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The Great War (WWI): Causes, Alliances, and Outbreak

Explore the causes of World War I, including militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. Learn about the outbreak of the war and the involvement of various countries. Discover the impact of the war on the United States.

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The Great War (WWI): Causes, Alliances, and Outbreak

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  1. Do Now! • Create a web brainstorming everything you know about WWI.

  2. Chapter 19 Section 1 The Great War

  3. World War I (1914-1918)

  4. WWI Continued • AKA • The Great War • War to End All Wars • Global Conflict (mostly Europe) • Between 8 and 17 MILLION people die as a result—Why are we not exactly certain of death toll?

  5. Causes—M.A.I.N. (A). • M—MILITARISM • A—ALLIANCES • I—IMPERIALISM • N—NATIONALISM • (A—Assassination)

  6. In 1914, five factors made Europe a powder keg ready to explode. • Nationalism • Militarism • Economic rivalries • Imperial ambitions • Regional tensions

  7. Militarism • Aggressive preparation for war • European armies double in size between 1890 and 1914 • If you have guns you are more likely to use them

  8. Nations stockpiled new technology, including machine guns, mobile artillery, tanks, submarines, and airplanes. Militarism, combined with nationalism, led to an arms race.

  9. Alliances • Set up so that countries would work together—backfires big-time • Alliance system prior to WWI… • Triple Entente—Russia, Great Britain, France • TripleAlliance—Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

  10. Do Now. • List and explain the reasons that The Great War began.

  11. Alliances Prior to WWI

  12. Alliances During WWI • Central Powers —Germany, Austria-Hungry, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria • Allied Powers —France, Great Britain, Italy (1915), and Russia • Austria-Hungry declares war on Serbia—alliances force other countries into war • (Russia backs Serbia, Germany backs Austria)

  13. Imperialism • Ex.-Britain, Germany, and France fight over North Africa

  14. Nationalism (patriotism)

  15. Nationalism, or devotion to one’s country, caused tensions to rise. • Among the powers of Europe, nationalism caused a desire to avenge perceived insults and past losses. • Some felt national identity centered around a single ethnic group and questioned the loyalty of ethnic minorities. • Social Darwinists applied the idea of “survival of the fittest” to nations.

  16. War Begins 1914 • Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated by a terrorist • Austria-Hungry takes this opportunity to declare war on Serbia • no evidence that Serbian government was involved • Germany mobilizes to support Austria • Russia mobilizes to support Serbia

  17. Germany invaded Belgium, a neutral country, to attack France. Schlieffen Plan (German plan for a 2 front war) The German advance was stopped about 30 miles from Paris. The war bogged down as both sides dug a long series of trenches, creating the Western Front.

  18. The era’s deadly defensive weapons made attacks difficult and dangerous. Neither side could overcome the other’s defenses, and a stalemate quickly developed.

  19. The United States had a long tradition of staying out of European conflicts. • Yet one third of Americans had been born in a foreign country and still identified with their homelands. As the war dragged on in Europe, President Wilson urged Americans to remain neutral. Many Americans favored one side or the other.

  20. U.S. public opinion fell into three main groups.

  21. Britain’s goal was to intercept contraband goods. • In defiance of international law, Britain also prevented noncontraband goods, such as food and gasoline, from reaching Germany. Early in the war, the British navy had set up a blockade of Germany. Germany responded by trying to blockade Britain.

  22. German U-boats torpedoed ships bound for Britain. On May 7, 1915, a U-boat sank the British passenger ship Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing many Americans.

  23. Americans were angry about the Lusitania. Germany failed to keep its promise to not sink any more passenger ships. • President Wilson still wanted peace, but hebegan to prepare for the possibility of war. • In 1916, Congress expanded the army and authorized more warships.

  24. Two events in 1917 led President Wilson to ask Congress to declare war on the Central Powers. • The Zimmermann note was intercepted. In this telegram, Germany tried to forge an alliance with Mexico against the United States. • Germany returned to a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking any ship headed for Britain.

  25. On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.” Congress responded with a declaration of war on April 6, 1917, and the United States entered World War I.

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