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Alliances
In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. This raised tensions and 15 years later the Triple Entente was formed. An entente is an informal alliance, so it wasn't exactly an alliance, it was more of an agreement that they would not fight one another. This was one of the biggest causes of the start of the war. -
Militarism
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Russia and Italy all had a drastic increase in funds they spent on military weapons.Germany alone raised the funds spent by over 70%. In 1913 and 1914, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Russia and Italy all either started or increased the compulsory enlistment of men into the army, which increased their number of soldiers a lot. Germany increased their number of soldiers by 170,000! -
Imperialism
There were many imperial powers by 1914.The biggest being the British Empire. This empire took in India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, etc. The other global empires were: Russia, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Spain, The United States, The Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, and Italy. The United States was relatively new to imperialism, but by 1914 it had control of the Philippines, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and a few islands in the Pacific. -
Nationalism
Nationalism can be a good thing, but it can also be dangerous sometimes. An example of nationalism being dangerous is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The assassination was inspired by the pan-Slavic nationalism. This event led directly to the outbreak of the war. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and His Wife, Sophie
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were touring Sarajevo in an open car, and they had little security. The first attempt at their assissination was by a Serbian nationalist, Nedjelko Cabrinovic. He threw a bomb at their car, but the bomb did not reach them. Later that day, they were driving around, and 19-year old Gavrilo Princip shot Franz and Sophie, they both died within the hour. On July 28th, Austria-Hungary blamed the attack on the Serbian government and declared was on Serbia. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledged his country's unconditional support for Austria-Hungary to take whatever action they choose to take in their conflict with Serbia. The rivalry between Austria-Hungary and Serbia had been long-running, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, was the last straw for Austria-Hungary. Germany's blank check to Austria-Hungary showed their promise to support Austria-Hungary, even if Germany would have to go to war with Russia. -
World War I Begins
On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, with Germany's support. Within just a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany. This marked the start of World War I. Great Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914. Great Britain promised to defend Belgium under the Treaty of London, so when Germany attacked neutral Belgium, Great Britain declared war on Germany. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The morning of May 7th, Captain Turner slowed down the ship to catch high tide at the shallow channel into Liverpool. He also set the ship to stay on a straight course instead of sailing in a zigzag pattern. This made the attack easier for the Germans. A few hours later, lookouts noticed a torpedo heading their way, and when it hit, the ship shook. Seconds later, an explosion caused the ship to tilt and sink. The sinking of Lusitania caused an outcry in the U.S. and in other Allied countries. -
Germany's Resumption of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
After Lusitania was attacked, President Wilson sent a note to the German government demanding that they stop the attacks on unarmed merchant ships. The German government forced strict constraints on the submarine operations. German navy commanders did not agree. They convinced the army and Kaiser Wilhelm that U-boat warfare could lead them to victory. Bethmann Hollweg accepted the kaiser’s decision, and announced to the government that unrestricted submarine warfare would continue on February 1. -
Zimmerman Telegram
Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to the German ambassador instructing him to offer significant financial aid to Mexico if they agreed to be a German ally in any U.S-German conflicts. He included that if they would be victorious, they would restore Mexico's lost territories. This telegram was intercepted and translated by the British. They brought the telegram to President Wilson, and he told the Congress to deliver a message of war on April 2. Four days later, the U.S. entered the war. -
US Entry Into the War and Her Impact On It
President Wilson pledged neutrality for the U.S. at the start of World War I. However, Britain was one of the closest trading partners for America, and tensions started to rise between the U.S. and Germany. With each German submarine attack, the U.S. got more and more angry. When Germany broke their promise and resumed their unrestricted submarine warfare, President Wilson decided to declare war on Germany. America's entrance into the war was a big turning point and it helped the Allies win. -
Effects of WWI
World War I had a lot of effects. One of these effects being the formation of six new countries: Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Estonia. After the war, people started to had a sense of distrust in their political leaders and government officials. Some people began to think why the war was fought in the first place, and they thought that their governments didn't know how to keep the best interest of the people in mind. Overall, the war caused 10 to 13 million deaths. -
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty was written by the Allies, and it reassigned German boundaries and assigned liability to pay for the damage they caused. The treaty also stripped Germany of all its colonies, and reduced their armed forces and prohibited them from having certain weapons. After the German government signed the treaty, terrorists killed a few politicians who they thought were responsible. Hitler denounced the treaty in 1935, and from 1937 to 1939, he overturned the territorial provisions of the treaty. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
After WWI, issues of the reparations troubled relations between Germany and the Allies. The Dawes and Young Plans were sponsored by the U.S, and they offered a solution to these troubles. Under the Dawes Plan, Germany's annual reparations were reduced and increase over time. This way their economy would improve and the full amount would be paid. In 1929, the Young Plan was proposed, which was a plan that reduced the amount of reparations demanded of Germany, which made it payable over 58 years. -
Great Depression
The first cause of the Great Depression was Black Thursday. Traders sold 12.9 million shares of stock in just 1 day. This was triple the usual amount. Over the next 4 days, stock prices fell 23%. The stock market crashed. Unemployment rose from 3% to 25% of the nation's workforce. Wages fell 42% for the people that still had jobs, and gross domestic product was cut in half. Each year during the Great Depression, prices fell 10%. World trade plummeted 65%. This was a time of panic and chaos. -
Rise of Hitler
In the early 1930s, Germany was in an unhappy spot. They had suffered a humiliating defeat in WWI, they were going through an economic depression, and the government was weak. Adolf Hitler saw this as an opportunity for him and his Nazi party to rise to power. He was a powerful and skilled speaker, and many Germans followed him because they were desperate for a change. He promised a better life and a new, better Germany.
