WWI: What are the causes of WWI?

Long-Term Causes of WWI• Nationalism: devotion to the interests & culture of your nation

• Imperialism: fight to control areas around the world

• Militarism: building of many weapons and a large military

• Alliance System: making “friends” with nations

The Spark! • June, 1914: ________________________

assassinated in _______________

• Alliance system pulls in one country after another into war

• Germany follows the ______________ , to avoid fighting on two fronts

Archduke Franz FerdinandSarajevo, Bosnia

Schlieffen Plan

Trench Warfare• Allies & Germans “dig

trenches” for a long battle

• 300 miles of trenches across France

• ____________ : muddy space in-between trenches filled w/ barbed wire, bombs

●Slide 12

No man’s land

Please review your notes by answering the following questions.

1. What are the 4 long-term causes to WWI?

2. Why were so many Euro. nations pulled into the conflict?

German Soldiers

Trench fighting

Europe at the start of WWI

The Balkan Peninsula; The “Powder Keg of Europe”

The Schlieffen Plan

Trenches across France and Belgium