World War I
Objectives
 Content: Differentiate between the
long term and immediate causes of
World War I.
 Learning: List the 4 MAIN causes of
World War I.
Underlying Causes of WWI
 There were 4 MAIN causes of WWI.
1. Militarism
2. Alliances
3. Imperialism
4. Nationalism
Militarism
What is it?
– Building up armed
forces to get ready for
war
Why did it happen?
– Need for security leads
to an arms race.
Alliances
What is it?
– Agreements or promises to defend
and help another country
Why did it happen?
– Concern about possible war.
The Alliances
Allied Powers
 France
 United States
 Russia
 Belgium
 British Empire
 Serbia
Central Powers
 Bulgaria
 Austro-Hungarian
Empire
 German Empire
 Ottoman Empire
Trick to Remember Alliances in
WWI
FURBBS BAG of “O”’s
FURBBS = Allies
BAG of “O”s = Central Powers
Imperialism
What is it?
– Trying to build up an empire by physically
and economically controlling other
countries
 Why did it happen?
– Believed stronger countries own more
land.
Nationalism
 What is it?
– Having pride in your
country and being
willing to defend it
 Why did it happen?
– People all thought their
country was the best
and wanted to prove it!
Immediate Cause of World
War I (WWI)
 Assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand
– Austria-Hungary controlled Serbia.
– Serbia wanted independence.
Immediate Cause of World
War I (WWI)
– Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of
Austria- Hungary
– He was assassinated in June 1914 by a
Serbian nationalist while on an official
visit to Bosnia.
Warm Up
Read through Document A:
Woodrow Wilson’s Speech #1.
Answer Question #1 on Guiding
Questions.
Objectives
Content: Create a WWI
propaganda poster.
Learning: Explain 4 reasons the
United States entered WWI.
U.S. Expansionism
 Spanish American
War ended the U.S.
policy of Isolationism
(1898)
• Result of
Spanish
American War =
the U.S. emerges
as a world power
U.S. Expansionism
 WWI ended the U.S. policy of avoiding
European conflicts (1914-1918)
• WWI = the U.S. emerges as a
global superpower
American Neutrality Is Over
 Up to 1917, the US opposed war. Woodrow
Wilson was re-elected as President with the
slogan:
“He kept us out of war!”
• But that was all about to change!
Reasons for America’s
Involvement in WWI
4 REASONS
1. US inability to remain neutral
2. United States economic and
political ties to Great Britain
Reasons for America’s Involvement in WWI
3. German submarine warfare: In 1915
they sank the Lusitania (1000 people
died, 128 were Americans)
4. The Zimmerman Telegram
Zimmerman Telegram
 The Zimmerman Telegram – was a secret
message from Germany to Mexico that the
British intercepted (January 1917).
• The message said that if Mexico helped
Germany invade and defeat the US, than
Germany would help them get back all the
land they lost in the Mexican American
War (1848)
• Americans were angry and wanted to go to
war.
U.S. Entry into WWI
Read Document B: Woodrow
Wilson’s Speech #2.
Answer remaining Guiding
Questions.
America Enters the War
 April 6, 1917- President
Wilson and Congress
declare war!
 More than 2 million
Americans entered the
military to fight in
WWI.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/overthere.htm
Homefront
Civilians at home made sacrifices
to help with the war effort
– War Gardens – personal fruit and
vegetable gardens so that more food
could be sent to the troops
Homefront
– Bonds – loaning the government
money to help pay for the war.
– Rationing – using less of what you
want so that more materials can be
used for the war or sent to the
troops.
Propaganda helped encourage
support for war effort.
Propaganda
Homefront continued
 Women work in jobs traditionally
held by men – leads to changing a
role
– Pushes women to get the right to vote
– Most countries grant right to vote before
WWI is over.
– When does the U.S. grant the right to
vote?
Objectives
 Content: Defend why Wilson’s 14 Points
were a good solution to WWI.
 Learning: Describe the changes in warfare
during WWI.
WWI Details
 1914-1918
 Actual fighting began in August
when Germany invaded Belgium (a
neutral country)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml
 Four main fighting fronts:
– Western (Britain, France, and Germany)
– Eastern (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and
Russia)
– Balkan (Serbia, Ottoman Empire, and
Bulgaria)
– Italian (Italy and Austria-Hungary)
New Weapons of WWI
 Improved cannons and improved
guns (machine guns)
 New inventions and destructive
weapons
• German “U-boats”
(submarines)
• Tank
• Poison Gas
• Combat airplanes (end of war)
Machine Guns
WWI Gas Masks
WWI Tanks
WWI Planes
German U-boats
"unterseeboot", or undersea boat
in English
Trench Warfare
 WWI introduces Trench Warfare
because of new weapons
The Allies Were Struggling
 Russian troops were not able to get
the supplies they needed.
– Many were trying to fight with NO
bullets.
– In 1917, the Russian people
overthrew their government with
the Russian Revolution. It caused
Russia to leave the war.
– Now all of Germany’s attention was
on the Western Front.
The U.S. Enters the War
 Allied forces desperately needed the
help, they were drained and starving.
 The Allies with U.S. help didn’t just
stop the German advance, but pushed
them back to Germany.
The End of WWI
 November 11, 1918,
Germany’s government
is overthrown and the
new leaders quickly
agree to an armistice (an
agreement to end the
fighting)

http://www.realmilitaryvideos.com/wwi/newsreel-end-of-wwiin-san-francisco/
After the Armistice
 More than 9 Million soldiers lost their lives
 Wilsons peace proposal was called
“Fourteen Points”
• New boundaries and nations in Europe
• Stopping what caused the war:
–No secret treaties
–No building up of militaries
Wilson’s 14 Points Continued
• Free trade, freedom of the seas
• League of Nations
–Peacekeeping organization where
countries discuss their problems to
find a solution instead of fighting a
war.
Problems with Wilson’s Plan
 Others thought the peace terms were too
easy on the losing nations.
 Britain and France faced the most losses
and wanted revenge, so they went with a
different plan for ending WWI called the
Treaty of Versailles.
Treaty of Versailles
 The Treaty of Versailles
brought an end to the
war between Germany
and the Allied Powers.
The other countries in
the Central Powers were
dealt with in separate
treaties.
 The Treaty was signed
in June 1919.
What did it mean
for Germany?
 The Treaty of Versailles:
– Forced Germany to
accept full blame for
the war
– Took away Germany’s
colonies and armed
forces
– Forced Germany to pay
$33 billion in war
reparations
What did it mean for the world?
The Treaty of Versailles:
 Also divided up the empires of AustriaHungary, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire.
 Established the League of Nations
But not so fast….
 The United States
never ratified
(approved) the treaty
or joined the League
of Nations.
 Many members of
Congress did not
want the US to join
the League of Nations
because they did not
want more foreign
commitments.
Did the Treaty of
Versailles Work?
 The Treaty failed
to make Europe
“safe for
democracy”
 Germany resented
the treaty
 It helped plant the
seeds for WWII