DIRECT CAUSES OF
WORLD WAR ONB
1. FRENCH-GBRNIAN HOSTILITY 1871
-1 91.7
BEFORE 1B7O GERMANY HAD NEVER BEEN UNITED. IT EXSTED
AS A COTTECTION OF WEAK STATES THAT SOMETIMES WAGED WAR
BETWEEN THEMSELVES. THE GERMAN STATES WERX AIWAYS
INFLUENCED BY FRENCH AND AUSIzuAN POLITICS, BOTH FRANCE
AND AUSIRIA LIKED IT THIS WAY BECAUSE BOTH KNEW THAT A
UNITED GERMANY WOULD BE POWERT'UL.
IN 1866 A GERMAN LEADER NAMED BISMARK UNITED THE
GERMAN STATES AND DEFEATED AUSTRIA IN A QUICK WAR. AUSTRIA
WAS TOLD TO STAY OUT OF GERMAN AFFNRS. AN ATLIANCE WITH
AUSTzuA WAS FORMED TO REPAIR THE FRIRNDSHIP BEJT\IT"EN THII
TWO GERMAN SPEAKING PEOPLES. FRANCE KNEW THAT GERMAN
UNIFICATION UNDER BISMARK WAS SOON TO BE REALIZED.
IN 1B7O FRANCE DECLARED WAR ON THE GERMAN STATES IN A
DESPERATE GAMBLE TO CRUSH GERMAN UNIFICATION. IN THE BRIEF
BUT BLOODY WAR THAT FOLLOWED FRANCE WAS COMPTETELY
DEFEATED. FRANCE tOgI THE TERRITORY CAILED AISACELORRAINE AND WAS FORCED TO PAY HUGE SUMS OF MONEY TO
GERMANY. THAT SAMB YEAR BISNTdRK DECLARED GERMANY UNITED.
BY 1B8O FRANCE HAD PA]D HER FINE TO GERIVNNY. AND BEGAN
BUILDING UP ITS MILITARY, WAITING FOR RE\,ENGE.
2. RUSSIAN-AUSTROAIUNGARTAN RryALRY IN THE
BALKANS 1857-1914.
THE BAIKANS IS THE AREA OF ETIROPE WHICH INCLUDES
ROMANIA, BULGARIA, SERBIA, AND GREECE. A].,1 OF WHICH AT ONE
TIME HAD ONCE BEEN UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE OTTOMAN
EMPIRE. BY 1914 HOWEVER THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE HAD BEEN AII.,
BUT PUSHED Ot]T OF EUROPE AFTER SEVERAI SHORT BT-N BLOODY
WARS. RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA.HUNGARY NOW DECIDED THAT WITH
THE OTTOMANS REMOVED FROM THE BAIKA,NS. F.ACH COTTLD
COMPETE WITH THE OTHER FOR LAND TO ADD TO THEIR EMPIRES.
THE AUSIRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE HAD ]![ANY ETHNICNIES
W]THIN IT. POLES, GERMANS. CZECH, SLOVAKIANS, SERBIANS,
CROATIANS. BOSNIAN AND ITAI.,L{]\S, EACH GROUP W]TH ST4{LI
NATIONATI$ MO\EMENTS DESIRING GREATER INDEPENDENCE
FROM VIENNA. (THE CAPITAI OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE.)
THE GRXATESI THR-EAT TO AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN UNITY WAS FROM
THE SERBIANS, WHO COULD POINI TO,{N INDEPENDENT SERBIA AS
PROOF THEY SHOULD JOIN THEIR HOMEI,AND. SERBIA DID MUCH TO
ENCOURAGE THE SERBS WNHIN THE AUSTRG.HUNGARIAN EMPIRE
TO DEMAND INDEPENDENCE. A(ISTRIA-HTINGARY }LATED SF"RSIA FOR.
THIS, AND WAMED NOTHING ELSE BUT TO CRUSH THE HER LITTLE
NEIGHBOUR ONCE AND FOR AIt.
RUSSIA PROMISED SERXIA,SI.TPPORf IF AI.I$1914-HTIN G{RY
ATTACKED THEM. AFTER AIL, SERBS AND RUSSIANS WERE BOTH
SI,AVIC PEOPLES. RUSSIA WAS THE DEFENDER OF AIL SLAVS. N
WOULD NOT BE LONG BEFORE RIISSIA,{ND AI.ISIRLA-HIiry6*'
WOULD BE FACED WITH A CzuSIS WHICH WOULD PUSH EUROPE TO
WAR. THE OTTOIvIA,N EMPIRX WOULD BE THERE TOO, HOPING TO
R.EGNN SOME LOST TERRTTORY. AT RTISSIA'S RXPENSF]
3. BRITISH-GERMAN NAVAL RACE 1897-1914.
THE BzuTISH NAIry HAD BEEN THE IARGESI IN THE WORLD
SINCE 1BO5 WHEN THE FRENCH/SPANISH NAVY HAD BEEN WIPED
OUT BY ADMIRAL NELSON AT THE BATTLE OF TRAT'AIGAR. SINCE
THAT TIME NO NATION HAD EVEN ATTEMPTED TO BUILD A NAIY TO
IvIATCH BRffAIN. THE BRITISH POLICY OF THE wO PAWER
STANDARD MEANT TIiAT TIiE BRITiSTi NAVY i"iusi BE TARGER THAN
ANY TWO EURUPET\Ii NA!]ES COMBII{ED! SiNCE 1805 THIS HAD BEEN
BRITISH LAW. IN ADDITION TO THIS THE HUGE BRITISH EMPIRE
REQUIRED THAT AIL RAW MATERIAIS AND GOODS BE TRANSPORTED
BY SEA, THUS BzuTNN HAD TO CONTROL THE OCEANS OF THE
WORLD FOR HER \tsRY SURVIVAL.
