causes of wwi: the european “powder keg”. a century of peace europe had not seen a prolonged war...
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Causes of WWI: The European “Powder Keg”
A Century of Peace• Europe had not seen a
prolonged war since the Napoleonic Wars ended at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
• The Franco-Prussian War and Crimean War had each been intense, but fairly short and localized in scale
The Olympic Games• In 1896, the first modern
Olympic games were held in Athens, partly as a celebration of peace
• The principle was that the “civilized” nations had found a new way to compete which would replace warfare – through peaceful athletic contests
The World Court• In 1899, the Hague Tribunal
was created to serve as a “world court” to settle disputes between countries
• Again, the principle was that “civilized” nations would allow an impartial court to settle any legal or territorial disputes, rather than resort to the violence of warfare
The Nobel Prizes• Swedish industrialist Alfred
Nobel willed his fortune to establish the Nobel Peace Prize (as well as Nobel Prizes in science, literature, and the arts) to honor individuals or groups who promote world peace
• The first award was given in 1901 to Jean Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross.
Growing Rivalries• Britain began to feel threatened by
Germany’s industrial growth• Germany felt that other European
countries did not respect them because they weren’t an “old” power
• France harbored old grudges against Germany over the Franco-Prussian War
• Russia believed that they had to prove themselves to the European powers after losing so badly to Japan in the 1905 war
• Everybody was forced to militarize due to fear of Germany’s military strength
The M.A.I.N. Causes of WWI
Militarism• Belief that the only way to
guarantee peace was to prepare for war
• This led to an arms race as each country expanded their military and began to produce steel battleships, high-powered guns and explosives
• Germany began by building up her navy, so England became nervous and responded by increasing the size of her navy
Alliances• Since 1815 the European
states had been involved in trying to maintain a balance of power
• By 1914, two major alliances had emerged– Triple Entente - France, Britain,
Russia (Russia was later replaced by the US)
– Triple Alliance - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy (Italy was later replaced by the Ottoman Empire)
Imperialism• As countries became more
industrialized, interest in gaining colonies increased due to competition for raw materials and markets
• Britain had the largest global empire - Canada, Australia, India, Malaya, Egypt, South Africa, East and West Indies and south Pacific islands . . . “The sun never sets on the British Empire”
• Due to Bismarck’s reluctance, Germany was slow to build an empire, holding only some African and Pacific territories
• Germany was left looking to take over colonies belonging to other empires
Nationalism• In the late 19th and early 20th
centuries many people were willing to take any action to support their nation, especially in the smaller countries of the Balkans
• The empire of Austria-Hungary included a wide variety of ethnic people, and most of these people had stronger ties to their ethnicity than to the Austrian government
Nationalism• Austria and the Ottomans
– both old empires were crumbling under the pressure of nationalist movements by “captive” peoples
– their inability to control the Balkans created a “powder keg” – one small spark could cause Europe to “explode” into all-out war
• Russia– promoted Pan-Slavism (the belief
that all Slavic peoples share a common nationality)
– Strongly supported the Balkan Slavic state of Serbia
The Spark• Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand
visited the Bosnian city of Sarajevo in June 1914 as a gesture of political goodwill (Bosnia was an Austrian province)
• Serbian nationalists plotted to assassinate the Archduke; their first attempt failed (they tried to throw a bomb into his passing car)
• Later the same day, one of the nationalists succeeded in jumping into the car and shooting the Archduke and his wife; both died
The Conflict Ignites• The Archduke was the
nephew of Austrian emperor Franz Joseph and heir to the throne
• The Austrian government demanded that Serbia round up anyone involved in the plot; Serbia failed to comply with all of Austria’s demands
• On July 28, 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia
Russia• Russia, fearing a loss
of influence in the Balkans and honoring their support for Pan-Slavism, immediately mobilized in support of Serbia
Germany• Germany, honoring
their alliance with Austria-Hungary, mobilized their forces and began to enact their Schlieffen Plan, which called for eliminating France first, before dealing with Russia
France• France, honoring their
alliance with Russia, offered them military assistance
• Germany then declared war on France, which fit in with their objectives for the Schlieffen Plan
Great Britain• Britain tried to remain
neutral, but when Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914 (Belgium was between Germany and France), Britain declared war on Germany to fulfill its treaties with both Belgium and France
“The Great War”• Germany mobilized 13
million soldiers• Russia → 12 million• Britain → 9 million• France → 8.5 million• Austria → 8 million• 1 in 4 soldiers who fought
in the war were killed (even more were wounded, lost limbs, their vision, or mental health)
New Weapons
1. Machine Guns• Although the
machine gun had been used in combat before, WWI marked its first widespread use
2. Artillery • New artillery had
replaced cannons; artillery could shell enemy positions from more than 10 miles away
3. Poison gas• Germans introduced
the use of chemical gasses as weapons
• These gasses could burn the skin, blind, or destroy the lungs if breathed in
• Fortunately, gas masks and rubber chemical suits offered some protection
4. Tanks• 1916: Britain
introduced tanks, but they were very slow moving and broke down frequently
• By war’s end, all armies were using them
5. Airplanes• Both sides used
airplanes equipped with machine-guns, although these air battles had little net effect on the war
• Aircraft mainly served for conducting aerial reconnaissance
6. U-boats (submarines)• Germany began
using U-boats (submarines) to devastating effect, sinking supply ships carrying valuable ammunition
7. Dreadnoughts (Battleships)• Introduced by the
British in 1906, this new generation of warship was armed with long-range naval artillery
• Dreadnoughts were also entirely powered by coal-burning steam turbines
8. Aircraft Carriers • The first aircraft carriers
were heavily modified naval cruisers with wooden flight decks built on top
• Carriers were never very effective during WWI, but were perhaps the most important strategic weapon of WWII and later
9. Hand Grenades• Had existed for centuries,
but during WWI they were mass produced for the first time – over 75 million were produced for the British army alone
• Also the first time grenades were generally considered as a weapon that was “safe” for the person using it – they rarely blew up early
10. Land Mines• Another device which
existed for centuries, but was perfected and first mass produced during WWI
• Mines were buried just under the surface of the earth and exploded when stepped on
“Total War”• Nations began to realize that the war
effort required the total commitment of their societies – all resources HAD to go into the war effort in order to win
• Economic Impact– tremendous cost to recruit, train, arm,
and deploy millions of soldiers– taxes were raised and huge sums of
money were borrowed– food and other products were rationed
for civilian use; prices on certain goods were fixed and labor strikes were forbidden
– all warring nations turned to conscription (a draft), requiring all young men to make themselves available for military service
Propaganda• Propaganda: Manipulation of
the media by the government to influence public opinion
• To control public opinion, governments censored the media
• Casualty reports were rarely published
• Both sides exaggerated or even made up atrocities committed by the other side
Changing Role of Women• Women had to step in
and fill jobs normally occupied by men to keep the wartime economy going
• Women served as nurses• Women’s strength during
the war helped them finally win support for allowing women to vote after the war