M.A.I.N.
CAUSES OF WWI
M.A.I.N. Causes
• Militarism
• Alliances
• Imperialism
• Nationalism
Militarism
• When a nation’s armed forces come to
dominate a country’s national policy.
• It is also a glorification of the military
and war itself.
Alliance
• Signed treaties in which each nation
involved pledges to defend the other
if attacked by an aggressor.
• Basically, countries agreed to help each
other.
Imperialism
• Domination by one
country over the
political, economic or
cultural life of another
country or region.
• European nations had a
large portion of the
world under their
control.
• Think colonies!
Nationalism
*Pride and patriotism in one’s nation.
*In terms of WWI, nationalism became
aggressive and subsequently a major
cause of international tension.
The Powder Keg
• On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip a Serbian,
assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir
to the Austria Hungarian Throne
• Tensions were high in Bosnia because it was
part of Austria-Hungary, but Serbia was making
claim to the area
Think about this question
How was this one event so
important to the beginning of
World War I?
Textbook
• Read pages 58-65
• Answer questions 1-3 on page 65