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Unit 12: The road to WW I. Causes The Outbreak The Eastern and Western Fronts. Causes. Nationalism (2 examples) Alsace and Lorraine : The French were still very bitter about losing this border region in the Franco-Prussian War Pan-Slavism
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Unit 12: The road to WW I Causes The Outbreak The Eastern and Western Fronts
Causes • Nationalism (2 examples) • Alsace and Lorraine: The French were still very bitter about losing this border region in the Franco-Prussian War • Pan-Slavism • Russians believed that they had to defend their “little Slavic brothers” (EX: Serbia) • Imperial Rivalry (Defn.) • Great Britain was threatened by German industrial growth • Crisis in Africa: Britain and France drawn closer together by their common mission of keeping Germany out of Northern Africa
More Causes • Militarism: Glorification of the military, Warfare, and armed forces. Preparedness for war. War as a romantic undertaking • Social Darwinism • War as a biological necessity • Arms Race: The Kaiser (Wilhelm II) built a navy to rival that of Great Britain
Kaiser Wilhelm II • 1890 Kaiser Wilhelm II becomes emperor of Germany • Biography • Relatives in Russia and Great Britain • Fired Bismarck for being overly friendly towards Russia
Crisis in the Balkans • Beginning in 1875 rebellions against the Ottoman Empire (the “sick man” of Europe) resulted in tensions among the great powers and Russian intervention • 1878: Serbia gained independence but the Austrians won the right to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina (large Serbian populations)
Entangling Alliances • Bismarck’s goal after 1871: To be in a “majority of three” • 1873: The Three Emperors League (Germany. A-H, and Russia) an alliance against radical movements • After Bismarck is fired Germany loses Russia to France • Result: The Triple Entente (GB, Russia, ,France) and the Triple Alliance (Germ. Aus-Hung, Italy)
Sarajevo June 28th 1914 • Gavrillo Princep a Serbian nationalist (Black Hand) shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie • The Austrians responded by asking Germany for their support • Germany gives them a “blank check” and Austria issues an ultimatum to Serbia (48 hrs) • Serbia must end all anti-Austrian activity and allow Austria to run the investigation into the matter