Causes of World War I

• The test includes multiple choice, free response, and fill in the blank questions.

Causes of World War I

• The short-term cause of World War I in 1914 was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
• The four main long-term causes of World War I are militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism.

Militarism

• Militarism is defined as glorifying and preparing for war.
• Militarism led to World War I because European powers engaged in an arms race, leaders were wary of protests and rebellions, and conscription was normal in most of Europe, resulting in huge militaries.

Alliances

• Alliances in the military are mutual agreements to support another country in times of war.
• Alliances led to World War I because they dragged other countries into conflicts they otherwise would not have fought.
• Germany and France had tense relations after the Franco-Prussian War in the 1870s and sought protection through alliances.
• Diplomacy was often conducted in secrecy.

Imperialism

• Imperialism involves a stronger country completely dominating less foreign lands and is a harsher form of colonialism.
• Imperialism led to World War I because industrialized countries needed raw materials due to the Industrial Revolution.
• European powers ruled many colonies and needed strong militaries to rule them and the race to colonize Africa and other parts of the world led to rivalry.

Nationalism

• Nationalism is a deep devotion to one's nation, often including feelings of superiority over others.
• Nationalism led to World War I because many ethnic groups in larger empires wanted independent countries ("self-determination").
• Additionally, many people felt their ethnic group was superior and blind devotion and commitment to a country made people trust bad leaders.

Total War

• Total War is defined as unrestricted warfare in the weapons used and the sacrifices made to achieve victory.

Balkan Peninsula

• The Balkan Peninsula (SE Europe) was called "the powder keg of Europe" prior to WWI.
• It was home to various ethnicities, many of which wanted independent countries.

Ottoman Empire

• The Ottoman Empire was vulnerable prior to WWI due to being technologically and industrially backwards.
• Parts of the Empire in Eastern Europe like Greece and Serbia, had fought successful wars of independence.
• More powerful countries surrounded it and sought to conquer its territory.
• The Ottomans entered the war seeking lost land and called a jihad (Holy War) to unite all Muslims.

Russia

• Russia lagged behind most of Europe in industry, wealth, science, and technology.

Great Britain

• Great Britain was the #1 world power at the start of World War I because it had the #1 global empire, huge industrial power and the #1 navy.

United States

• The USA at the start of WWI was a rising industrial power with a large and booming immigrant population and fairly high standard of living.
• Its military however was weaker than the European powers.
• The Zimmerman Telegram (1917) was the single event that caused the US to enter World War I.
• The telegram was a secret message from Germany to Mexico asking Mexico to attack the US in exchange for Germany helping Mexico regain land lost to the USA.
• Previously, American opinion was leaning against Germany, especially after the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, but the US was not at war.

Germany

• Germany's master plan at the start of the war was to fight the war on one front only by going west through the Low Countries and quickly taking out France.

Countries Involved

• The major countries on the Central Powers' side were Austria-Hungary, Germany, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
• The major countries on the Allied Powers' side were France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, United States, Canada, and Japan.

Trench Warfare

• Trench warfare involved two fortified trenches with “no man's land” in the middle.
• Soldiers would rush “over the top” to conquer the enemy's trench, often running into machine-gun fire.

Weapons

• The machine gun was responsible for the most loss of life.
• A "war of attrition" means forcing the enemy to surrender by wearing them down over time.
• Shell shock was the psychological condition that WWI soldiers experienced, causing them great pain and suffering.
• "Modern" weapons used in WWI included machine guns, artillery, tanks, airplanes, battleships, submarines (U-boats), poisonous gases, land mines, and zeppelins.

Unrestricted Sunmarine Warfare

• Unrestricted submarine warfare was the German strategy to relentlessly attack Allied shipping with their submarines.
• Airplanes were mostly used to spy but occasionally to drop crude bombs or engage in dogfights.

Treaty of Versailles

• The Treaty of Versailles was very harsh on the losing countries.
• Germany lost land and had to pay for the war as punishment.
• Austria-Hungary dissolved into many new countries.
• The Ottoman Empire dissolved into mandates controlled by the Allies.

Mandate System

• The “mandate” system after World War I ended involved new lands being split up and ruled by the Allies with the goal that the Allies would “oversee” the areas until they were fit for self-rule; this was mainly in the now-defunct Ottoman Empire.
• The mandate territories commonly became new colonies.

Government

• Monarchy (absolute monarchy) was mostly discarded after WWI.

League of Nations

• The purpose of the League of Nations was to forever end war by having a forum where all countries meet.
• The League was also to stamp out any potential threats with diplomacy or a worldwide military force.