March 13/15

1. March 13/15 • Objective – Continue to develop an understanding of Causes of Conflict • Agenda – • Complete Reading of Primary Sources • Reading Part #3 • HW

2. Reading Assignment 2 • 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?

3. Discussion • What do we take away from these two speeches?

4. Reading Assignment 3 • 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?

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. Reading Assignment 4 • 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?

8. Group Discussion 1 • Review all group members’ answers to the questions from the 4 reading assignments. • Clear up all questions (get help from Mr. H 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)

9. 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

10. 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)

11. 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?