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Causes of the War

Causes of the War. Europe at Its Peak. Industrial Revolution at its peak Modernization led to sense that Europeans were at the peak of world civilization Europe had 25% of world population—highest percent of any time in history. Imperial Tensions. European nations competed for colonies.

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Causes of the War

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  1. Causes of the War

  2. Europe at Its Peak • Industrial Revolution at its peak • Modernization led to sense that Europeans were at the peak of world civilization • Europe had 25% of world population—highest percent of any time in history

  3. Imperial Tensions • European nations competed for colonies

  4. Militarism • Glorification of war and increase in military spending • Germany competed against England’s naval superiority

  5. Nationalism • Great pride in one’s country or aspiring to become one’s own country • Germany and Italy had only recently become united, independent countries • Many countries torn by tensions of different nationalist groups

  6. Combined with militarism and imperial competition, this increased tensions in Europe

  7. The System of Alliances • Web of treaties to protect themselves • Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy • Triple Entente: France, Russia and Great Britain

  8. How do I possibly REMEMBER all of that?

  9. These are the MAIN causes for World War I • MAIN • Militarism • Alliances • Imperialism • Nationalism

  10. War Breaks Out

  11. Nationalism in the Balkans

  12. Nationalism in the Balkans • People with diverse religions, ethnic backgrounds, languages • As Ottoman Empire receded, new nations were born • Russian and Austria competed for colonial control of new nations • Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia in 1908 and Serbia resents this

  13. Nationalism in the Balkans

  14. The Assassination of the Archduke

  15. The Assassination of the Archduke • Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria visited Bosnian capital (Sarajevo) on June 28, 1914 • 7 assassins from the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist group, plot against him • 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip kills the Archduke and his wife (THE SPARK)

  16. The Assassination of the Archduke

  17. Austria-Hungary’s Ultimatum • Germany gave “blank check” of military support to Austria-Hungary • Austria-Hungary’s serves ultimatum to Serbia • Serbia refuses to let Austria-Hungary’s officials run an investigation in Serbia

  18. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia July 28,1914

  19. The Alliance System Leads to War • Russia supported Serbia and Germany supported Austria-Hungary • Within one week, almost all of Europe plunged into war: • Germany declares war on Russia and France • Britain declares war on Germany

  20. Alliances and Fronts of the War

  21. What has changed about the alliances????

  22. The Alliances • Allied Powers — Britain, France , Russia, Belgium • Central Powers — Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire

  23. The Western Front • Germany tried to take France quickly in the Western Front and then turn to fight Russia (Schlieffen Plan) • Instead, battle lines formed in northeastern France and changed little (stalemate) • Miles of trenches built (trench warfare)

  24. The Western Front

  25. Battles Along the Western Front • Long, bloody battles: Verdun—680,000 casualties • Somme—over 1 million casualties

  26. The Eastern Front • Lack of modern technology caused Russia enormous defeats • Led to Bolshevik (Russian)Revolution • Treaty signed with revolutionary government in Russia—lost one-fourth of territory

  27. The Eastern Front Brest-Litvosk Treaty

  28. The Balkan Front • The Allies abandoned attempts to land in Balkans after losing battles to Ottoman Empire (ex. Gallipoli) The Italian Front • Italians joined the Triple Entente in 1915 and fought Austria-Hungary

  29. The War Ends • 1917 – USA enters war – replaces Russia in Triple Entente • Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire were first Central Powers to be defeated • Revolts inside Austria-Hungary and Germany helped end the war quickly

  30. New Weapons Used in the War

  31. The Machine Gun • Modern industry replaced the single-fire, short-range rifle • British machine guns fired 8 round per second, at a distance of 2,900 yards

  32. Artillery • Greater power and carried shells much further • 24 million shells used in the Battle of Verdun alone

  33. Weapons of the Industrial Age • 75 different types of poison-gas used (1st time – 1915 2nd Battle of Ypres) • Flame throwers • Tanks (first used in 1916) • Airplanes • U-Boats

  34. Casualties of Modern Weaponry • Tactics of sending masses of men toward enemy didn’t work against modern weapons (No Man’s Land) • Britain suffered 57,470 casualties on the first day of the Battle of Somme • Total losses for WWI exceeded 10 million

  35. The Reality of Soldiers’ Lives

  36. Patriotic Fervor • Many Europeans looked forward to war at the start Attitudes Change • Soldiers changed Europeans’ optimistic fervor through letters about the horrors of war

  37. The Return Home • No crowds or heroes’ welcome after the war

  38. Trench Warfare

  39. The Race to the Sea • 475 miles of trenches were dug across northern France • British troops used over 10 million shovels during the war

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