the main causes of world war i - mr. zuba's...

The MAIN Causes of World War I SLMS/10

M stands for Militarism… M stands for Militarism… M stands for Militarism… M stands for Militarism…

•Militarism is the build-up of armaments and the glorifica-tion of the military. This be-came common in European countries in the years before World War I. •Part of the reason for European nations’ focus on the military was the quest for power and the scramble for colonies. In or-der to achieve both, a powerful military was necessary. •Other nations began to feel that the best defense was a good offense. Newly emerg-ing nations posed a threat to the estab-lished order of things. Many nations began to build up their militaries in order to keep up and in order to protect themselves. •Unfortunately, the rampant and unchecked build up of armaments continued for dec-ades leading up to World War I.

BackgroundBackgroundBackgroundBackground

•The French had lost the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 to Prussia. This victory al-lowed Prussia to unify the Germanic states into a single country called Germany. •The Germans wanted to prove that they belonged with the other big European pow-ers as a major force in history. They began to scramble for colonies — trying to make up for the fact that they unified late. •They were very militaristic — the military, after all, had helped unify Ger-many, and it remained a primary force in the German psyche. The feeling was that a militarily strong nation generally got what it wanted. The aggressive nature of the new German nation felt threatening to all nations in Europe.

Prelude to war?Prelude to war?Prelude to war?Prelude to war?

•How did militarism lead to war? •First, it contributed to the growing fear and paranoia that was gripping nations. •Second, it intensified a growing sense of distrust that nations had about each other. Many felt that weapons were being pro-duced in order to intimidate neighboring nations.

•Third, it produced a sense of competi-tion that led to constant and deadly escalation in the produc-tion of weapons and warships.

•Finally, it was possible that even a small conflict could erupt into a large scale war. If you have weapons, odds are, you’re going to use them if you have the opportunity.

StatisticsStatisticsStatisticsStatistics

•Between 1870 & 1914, military spending in Europe increased 300%. •Between 1900 & 1914, Germany Germany Germany Germany tripled its spending on warships, making it the 2nd strongest naval power in Europe. •Britain Britain Britain Britain responded by increasing its naval spending. •Russia Russia Russia Russia doubled the spending on its army between 1900 & 1914. •France France France France also increased its spending on the military, and extended time of military service from 2 to 3 years, thus, significantly increasing the overall size of its army.


A is for Alliances… A is for Alliances… A is for Alliances… A is for Alliances…

•An alliance is a formal or informal pact in which na-tions agree to defend each other in time of war. Two major alliances developed in Europe just prior to World War I. •The reason for the development of alli-ances was that the precarious Balance of Power in Europe had been upset with the unifications of Italy and Germany. •Balance of Power worked like a see-saw. If one nation became extremely powerful, two other nations might form an alliance against it in order to bal-ance off its power. It was almost like the play-ground see-saw. •The feeling was, if one nation sensed they were more powerful than their neighbors, they would start a war of conquest. If, however, their power was balanced off by an alliance of two or three other countries, a peaceful co-existence could be main-tained. •When Italy unified into one nation from a dozen weaker principalities, and Germany emerged as a very powerful political and military force, instead of its dozen or so principalities, the playground see-saw was dreadfully unbalanced. •Germany and Italy had aided each other in their unification processes, and appeared to be allies. Both Britain and France were con-cerned by this, and the natural thing for them to do would be to ally together… but they were mortal enemies! They hadn’t been on the same side of a war in more than 800 years!

The Big TwoThe Big TwoThe Big TwoThe Big Two

•There were several different alliance pacts created in the decades before World War I. Some were secret alliances, some were bro-ken, and some were rene-gotiated over time. •In the early 1900s, two major alliances emerged in Europe: The Triple Alliance Triple Alliance Triple Alliance Triple Alliance and the Triple EntenteTriple EntenteTriple EntenteTriple Entente. •The Triple Alliance in-cluded Germany, Austria-Hungary and It-aly. The driving force behind the creation of this alliance was Germany’s desire to isolate France. Note that Germany, Austria and Italy are located in central Europe, be-tween France and Russia. •The Triple Entente originally included only France and Russia, but as Britain increas-ingly feared the power of Germany, they joined as well.

A Prelude to War?A Prelude to War?A Prelude to War?A Prelude to War?

•So, given the fact that these alliances were supposed to maintain the Balance of Power and prevent war, how did they cause war? •First, the web of alliances that had devel-oped in Europe increased the growing paranoia and distrust between nations. Many alliances were secretly negotiated, and there was a feeling that no one really knew who their friends were. •Second, the web of alliances had the potential to entrap members in an unwanted war. In theory, alliances could widen the scope of a small re-gional conflict into a huge war.


I is for Imperialism… I is for Imperialism… I is for Imperialism… I is for Imperialism…

•Imperialism is when a stronger nation dominates a weaker one, socially, politi-cally and economically. •The European race for colonies intensified in the 19th century largely as a result of industriali-zation. The rise of European in-dustry increased the need for cheap raw materials and massive markets in which to sell finished products. •Europeans used their superior military technology to dominate Africa, Asia, and areas of the South Pacific.

