WORLD WAR I 1914 – 1918

#1

1. Marching Toward War A. Rising Tensions in Europe

Nationalism – can unify people domestically, but can also create international rivalries with other states

Causes of rivalry between nations:

- Competition for markets and resources (imperial rivalry)

- Territorial disputes:

- France wanted Germany to return Alsace-Lorraine

- Russia & Austria-Hungary fought over the Balkans

- Intense nationalism inflamed Balkan States that vied for independence from empires

Imperialism & Militarism: (#2)

Imperialism- Quest for colonies in Africa & Asia caused tension

- Ex. Boer War – Dutch vs. British

Militarism – def.- The policy of glorifying military power and maintaining large armies/navies

- It fuels and is fueled by Nationalism

- Industrialization – made it possible to mass-produce and stockpile weapons and equip massive standing armies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkIpPD3xJ1A&feature=endscreen&NR=1

B. Tangled Alliances (#3)

Bismarck Forges Alliances:

- OVB started wars to unite Germany

- After unification in 1871, OVB declared Germany a “Satisfied Power” – he wanted to secure peace in Europe

- Feared France would want revenge for Franco-Prussian losses

-  Triple Alliance – Ger/A-H/Italy – designed to isolate France and scare it into accepting peace

- Signed a peace treaty with Russia, too

- Became king of Prussia in 1890

- Traumatized by physical deformity – compensated for it by bullying others - arrogant, ego-maniacal, unpredictable

- Fired OVB, destroyed his attempts to restore peace in Europe by:

- Ending treaty w/ Russia

- Rapidly increased size of navy, Alarming Gr. Britain

- An extreme militarist

Kaiser Wilhelm II

(#3) Triple Entente – alliance made between France, Russia, and Great Britain:

France – feared Germany’s alliance was hostile

Russia – alarmed that WII ended their treaty

Great Britain – reacted to Germany’s naval build-up

- Now there were 2 gangs – Triple Alliance & Triple Entente

A conflict between any of the nations could drag them all into a war

C. Crisis in the Balkans – (#4) - The Balkan Peninsula -Called the “Powder Keg” of Europe – A dense mix of ethnicities, Empires, and intense nationalism

BALKANS

- Ottoman Turks ruled it for centuries, but were in rapid decline

- Some groups were trying to break from Turks, others already had

- Austria-Hungary ruled in the north, not Slavs themselves, but ruled over many

- Some were Slavs, others were not

- Russia – Slavic Empire that supported other Slavic rebellions

- Serbia – central Balkan Slavic state – wanted to unite & govern all Balkan Slavs

Balkans – The Powder-Keg of Europe

(#5) Assassination and Ultimatum:

The Black Hand – Terrorist group that wanted to free Bosnia From Austrian rule

- Archduke Franz Ferdinand – crown prince of A-H – visited Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia on a historic anniversary of Slavic defeat

The Archduke Assassin Gavrilo Princip

- The Black Hand ambushed the Archduke and his wife, killing the heir to the A-H throne

Gavrilo Princip being taken into custody after the assassination

- Austria was furious, intent on punishing Serbian Slavs because they were viewed as the force behind Slavic nationalism

Ultimatum – an “either/or” set of demands – Austria made Demands that Serbia could not accept if it wanted to remain a free nation

- Serbia agreed to most demands, but requested an international conference to settle some of the issues

- Austria refused to negotiate & declared war

- Russia mobilized its forces & sent them to the Austrian border To defend their Slavic ally, Serbia

-  Last-minute frantic attempts to negotiate by the leaders of Germany and Russia failed to prevent the conflict