CAUSES OF THE GREAT WAR (WORLD WAR I)

NO ONE CAUSE…

There  is  no  one  answer  for  the  cause  of  World  War  I    There  are  however  many  contribu8ng  which  factors  which  led  to  a  war  in  which  every  part  of  the  world  was  embroiled  

MAIN CAUSES OF THE WAR

• M • A • I • N

ilitarism

lliances

mperialism

ationalism

MAIN CAUSES OF THE WAR

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

MILITARISM

• The Allied nations believed that strong militaries (armies and navies) would deter an enemy attack • Unfortunately, when well-armed

nations had conflicts, war became a choice for action

MILITARISM

• Arms  race  •  Each  country  tries  to  build  a  larger  and  more  deadly  war   machine   than   its   rivals   …..   Size   of   armies   and  navies  determines  who  is  the  most  powerful  na8on  • When  Germany  began   to  build  up   its  navy  –  Britain  saw  this  as  a  threat  to  its  own  navel  supremacy  

MILITARISM

Big  Bertha  •  Both  Germany  and  Austria  secretly  specialized  in  the  produc8on  of  enormous  howitzers  and  mortars.  q Fired  a  shell  weighing  over  one  ton  

q Produced  in  the  Krupps  factory  

MAIN CAUSES OF THE WAR

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

ALLIANCES

•  Triple Entente (The Allies)

•  Triple Alliance (The Central Powers)

•  Nations allied together for protection against threatening enemies

•  Such defensive alliances were intended to prevent wars; however, the opposite happened

France

Britain Russia

Germany

Italy Austria- Hungary 1907 1882

MAIN CAUSES OF THE WAR

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

IMPERIALISM

•  Many large and/or powerful nations had colonies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America •  Frequent quarrels between these powerful nations

were caused by their colonial rivalries (ex: wanting more territory) •  Today … imperialism has come to be associated

with the notion of industrial nations expanding their influence over less developed regions of the world, with little interest or concern for the development of that nation

IMPERIALISM

• During  the  late  19th  and  20th  centuries,  imperialism  gained  momentum  • As  countries  became  more  industrialized  they  were  increasingly  interested  in  gaining  colonies  →  intense  compe88on  for:  • Raw  materials  • Markets  • Glory    

MAIN CAUSES OF THE WAR

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

NATIONALISM

• Nationalism – a feeling of deep loyalty to one’s people and homeland • Many nations during the early twentieth

century promoted “patriotism” •  Some small regions (ex: Bosnia) wanted to

create the i r own nat ions ( th rough separation or amalgamation) •  Such plans caused tension – brought about

instability and mistrust amongst nations, ultimately driving them to War

NATIONALISM

Serbia  q Bordered  on  the  Austrian  provice  of  Bosnia  q Austria-­‐Hungary  had  annexed  Bosnia  in  1908  q Many  people  of  Serbian  descent  lived  in  Bosnia  and  biVerly  opposed  control  by  Austria-­‐Hungary  

q Some  were  determined  to  free  Bosnia  from  Austrian  domina8on  unite  Serbians  into  one  powerful  na8on  

NATIONALISM

German  Empire  q The  German  Empire  was  established  under  Prussian  leadership  with  Bismarck  as  Chancellor.  Wilhelm  II,  the  became  Emperor  of  Germany  (Kaiser)  in  1888  

q Na8onalism  expressed  itself  in  the  almost  obsessive  desire  of  the  Germans  to  acquire  and  expand  its  empire  

MAIN CAUSES OF THE WAR

• M • A • I • N

ilitarism

lliances

mperialism

ationalism

 Was  war  inevitable?  

CANADA GOES TO WAR W O R L D WA R I

IMPERIALISM PLAYS A ROLE

• Canada automatically is at War • Part of the British Empire • Precedent had already been set • Boer War à Canada had sent volunteer military support to South Africa

SUPPORT FOR WAR

•  Support was widespread • PM Robert Borden (PM 1911-1920) and his

Cabinet fully supported the War • Canada offered 25,000 trained, equipped

and fully paid for men • Only 3,000 regular army soldiers, 2 navy

cruisers • Additional 60,000 militia (citizen soldiers

trained for emergencies)

SUPPORT FOR THE WAR

• Note: Newfoundland was not part of Canada • Newfoundland Regiment (although

some joined Canadian regiments) • Colonel Hughes offered $1/day for

volunteers • 10,000 Canadians volunteered • 100s of women volunteered as nurses

and ambulance drivers (even though they were encouraged to stay home – too frail and emotional)

WHY VOLUNTEER?

•  Two reasons why people volunteered 1.  Sense of Patriotism •  Felt proud to fight for their country (especially

English-Canadians, ties to Mother Country)

2.  Feelings of Excitement and Adventure •  Pre-First World War attitude of “adventure” and

“excitement” still existed towards War •  “Home by Christmas”

GETTING READY FOR WAR

•  Sir Sam Hughes – Canada’s Minister of Militia and Defence at the beginning of the War •  Set up a training camp for over 30,000 men at

Valcartier, Quebec •  Sense of “national identity” growing •  Troops were given a Ross Rifle (manufactured

in Canada) – good for sharp shooting, awful in trench warfare

•  By October 1914 – troops were sailing across the Atlantic •  By February 1914 – troops were en route to the

front lines in France