3. Militarism
• Germany was competing
with the UK to build
battleships
• The British feared an
attack on their Empire, so
they built even more
battleships
7. Alliances
• By 1914 all the major powers were linked by a
system of alliances.
• The alliances made it more likely that a war
would start.
• Once started, the
alliances made it more
likely to spread.
8. Alliances
• Triple Entente – France, Russia, Great
Britain
• Triple Alliance – German, Austria-
Hungary, Italy
9.
10.
11. Alliances
• Aid – Supporting another country with the
use of goods
• Treaty – An agreement to not attack each
other
• Alliance – a promise to support another
country with military if necessary
12. Imperialism
• Imperialism - When one country takes over
another territory to try to build up an
Empire
• Empire – Where a powerful country
controls several less powerful countries
13. Imperialism
• All the great powers were competing for
colonies and territory
• The British did not want Germany
involved in Africa
• The Austrians did not want Serbia or
Russia in the Balkans
14.
15. Nationalism
• Nationalism – having pride in your
country, willing to defend it
• Think: What are
some holidays where
people celebrate
pride in their
heritage?
16. Nationalism
• This was an age when all nations wanted to
assert their power and independence
• Slavs in Austria-Hungary, aided by Serbia
and Russia, wanted to be free of Austrian
rule
17. Key Figures
• Kaiser Wilhelm II
• Aggressive foreign policy – wanted
Germany to be a “Bully”
• Built up German army and navy
• Determined to make Germany a
top nation
“Germany must have its
place in the sun”
• Distrusted by other powers “The world belongs to the
strong.”
18. Key Figures
• Count Berchtold
• Austrian Foreign
Minister, later Prime
Minister
• Hated Serbia, wanted
a reason to have a
war with them
19. The Crisis
• June 28, 1914
• Heir to the Austrian
throne, Franz
Ferdinand, visits
Sarajevo
• Sarajevo was the
capital of Bosnia,
recently grabbed by
Seal of the
Austria Black Hand
• Sarajevo was the center group
of Slav nationalism
20. The Crisis
• “Black Hand” terrorists attack the
Arch Duke
• Bomb attempt in the morning
fails to kill the Arch Duke
• Later in the day, Serb nationalist
Gavrilo Princip shoots Archduke
and his wife
• Austrians blame Serbia for
supporting terrorists
21. The Crisis
• Austrians, supported by Germany, send Serbia a
tough ultimatum
• Serbia agrees to all but two terms of the ultimatum
• Russia prepares troops to support
Serbia
22. The Crisis
• Germany demands that the Russian
army stand down
• Germany declares war on Russia
23. Major Causes of WWI
-Arms Race between Germany and France
-Naval Rivalry Between Britain and Germany
-Austria and Russia competing in Southeast Europe
-Two Alliances in place brought everyone against each
other
-Germany trying to gain colonies annoys/scares France and
Britain
-Extreme Nationalism made people too proud to negotiate
problems
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
24. The Schlieffen Plan
• Germany’s military plan
to defeat France and
Russia
• A fast attack, or “Knock
out blow” was aimed at
France first
• Germany could avoid French defenses by
invading through neutral country Belgium
• Germans thought Britain would not get involved
25. A World War
• Neutral Country – Country that did not
support either side in the war, or did not
want to get involved
26. A World War
• Britain had Ententes with France and
Russia which drug them into the fight
27. A World War
• 1838- UK had
signed a Treaty to
protect Belgium.
• Britain also scared
of Germany
controlling the seas
and oceans
28. A World War
• Britain did not want Germany to defeat
France and dominate Europe
• UK issued ultimatum to Germany to
withdraw troops from Belgium.
• Germany Refused; war declared August 4
1914
29. What about the United States?
• U.S. President was Woodrow Wilson from
1912 to 1920
• Wilson wanted the U.S. to remain neutral
• Wilson won the election in 1916 by using
the slogan “He kept us out of war!”
30.
31. What about the United States?
• The U.S. could not stay neutral forever
• As more problems occurred, it became
clear that the U.S. would soon be dragged
into this world war
