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World War I Section #1—The Seeds of War

World War I Section #1—The Seeds of War. Chris Anderson Randolph-Henry High School. The Congress of Vienna had created a relative peace in Europe that lasted almost 100 years Many in Europe believed that a major war would never occur in Europe again

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World War I Section #1—The Seeds of War

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  1. World War ISection #1—The Seeds of War Chris Anderson Randolph-Henry High School

  2. The Congress of Vienna had created a relative peace in Europe that lasted almost 100 years • Many in Europe believed that a major war would never occur in Europe again • Social reforms and new scientific advances made many people believe that Europeans had outgrown war

  3. By the late 1800s, this European peace began to show signs of strain • Four (4) main characteristics started to develop in many of the European nations • 1.) Nationalism • 2.) Imperialism • 3.) Militarism • 4.) Alliances • By 1914, Europe was a “tinderbox waiting for the spark to make it explode”

  4. Nationalism • This created many tensions between European nations • People were willing to sacrifice anything for their homeland, even their own lives • This nationalism would lead many people to fight for very vague objectives • Nationalism also divided many nations, especially those nations with a diverse ethnic make-up

  5. Imperialism • Different European nations attempted to create overseas empires • The major nations scrambling for land: • Germany • Belgium • Italy • France • Great Britain

  6. Nationalism motivated European nations to compete for colonial possessions • European economic, military, and political power forced colonized countries to trade on European terms • Industrially produced goods flooded colonial markets and displaced their traditional industries • Colonized peoples resisted European domination and responded in diverse ways to Western influences

  7. Forms of imperialism • Colonies • Protectorates • Independent area (usually) under the protection of another nation • Spheres of influence • An area that is under the influence of another nation

  8. Imperialism in Africa and Asia • European domination • European conflicts carried to the colonies • Christian missionary efforts • Spheres of influence in China • Suez Canal—controlled by Great Britain • East India Company’s (GB) domination of Indian states • America’s opening of Japan to trade

  9. Responses of colonized peoples • Armed conflicts (e.g., events leading to the Boxer Rebellion in China) • Rise of nationalism (e.g., first Indian nationalist party founded in the mid-1800s)

  10. 1905: a problem arose over a little area called Morocco • France began taking steps to add Morocco to its list of possessions • Germany also had interests in Morocco and opposed France’s actions • Germany asked for a conference on the issue • Great Britain acted as mediator • The final result: Morocco would stay independent but have French influence

  11. Militarism • In order to back up their imperialistic goals, many nations believed they needed a strong military presence • Militaries began actually having political influence over many nations • The most evident example of militarism can be seen in Germany • by 1900, Germany had the most powerful weapons and the best military in Europe • Germany had already created a very strong navy in the 1890s; an attempt to outdo Great Britain

  12. Great Britain attempted to match Germany’s naval buildup in the 1890s and 1900s, causing more tensions to grow between the 2 nations • More and more nations began joining in on the arms race between Germany and Great Britain • France began to develop a strong military • Russia began to increase the size of its military

  13. Alliances • European nations began creating alliances in an attempt to protect themselves • 1879: Bismarck created the Dual Alliance • A pact between Germany and Austria-Hungary • 1882: Italy was added as a member of the alliance to create the Triple Alliance • Italy • Germany • Austria-Hungary

  14. Bismarck created the alliances for 2 main reasons • 1.) To avoid a 2-front war • 2.) To keep France weak and unable to revenge its loss in the Franco-Prussian War

  15. France wanted to make alliances against Bismarck • 1894: France made an alliance with Russia, both agreeing to help each other if either were attacked by the Triple Alliance • 1904: France and Great Britain make an agreement to end hostilities against each other (entente) • 1907: Great Britain and Russia sign an entente • By 1907, Great Britain, France, and Russia were together in an alliance called the Triple Entente—designed to counterbalance the Triple Alliance

  16. By 1907, two very distinct sides were emerging in Europe • These alliances would prove to be very dangerous for both sides

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