Causes of World War I

1. Causes of World War I The Great War

2. Causes of World War I In your notebook, write today’s date and the lesson title: Causes of WWI

3. The Causes - Overview Historians usually cite the following as causes of the war: Rivalries among the great powers and other European countries caused by History (Resentment and Hatred) Imperialism Militarism Nationalism Alliances brought about by the rivalries A spark (the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne)

4. The Rivalries We will focus on the following major rivalries: Germany and France Austria and Russia Great Britain and Germany Serbia and Austria Let’s learn about what caused them

5. Discussion One From the section of the text entitled “Rising Tensions in Europe” (pp. 841-842) answer the following questions : What led to the rivalry between France and Germany? What led to the rivalry between Austria and Russia? How did imperialism contribute to the tensions between the European countries? What is “militarism”? How did militarism contribute to the tensions between European countries?

6. Causes of World War I • Militarism and Arms Race

7. Causes of WWI Imperialism

8. Causes of WWI • Fervent Nationalism and the Romanticizing of War.

9. Primary Sources: Germany Read the two primary source handouts: Kaiser Wilhelm’s “A Place in the Sun” Bernard von Bulow’s “Hammer and Anvil” Answer the following questions in writing: What is each man calling for in his speech? What might a non-German European be afraid of listening to the two speeches?

10. Primary Source: Great Britain At the beginning of the 20th Century, Kaiser Wilhelm “began a tremendous shipbuilding program in an effort to make the German navy equal to the mighty British fleet” (text 843) Does this come as a surprise after your last reading? (it shouldn’t) Read the primary source handout “Sir Edward Grey’s Speech to Parliament” and answer the following questions in writing: What was his reaction to the German shipbuilding program? What does he call for in his speech? Why do you think naval superiority was important to Britain? Based on the three sources you’ve read, what is the nature of the rivalry between Germany and Great Britain?

11. Consider the Following 1 In 1871 Prussia (the most powerful German state) soundly defeated France in a war During the war Prussian forces captured the king of France, Napoleon III At the end of the war Prussian forces took Paris and Versailles, the symbol of the French monarchy, where they made France sign an unfavorable peace treaty The war resulted in the unification of Germany and the crowning of Kaiser Wilhelm which took place at Versailles The terms of the treaty made France give up two provinces – Alsace and Lorraine – whose population was largely German but which were important economically to France How do you think the French people felt about these events? How do you think they felt about Germany? What do you think they wanted in the future? What is the nature of the rivalry between Germany and France?

12. Consider the Following 2 Ethnically, Austria is German Ethnically, Russia is Slavic Ethnically, the people living in the Balkan peninsula are Slavic Ethnically, many people living under control of the Austro-Hungarian empire were Slavic Russia has no open warm water western ports For the Russian fleet to have open access to the west, it had to exit the Black Sea through the narrow passages of the Bosporus and Dardanelles The Balkan peninsula controls these narrow waterways What do you think these facts have to do with the Russian-Austrian rivalry?

13. Primary Source: Serbian Nationalism Read “The Crisis in the Balkans – A Restless Region” on p. 843 of the text and answer the following questions in writing: Describe the factors that created the “crisis in the Balkans” How was the crisis related to nationalism. Then read the primary source handout “The Narodna Obrana” and answer the following questions in writing: Who did the Serbs see as their old enemy? Who do they see as their new enemy? What is the goal of the organization? Consider both sources and answer the following question: What was the nature of the Serbian-Austrian rivalry?

14. Group Discussion 1 Review all group members’ answers to the questions from the 3 reading assignments. Clear up all questions (get help from Mr. Austin if you need it) Then discuss each rivalry (French-German, Austrian-Russian, Austrian-Serbian, German-British) in light of the six social studies perspectives: How might each rivalry be seen from each of the social studies perspectives (economic, political, cultural, sociological, psychological, geographic)

15. Group Discussion 2 In light of the rivalries we have just read about, what would you have sought to do if you were the leader of each country? Germany Austria Russia France Great Britain

16. Discussion Follow-Up In fact, the countries sought defensive alliances (was that what you would have done?) Read about them (Tangled Alliances pp. 842-843) and in writing: Describe the alliances that existed between European countries during the period before the First World War. (you can do this individually or as a group)

17. Causes of WWI (cont.) • A Tangled Web of Alliances

18. Pre WWI European Events January, 1871 Prussia and the German kingdoms are united into a single nation.

19. May, 1871 France is forced to sign a humiliating treaty with Germany that ends the 1870-71 Franco Prussian war

20. 1873- Germany, A-H, and Russia form an alliance called the Three Emperors League

21. 1878- Russia leaves the alliance, leaving Germany and A-H in the Duel Alliance.

22. 1881- Italy joins to form the triple alliance

23. Italy forms a secret alliance with France

24. 1892 France and Russia form an alliance aimed specifically at counteracting the potential threat posed by the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy

25. 1902 Great Britain, seeing Germany’s military gains, forms a military alliance with Japan, aimed squarely at limiting German colonial gains in the east

26. 1903 Serbia manages to end the interference of A-H in it’s affairs

27. 1904 Britain signs Entente Cordiale with France

28. 1905 Japan defeats Russia in the Russo Japanese war

29. 1907 – Great Britain and Russia agree to alliance, forming the Triple Entente

30. Other relationships affecting Europe: • Russia and Serbia were traditional allies. • 1839 Treaty of London called for Great Britain, France, Austria and Prussia (Germany) to defend Belgium’s neutrality

31. 1908 Austria-Hungary Annexes Bosnia

32. 1912 Italy defeats Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Empire cedes territories in Africa

33. 1912 Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria fight off advances from Ottoman Empire

34. 1913 Bulgaria becomes aggressor. Bulgaria’s former allies fight Bulgaria off.

35. Reading Assignment 5 The Spark that Caused the War Read “A Shot Rings Throughout Europe” (p.844) and “The Great War Begins” (p.845) and answer the following questions in writing: Who was Gavrilo Princip, what did he do? Describe how his act led to war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. How did the war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary lead to World War I?

36. In June of 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand traveled to Sarajevo for an official visit. http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/ferdinand.htm

37. Ferdinand was shot by Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip immediately following a reception for the Archduke at Sarajevo's Town Hall, setting off the chain of events that led to the outbreak of war in late July 1914.  (FirstWorldWar.com)

38. June, 1914: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/index.html