European DisputesEuropean DisputesEuropean DisputesEuropean Disputes

•European conflict over colonies nearly erupted in several areas of the world. •In 1898 France and Britain nearly went to war in the Fashoda incident. The conflict was over control of the head waters of the Nile river. Eventually, France withdrew. •In 1905, Germany disputed France’s increasing involve-ment in Morocco. The Presi-dent of the United States had to mediate the crisis to avoid war. •Peace was short lived as tensions again nearly boiled over into war over Morocco in 1911. Britain, increasingly worried about German aggression, supported France, and warfare again was avoided. •In other areas, nations were vying for spheres of influence in China, and for colo-nies in Southeast Asia.

The Powder KegThe Powder KegThe Powder KegThe Powder Keg

•A powder keg was a wooden barrel filled with gunpowder, which obvi-ously, was highly flammable. •In Europe, the Balkans was an area known as the “Powder keg of Europe”. It was an area that was highly ex-plosive because of the imperialist interests of several major nations. •The Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire used to control the entire Balkan area, but by 1914, it had weakened and lost nearly all of it. •Serbia Serbia Serbia Serbia emerged as a newly independent Slavic state in the late 1800s, and hoped to unite all Slavs of the area into one united country under Serbian leadership. •AustriaAustriaAustriaAustria----Hungary Hungary Hungary Hungary was a multi-ethnic Empire with a great number of Slavs. They had recently seized the Slavic territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, infuriating Serbia. •Russia Russia Russia Russia was also an Empire that included a great number of Slavic peoples. Russia supported Serbia, and also desired territory in the Balkans for a warm-water port.


•At this point, it should be obvious how im-perialism helped lead to war. •European competition for colonies was in-creasing tensions worldwide. Coupled with the militaristic arms race that was going on, imperial-ism created conditions ripe for conflict. •Additionally, imperialism had the potential to upset the delicate balance of powers in Europe as some countries were able to seize more colonies than others. •Of all the potential conflicts, the situation in the Balkans was the most dangerous. The area was a focal point for four nations, all of which, were weak and were anxious to find a way to expand their influence.


N is for Nationalism… N is for Nationalism… N is for Nationalism… N is for Nationalism…

•Nationalism became a widespread force in Europe in the 19th century. It is often defined as “patriotism”, or “pride in one’s country”, but it represented more than that. It was a growing sense of nation-hood among Europeans. •The pride that people felt caused them to desire the best for their nation… and this desire was at the root of many European problems.

Nationalism, the DoubleNationalism, the DoubleNationalism, the DoubleNationalism, the Double----edged Swordedged Swordedged Swordedged Sword

•More than ever, people who sensed that they had commonalities — like a common language, history, ethnicity, and religion began to band together to form nations. •The impact of nationalism will be pro-found, and for some it will be positive, while for others it will be destructive. -Positive Impacts:Positive Impacts:Positive Impacts:Positive Impacts: Nationalism will cause groups of people to unite for common goals. These groups will often seek to over-throw oppressive forces and establish self-government. Other goals include economic advancement & improvement. -Negative Impacts:Negative Impacts:Negative Impacts:Negative Impacts: Nationalism will destroy large, multi-ethnic empires. It will also be a force that prompts violence, as it will create revolutions, wars of conquest, and wars of pride.

Individual National MotivesIndividual National MotivesIndividual National MotivesIndividual National Motives

•Many nations had their own motivations for wanting to get involved in a “small” European war. Most of these motives were grounded in revenge or expansion. •France France France France was looking to avenge their loss to Germany in the Franco-Prussian war. They also were looking to get their territory of Alsace-Lorraine back. •Germany Germany Germany Germany was still looking for “her place in the sun”, or to show other nations that she had arrived. •Serbia Serbia Serbia Serbia was trying to unite Slavic provinces in the Balkans into a united Slavic state. •Russia Russia Russia Russia wanted to prove that it wasn’t as inept as it had seemed in the Russo-Japanese war. They also had their eyes on additional warm water ports in the Balkans area. •AustriaAustriaAustriaAustria----Hungary Hungary Hungary Hungary wanted to avenge her losses in the unifica-tion movements of Italy and Germany. Aus-tria had a multi-national empire that they were trying to hold together, and were looking to add parts of the Balkans to it.


•So, how did nationalism lead to war? •Nationalism didn’t cause war in and of it-self, but it was a major contributing factor. In fact, it might be argued that nationalism led to militarism, imperialism and the crea-tion of alliances. •National pride led to the competition for colonies in an attempt to be considered powerful and in order to im-prove their economies. •National pride also led directly to the build up of armies and navies in order to pursue colonies and to get respect — which led nervous countries to pursue alliances. •So, it would seem that nationalism was key in creating the factors that led to war.

the main causes of world war i - mr. zuba's...

Documents