1914 - 1918
11/30/14
Key Facts
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The world’s first global conflict
Also called the “Great War” and “War to End All Wars”
Countries involved:
Central Powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary and the
Ottoman Empire
Allies - Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia,
Italy and Japan.
Introduced modern technology to warfare (machine
guns, tanks, planes_
Unprecedented death and destruction
More than 9 million soldiers killed by the end of the
war in November 1918.
20,000,000 people died in connection
with the war, far more than in any
earlier war in world history.
Regions
where
fighting
took place
in World
War I
1 Western European
Front
2 Eastern European
Front
3 Italian Front
4 Balkan Front
5 Palestine/Syria
6 Iraq
7 Arabia
8 German Togoland
9 German Camaroons
10 German East Africa
11 German Southwest
Africa
12 Pacific Islands
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Causes of
World War I
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4 Main Reasons
Imperialism – One country taking over other
countries. Germany was the main country at
this time.
Militarism – The development of armies and
weapons.
Alliance System – Countries join together for
mutual defense.
Nationalism – A devotion to the interests and
culture of one’s own country over all others.
Causes of World War I
Imperialism
The rise of
imperialism led to
economic rivalries
among the major
European powers.
Each wanted to
have more
colonies than their
rivals.
Causes of World War I
Militarism
Europe’s major countries
were obsessed with
building up their armies
and navies to have a
better one than their
rivals.
Causes of World War I
Alliances: Allies vs Central Powers
Nationalism
Extreme pride in ones own country/nation/or people.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire made up
much of southeast Europe and was made up
of many different nationalities.
Causes of World War I
Nationalism
Peoples such as the
Czechs, the Serbs, the
Bosnians and the Poles
all wanted the right of
self-determination, which
meant they want to be an
independent nation.
THINK-PAIR-SHARE
• QUESTION: Which of the four causes of World
War I do you believe was the most important and
why?
1. Each person writes down their thoughts (5
minutes)
2. Each person pairs up with another student and
talks about their answers
3. Each pair talks to class about their conclusions
4. Each student turns in their sheet for credit
The Spark
World War I began in 1914
after Austrian prince Franz
Ferdinand was assassinated
in Sarajevo, capital of
Bosnia
The assassination triggered
a web of alliances that led to
all of Europe being dragged
into the conflict
Early Part of War
• Started on August 1, 1914 when Germany, an ally
of Austria-Hungary, declared war against Russia,
Serbia’s ally and then against France and
Germany, Russia’s allies.
• On August 3, 1914 Germany invaded Belgium, an
ally of France
• Allies could not stop Germany in Belgium, but
stopped them in France.
• Both sides dug in with trenches, where both sides
made little movement.
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Trench
Warfare
A type of fighting where
both sides stayed in
deep trenches to avoid
the gunfire “up top.”
Trench warfare was used on
the Western Front, the line
between France and
Germany that rarely moved.
These trenches were
protected by barbed wire and
concrete machine-gun nests.
America the Neutral
For the first three
years of World
War I, the U.S.
remained neutral
Wilson won reelection in presidential
election of 1916, using
the slogan “He kept us
out of war.”
Lusitania Sunk
In 1915, Germany sank the British
cruise ship Lusitania, killing over 1,200
people, including 128 Americans.
While this angered many Americans, it
still was not enough to get the U.S. to
enter the war.
German U-boat attacks
Germany began
unlimited submarine
warfare in the Atlantic
Ocean in 1915.
It was the sinking of
American trade ships
without warning that
was the biggest
reason why the
United States entered
World War I
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman
Note was an alleged
telegram from
Germany to Mexico.
Germany promised
Mexico land in
exchange for going to
war with the U.S.
The Zimmerman Telegram was
the last straw for most Americans
in turning against Germany.
U.S. enters World War I
One day after subs sank
seven U.S. ships and after
the Zimmerman note was
made public, Congress
declared war on Germany
on April 6, 1917
"The world
must be
made safe
for
democracy.”
-- Woodrow
Wilson