World War I
Part 1
Europe Explodes Into War
Tensions in Europe
The fact that war broke out in Europe in
the early 20th Century was not a great
surprise. Tensions had been rising
for years for three specific reasons:
1. Nationalism
2. Imperialism
3. Militarism
Nationalism
In the 1800’s,
many nations
began to take pride
in their languages
and cultures.
Sometimes, nations
became bitter
enemies with their
neighbors.
In western Europe,
France and
Germany were
rivals.
Austria-Hungary
and Russia were
rivals in Eastern
Europe.
Imperialism
Between 1870 and 1914, Britain, France,
Germany, Italy, and Russia competed for
colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
Each country was searching for raw
materials and new markets for their
products. Competition sometimes led
to conflict.
Militarism
Many countries in Europe decided
to expand their armies and navies.
When one country would do it,
another felt it had to as well, in
order to keep up.
Rival Alliances
To protect themselves, countries started
making alliances.
The Triple Alliance included Germany,
Italy, and Austria-Hungary.
The Triple Entente included France,
Britain, and Russia.
Alliance members promised that if one of
them were attacked, the other allies
would come to their defense.
In a region called The Balkans (located
in southeastern Europe), tensions were
high. A terrorist group called “The
Black Hand” wanted the province of
Bosnia to break away from AustriaHungary and join up with the nation of
Serbia. A member of the group
assassinated the archduke Franz
Ferdinand, the future king, and his wife
Sophie in the city of Sarajevo on 6/28/14.
The archduke
Franz Ferdinand
and his wife
Sophie were shot
to death just
hours after this
picture was
taken.
Alliances Lead to War
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia,
who was friends with Russia.
Russia mobilized which led to Germany
declaring war on Russia.
Germany also declared war on France.
Britain entered when Belgium was
attacked on Germany’s march to France.
Other countries eventually joined in.
The Great War
Most Europeans thought the war would end
quickly, but it drug out for 4 long, bloody
years.
The Central Powers included Germany,
Austria Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.
The Allied Powers included Britain, France,
Russia, and eventually Italy.
The Germans pushed toward Paris, but
were turned back by British and French
forces.
A stalemate ensued, and trench warfare
took over in both the eastern and western
fronts of the war.
Trench warfare was deadly, and both
sides lost hundreds of thousands of
soldiers due to disease, gunfire, etc.
Officially America Was Neutral
However, many
here wanted Britain
and France to win.
We had a lot in
common with
Britain.
France had helped
us in our
revolution.
Millions of
Americans with
German or Austrian
descent hoped the
Central Powers
would win.
Many Irish
Americans hated
Britain and wanted
to see her lose.
American trade boomed as both sides
needed our products. Our numbers in
trade favored the Allies, who we sold
more products to.
Both sides in the war did conduct a
propaganda campaign to paint the
other side as savage beasts who killed
innocent victims.
Freedom of the Seas
America argued that as a neutral country,
we had a right to trade with both sides.
However, Germany and Britain worked
hard to blockade each other’s ports.
Germany also started using submarines
called U-Boats. They frequently
torpedoed and sank ships they thought
were giving supplies to their enemy.
Germany warned us to stay away from
the blockade zone, but President Wilson
said Germany would be held responsible
for damage to our ships, and for loss of
life.
On May 7, 1915, a British passenger ship
called the Lusitania was sunk off the
coast of Ireland. Almost 1,200 people
were killed, including 128 Americans.
President Wilson was outraged, and
called this act “murder on the high
seas”. He also threatened to break off
diplomatic relations with the Germans.
Germany did not want to go to war
with the United States, so they
apologized, and agreed to stop
attacking neutral ships.