World War I was all about the place of Germany in Europe
France and Germany hated each
other! When Germany became
united country in 1870-1, France
went to war to try to stop it …
but got WHOPPED!
France also lost Alsace-Lorraine in 1870-1.
The French never forgave the Germans.
They wanted REVENGE.
Germany in the Middle
That made it VULNERABLE if it came to a war.
Causes of the Great War


Europe @ its peak by 1914
- Industrial Revolution
4 conditions lead to the Great War
- M.A.I.N.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Militarism
Alliance System
Imperialism
Nationalism
Imperialism
Competition
among nations for
colonies,
resources,
markets, etc.
 GB and France
successful while
Germ and AustriaHungary not!

Imperialism and the Balance of Power
Militarism


Pride in fighting for
country, glory,
heroism
Increased build-up of
military spending &
military forces
1. Germany: naval forces
to rival England
2. Increase size of most
Euro armies
Militarism & Arms Race
Total Defense Expenditures for the Great
Powers [Ger., A-H, It., Fr., Br., Rus.]
in millions of £s.
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1914
94
130
154
268
289
398
1910-1914 Increase in
Defense Expenditures
France
10%
Britain
13%
Russia
39%
Germany
73%
Nationalism

Desire of a people to
rule themselves
– Americans vs British
(1776)
– Bosnian Slavs vs AH
(1914)
Alliance System
Triple Alliance 1882
Germany, Austria-Hungary,
Italy, and Ottoman Empire
Triple Entente 1907
France, Russia,
Great Britain
Effect: If two countries have a conflict, this will
bring in all of their allies= WORLD CONFLICT!
Stage is Set
Nationalism in Bosnia and Serbia
 Competition for Bosnia

– Russia and A-H compete
for control of Balkan Peninsula
– 1908, A-H annexes Bosnia;
– Serbia wants independence
for Bosnia!
– Serbian Nationalists scheme
to assassinate Archduke of
Austria-Hungary (heir to the
thrown)
War Breaks Out




Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand,
June 1914
Serbian Nationalist Group called the Black Hand
July 5, 1914 Germany issues A-H “blank check”
– pledging military assistance if A-H goes to war against Russia
ADFF
Gavrilo Princip
Who’s To Blame?






AH and Germany vs
Serbia
Russia defends Slavic
country of Serbia
France supports ally
Russia
Germany invades Belgium
(“Belgium is a country,
not a road”)
Belgium gains British
support
WORLD WAR I Begins
– July 28, 1914
Timeline
Alliances Grow

Triple Entente  “Allied Powers”
– France, Great Britain, Russia, Belgium

Triple Alliance  “Central Powers”
– Germany, A-H, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
Where is the US in all of this?
What plan do you think
Germany had to end the war?
“Race to the Sea”
Paris then Moscow
 von Schlieffen Plan
 Belgium. . . Britain
 1st Battle of the Marne

Mobilization
Home by
Christmas!
No major war
in 50 years!
Nationalism!
A Young Australian Recruit
Recruits of the
Central Powers
A German Soldier Says
Farewell to His Mother
Austro-Hungarians
New French Recruits
A German Boy Pretends to Be a
Soldier
Soldiers Mobilized
14
12
Millions
10
8
6
4
2
0
France
Germany
Russia
Britain
Modern Warfare
Stalemate- situation where neither side is
able to gain the advantage
 Both sides thought quick war

Trench Warfare
Dug themselves into
the ground
 Horrible conditions

– Dead bodies
– Rats
– Lice Trench Fever

Caused the war to
drag on
US Response
Neutral
 Personal involvement

– Why would a third of the population feel
personally involved?
– ¼ German, 1/8 Irish: Didn’t like GB

US opposed Kaiser Wilhelm
– Autocrat: Ruler with unlimited power
US Response
Why would the US stay neutral?
 Trade

– US investment: 3.5 billion

German ships disrupting trade
Preparation and Peace

GB urged US to prepare
– To help aid: supplies or troops
1914: Patriotic Education
 1915: Gov’t setup camps to train
 1916: Congress ok’d an increase in armed
forces
 Peace

– Progressives, women, Congress
Review
What was US response to the war?
 What did the US do to prepare for the
war?

U Boats
U-boat- Unterseeboot/submarine
 Changed naval warfare

– How?
Passenger and merchant ships
 Issued no warning to their targets

– Americans disliked
Lusitania

May 7, 1915- British passenger ship
– Carrying weapons
– 1,200 passengers died

Media
– Ran wild with this issue

Wilson= patience
– Germany repay the families
Sussex Pledge

Germany
– Still went after passenger ships w/o warning
US threaten to cut off relations w. Germ.
 Sussex Pledge

– U Boats warn ships before attacking

US gives the Allies a huge loan
– What does this mean?
Election of 1916
“He kept us out of war”
 Wilson won a close race
 Germany tested Wilson

– Broke Sussex Pledge
Zimmermann Note
Filibuster- Tactic where senators take the
floor and talk to prevent a vote to occur
 Zimmermann Note

– Germany to Mexico
– Mexico and Wilson took it lightly
– Inching the US towards war
Revolution

Russia 1917
– GETTING
CRUSHED!!!!!!!
– 1.8 Million dead, 2.4
Mil. POWs, 2.8 mil sick
or wounded
– No food or supplies
– March 197 Tsar is out

April 6, 1917
– US declares war