SINCE 1871 GERMANY HAD THE TARGESI ARMY IN THE
WORLD, THIS WAS LOGICAI SINCE GERMANY WAS IN THE CENTER
O}'EUROPE AND WAS SQUISHED BETWEEN RUSSIA ON ONE SIDE
AND FRANCE ON THE OTHER. IT CI'}{E AS A RUDE SHOCK TO THE
BRITISH THEN THAT GERMAM ANNOUNCED IT WOUTD BUILD A
FTEET LARGER THAN BRITISHIN 1897 THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON ON EARTH WAS THE
BATTLESHIP, BETWEEN 1897 AND 1905 THE BRITISH CONSIRUCTED
43 AND THE GERN,IANS 31. THEN IN 1906 THE BzuTISH I,ALINCHED A
NEW BATTLESHIP. THIS SHIP HAD BIG GUNS. THICKER STEEL
ARMOUR, AND TRAVELLED TWICE AS T-AST, IT WAS ATSO TWICE AS
BIG AS THE OLD BATILESHIPS. THIS ONE SHIP HAD NI,{DE
.
THE DREADNOUGHT.U WAS HOPED IN BRITAIN THAT GERMAI{Y
WOULD GIIE UP THE NAVAI, RACE IN THE FACE OF THIS NEW
DEVETOPMENT. UNFORTUNATELY THE GERMANS COPIED THE
DESIGN AND BEGAN BUILDING THEIR OWN DREADNOTIGHTS. THE
NAVA], RACE BEGAN ANEW. IN ADDITION TO THE DREADNOUGHTS
SII{{LIER TYPES OF SHIPS WER-E BEING BUILT AT A FURIOUS PACE
SO THAT BETWEEN 1906 AND 1914 THE BRITISH BUILT 32? SHIPS OF
ATL TYPES AND SIZES (24 DREADNOUGHTS) AND THE GERMANS
BUILT 241 SHIPS OF Att TypES AND SrZES (13 DREADNOUGHTS).
THE GERI{{NS DID NOT REAIIro TWO FACTS. BRITAIN COI]LD
AIWAYS BUILD MORE SHIPS THAN GERMANY, AND THAT BRITAIN
WAS AN ISLAND.
QUESTIONS:
1. BY 1914 EUROPE HAD BEEN SPLIT INTO TWO AI,LIANCES.
THE TRIPTE ENTEME: FRANCE. BRITAIN, RUSSIA.
THE CENTRAT POWER S: GERN{ANY, AU SIRIA-HU N G.aA.y,
0TTOMAN EMPIRE (1915)
FOR EACH COUNTRY EXPLA]N BRIEFTY HOW AND WHY THEY CHOSE
THE SIDE THEY DID?
2. COTOUR THE Id{P OF 1914 EUROPE THAT WAS GI\IEN TO YOU.
ONE COLCUR EACH FOR NEUTRAIS, CEIYTRAI POWERS AI{D THE
TzuPLE ENTENTE (AILIED POWERSI
3. READ THE ARTICLE ENTITLED: THE IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF THE
WAR THE ASSASSINATION OF THE CROWN PRINCE OF AUSTRIAHUNGARY.
-wHo wAS FRAN?FERDINAND? {CROWN PRINCE/ARCHDUKE_
HEIR TO THE THRONE)
-WHO WER-E THE ASSASSINS AND WHAT DID THEY WANT TO
ACCOMPLISH?
-HOW MANY AMEMPTS WERE MADE ON THE CROWN PzuNCE
THAT DAY?
-WHO WAS KILLED?
-\I'I{AT HAPPENED TO THE ASSASSINS?
-CREATE A FLOW CHART SHOMNG WHO (lN ORDER) DECLARED
wAR ON WHO]U?
-?'-
APPTIIDII
'I.
:
*..f
\----'-
<"f\i
;
-i
\I
E m
\-
a-
Lo-
rt
D;
.-:..*f,i&
's
>i;-=if;;.&
t
5=?7-V< lo
O
=
-ct
.
cL)
<
tt
ct,
q)
o
=
<./',
E
a zqt
!r
N
\'-l.l-o.l1.1
t-0
at)
6.)
'\
r
#,ffi
,.,
J,
{,t
-\
er
,
-
\'
atl
<a
.<f, o
o,
lr
rJ€
5a
=Q
oo
(€
I
I
o- -ctq) =
O
=o
(Y,
<t,
LJ-I
=