Chapter 19 Section 1
The Road to War
Whose assassination was the
immediate cause of World War I?
• Archduke Francis
Ferdinand
– Heir to the throne of
Austria Hungary
– Wanted to bring
Serbians into his empire
– Serbians were not
interested…so one killed
him
Imperialism
• Trying to obtain new
colonies or territories
for your country
How did competition for colonies help
lead to war?
• A great scramble for
colonies took place in
the late 1800s
• European powers
scrambled to obtain
uncolonized areas
– By 1910, the best areas
were already claimed,
this led to increased
tension between
European powers
Militarism
• This policy involved
aggressively building up a
nation’s armed forces in
preparation for war and
giving the military more
authority over the
government and foreign
policy
– All European powers were
spending money on and
building up large armies
and navies
How did nationalism contribute to the
start of World War I?
• One form of
nationalism led nations
to act in their best
interest and ignoring
the needs of other
nations
• Another form is when a
group of people want a
nation of their own
What role did alliances play in the
initiation of World War I?
• Alliances could turn
what should be only a
small conflict into a
large one because
countries pledge their
assistance to other
nations
Mobilization
• The readying of troops
for war
Central Powers
• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Ottoman Empire
Allies
• Great Britain
• France
• Russia
• Eventually Russia would
drop out and the U.S.
would join
Look at the map on page 647. Based on this
map, which side, if any, had a geographical
advantage in the war?
• Allies- Because they
have the central powers
surrounded
• Central Powers- They
have the Allies divided,
possibly making it
difficult for the Allies to
communicate
What affect did modern warfare have
on how World War I was fought?
• New killing machines
were amazingly
effective
–
–
–
–
–
Machine guns
Grenades
Poison gas
Planes
Tanks
• Generals often times
had difficulty
countering new
technologies
– They simply attempted
to won by throwing
more troops into battle
Stalemate
• A situation in which
neither side is able to
gain the advantage
What were two causes of the
stalemate in the West?
• Similar size and strength
of the opposing militaries
• The choice of both sides
to dig and and defend
their lines
• Germany had to divide
their troops in order to
fight the Russians
• Inability to break through
machine gun fortifications
Propaganda
• Information intended to
sway public opinion
– The U.S. was mostly
exposed to anti-German
propaganda
• The British were not
allowing German news to
reach the U.S.
What was the main reason that the United States
stayed neutral at the start of World War I?
• President Wilson
wanted to protect
American commercial
investments overseas
• Also…Americans were
not interested in a
European war and
Wilson wanted to win
reelection 1916,
therefore…
How did the peace movement differ
from the preparedness movement?
• The preparedness
movement wanted
America to be ready to
go to war if necessary.
• The peace movement
wanted to avoid war