CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I1914-1918

AMERICA ENTERS IN 1917

LONG-TERM CAUSES OF WAR

Europe was in so much conflict it was a powder keg waiting to explode and the powder inside was…MilitarismAlliancesImperialismNationalism

MILITARISM (GLORIFICATION OF THE MILITARY)

European leaders knew there was a war coming so they start to prepareIncrease the size of their armies and

stockpile weapons (arms race)Germany was the frontrunner and

Britain wanted to keep upThis guaranteed that the next war was

going to be deadly Machine guns, tanks, submarines, airplanes

ALLIANCES (MAKING FRIENDS) Another way to prepare for war Allied Powers or Triple Entente: France, Russia, and

Great Britain…United States later Central Powers or Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-

Hungary, and Italy If one of these countries went to war then all of them

would go to war as well…would also ensure that war would be deadly

IMPERIALISM (COMPETITION FOR LAND AND POWER)

The more overseas colonies a nation had, the wealthier they were

major rivalry between western nationsGermany was

threatening America’s dominance

NATIONALISM (DEVOTION TO ONE’S NATION)

Nations are starting to have pride in the majority ethnic group in their countryCountries reject that

they are collections of different ethnic groups

Fueled by Social Darwinism

SHORT TERM CAUSE (IMMEDIATE CAUSE/SPARK)

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary (A-H) and wife

killed by a Serbian nationalists who believed the Archduke was a tyrant wanted Serbia to be part of

Bosnia not A-H, supported by the Allied

Powers A-H investigates…Serbians

are non compliant…A-H declares war

ALLIANCES ARE TESTED

After A-H declared war there is a domino affect: Russia began to mobilize

to help its ally Serbia… Germany declares war

on Russia… France has Russia’s

back and declares war on Germany…

Germany invades neutral Belgium to get to France…

then Great Britain declared war on Germany

in one short week a world war had started

TRENCH WARFARE

On each front (east and west) of Germany trenches were dug in the ground for cover

Led to deadly stalemate (nothing happening)

“no man’s land” Solution: Mustard Gas

new technology used to attack the enemy without getting too close to the trenches

lingered on the battlefield for days leaves chemical burns (blisters) or can burn

the respiratory system if not fatalnow a gas mask is part of a soldiers uniform

WHAT WILL AMERICA DO? President Wilson encouraged America to

be neutral (Washington’s suggestion) Three Opinions of the War

Isolationists (aka Neutralists): the war is none of our business; neutrality is American tradition and too many lives would be lost

Interventionists: the war did affect America; get involved

Internationalists: took the middle road (Pres. Wilson)

But many Americans still chose sides and were affected indirectly…many Americans were immigrants from the countries at war Most side with Britain and France

AMERICA’S NEUTRALITY IS TESTED ( UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE)

Germany set up a blockade around Britain using u-boats or submarines…went undetected and unrestricted

Germany attacked British passenger liner the Lusitania…America is outraged but remained neutral

To keep the US out of the war, Germany promised, in the Sussex Pledge, not to sink passenger or merchant ships…they broke this promise

AMERICA GETS READY FOR WAR

Expanded the size of the US Army and started building more warships (militarism)

Wilson runs for a successful reelection in 1916 on the slogan “he kept us out of war”

AMERICA ABANDONS NEUTRALITY Zimmerman Telegram

was intercepted by the British Germany tries to gain

Mexico as an ally by giving back Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Mexico upon a German victory

Germany resumes its unrestricted submarine warfare (the straw that broke the camels back)

America declares war on Germany in 1917