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Section 3.5: Nationalism and World War I
(page 276 & 277)
 Nationalism, new alliances, and growing tensions in Europe led to World War I
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The French developed feelings of nationalism after the French Revolution
Nationalism: a strong sense of loyalty to one’s country
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During the 1800s, nationalism swept through Europe
Italy and Germany Unify
Nationalism helped to unify Italy:
o Italian Peninsula was made up of separate city-states
o In 1870, the separate city states came together as one country
Nationalism helped to unify Germany:
o Germany was made up of different states in the early 1800s
o In 1865, Prussia (most powerful German state) led unification
o In 1871, the states came together to form the German Empire
Growing Tensions in Europe
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By 1900, nationalism united some European countries and caused competition among
other countries
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Countries competed for raw materials and colonies in Africa and Asia
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Alliances between different countries formed:
o Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, & Russia)
o Central Power (German Empire & Austria-Hungary)
Alliance: a partnership between countries
What sparked WWI in June of 1914?
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The leader of Austria-Hungary, Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated or killed in Serbia

After his death, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Serbia was an ally or friend of
Russia
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Tensions between the Triple Entente (Russia/Serbia) versus Central Power (AustriaHungary) formed

Other counties in the different alliances declared war! Many countries in Europe were
now at war!
A Brutal War
 World War I is also known as “The Great War”
Why was World War I a brutal war?
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Men fought in trenches
Deadly technology- machine guns, airplanes, tanks, poison gas, submarines
10 million soldiers died
7 million civilians (innocent people) lost their lives
Trenches: long ditches that protected soldiers from the enemy’s gunfire
Important Turning Points During the War:

1917: Germany gained an advantage when the Communist Party took control of Russia
and made peace with Germany
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1917: The USA entered the war and sided with Great Britain and France
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1918: Germany surrendered to France, Britain, and the United States
Impact of the War

In 1919, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles made:
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Germany pay billions of dollars
Germany accept full blame for the war
Took away German’s territories
New countries like Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Turkey
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Many people were angry with the treaty and it caused tensions in Europe
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This treaty and the tensions among countries led to World War II in 1939
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