The Causes of WWI
Long Term Causes
•Monarchy
•Alliances
•Imperialism/Militarism
•Nationalism
Family Ties
King Edward VII
1841-1910
“The Father of Europe.”
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King Edward VII was the King of Great Britain from 1901-1910.
He was the Uncle of Kaiser Wilhelm (of Germany) and through marriage, Czar
Nicholas II (of Russia).
His niece, Alix was the Czarina of Russia.
His daughter Maud was the Queen of Norway
His niece Ena was Queen of Spain
His third niece was soon to be the Queen of Rumania
His wife’s family occupied the throne of Denmark, mothered the Czar of Russia, &
Kings of Greece and Norway
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.
Triple Entente
Triple Alliance
Neutral throughout war
Political cartoon depicting the tangled web of European
alliances.
Triple Alliance
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Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
Bismark and the Three Emperor’s League
Triple Entente
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Great Britain
France
Russia
Russian 1914 poster. The upper inscription reads "agreement".
Shown are the female personifications of France, Russia, and
Britain.
NationalismLove and pride for one’s Country
• In the mid 1800’s Nationalism
swept through Europe.
• It spurred the unification of
Italy and Germany and it
pushed leaders to make
changes in government to
create stronger nations.
• Nationalism also served to
cause problems. It created
competition between nations.
• Countries fought over borders,
water rights, and trade, all in
the name of Nationalism.
ImperialismDomination by one country of the political, economic or cultural
life of another country or region.
Since the 1400’s, counties in Europe had been competing
for political, economic and cultural control around the
world. These European countries were searching for
wealth, manpower and natural resources. Counties such
as Germany and Italy unified late and therefore had
missed out on the early rush of Imperialism. Germany
made several attempts to secure land outside of Europe
and had failed. This led Germany’s Emperor, Wilhelm II,
to turn to alternate methods. He used militarism to help
him attain his goals.
This map shows Africa in 1914 and shows how much land the major
nations had taken over.
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The British
feared
Germany in
Africa.
The Austrians
feared
Serbia/Russia
in the
Balkans.
BRITAIN
FRANCE
GERMANY
ITALY
BELGIUM
Militarism- Glorification of the
military.
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany
decided that if he could not
compete with other nations for
control of foreign soil, he would
beef up his military and force other
nations to give him what he
wanted. The larger and more
powerful his army became, the
more of a threat Germany became
to surrounding nations, including
the small unstable area south-east
of Austria-Hungary, known as the
Balkans.
“Germany must
have its place in the
sun.”
“The world belongs
to the strong.”
Germany and the UK
were competing to
build battleships.
Germany was competing
with Russia and France to
expand their armies.
The Crisis
• June 28th, 1914
• Heir to Austrian
throne, Franz
Ferdinand visits
Sarajevo.
• Capital of Bosnia,
recently grabbed by
Austria.
• Hotbed of Slav
Nationalism
Black Hand
• “Black Hand” terrorists
attack the Arch Duke
• Gavrilo Princip, a
Serbian Nationalist,
shoots Archduke and
wife to protest AustroHungarian rule in
Bosnia
• Austrians blame Serbia
for supporting
terrorists.
Seal of the
Black Hand
group
The Great War
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Austrians, supported by Germany, send
Serbia a tough ultimatum.
Serbia agrees to all but two terms of the
ultimatum.
Russia mobilises her troops to support
Serbia
Germany demands that Russia stands
her armies down.
On August 1st, Germany declares war
on Russia
On August 3rd & 4th, Germany declares
war on France and its armies march into
France and Britain declares war on
Germany.
“Demands must be put to
Serbia that would be wholly
impossible for them to
accept …”
Europe plunges into war for four
years…
Count Berchtold, the Austrian Prime Minister.
Immediate Effects
Russian Revolution
Breakup of Austro-Hungarian Empire
Defeat of Central Powers
Destruction & loss of life
Treaty of Versailles
League of Nations
Long Term Effects
German & Italian resentment of treaty
Rise of fascism
World War II