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Militarism
After 1871 the expansion and increase of Arms and military technologies began because of many secret alliances that clouded the war atmosphere. Militarism greatly increases from 1900 to 1914 as international situations worsened. -
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Alliances
There were two main group of alliances during world war 1 these were the Triple Entente which was Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. The Triple Alliance was Russia, Britain, and France. Later the Central powers were formed which was Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire. Italy left the Triple Entente and joined the Allied Powers ans so did the United States. -
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his Wife occurred when driving through the streets of Bosnia. The Nationalist Serbians who wanted freedom were angered by Austrian occupation. While driving through the city a failed attempt was made as a bomb bounced off their vehicle and injured by standers but did not kill the Duke and his wife. Later a second successful attempt was made by Gavrilo Princip who fired at point blank range killing them both. -
Nationalism
Nationalism was a huge factor in the cause of the war to end all wars. The Serbian people were tired and angered by Austrian occupation and before that Ottoman occupation. When the Austrian government refused to give Bosnia independence , a Serbian assassin killed the Archduke and his wife while their limo was driving through the streets of the city. This was the main underling cause of World War 1. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
The German Kaiser viewed the assassination as a personal loss and when meeting with the Austrian ambassador pledged full fledged support for action against the Balkans even if Russia intervened. This is viewed as Germany's blank check. -
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WWI begins
Because of the alliances made When Germany declared war on France, Britain mobilized troops and declared war on the Central powers. The declaration of war on the Balkan nations by the Central powers caused Russia to mobilize against them in order to defend the Balkan states. -
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Effects of WWI
World War 1 was a horrid time and many died in the process. There were about 38 million casualties, 17 million of which were deaths and 20 million wounded. these casualties include both civilian and military personnel. Many new political and economic changes occurred. Germany lost a lot of land and also later in 1920 the fall of the ottoman empire occurred. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A German U-boat shot a torpedo and erupted the ship causing it to sink. Around 1,100 passengers died as a result of the sinking ship, including about 120 Americans. The US does not join the war for another two years but this caused public opinion of Germany to be questioned. -
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Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
During the war unrestricted Submarine attacks by the Germans became a common occurrence. After the sinking of the Lusitania the American president send a message to the Germans in order to cease their attacks.The Germans refused and continued throughout the rest of the war. This was a large cause for the US involvement in World War 1. -
Zimmerman Telegram
A German telegram to Mexico was intercepted and decoded. In the telegram Germany offered US lands to Mexico if they joined the German Cause in the war. -
US entry into the war and her impact on it
President Wilson declares war on Germany because of its refusal to cease unrestricted submarine attacks as well as their attempt to bring Mexico into the war against the Allied Powers. -
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty of Versailles after WW1 brought about many changes. The treaty was extremely harsh on Germany and was a factor which led to World War 2. Germany was blamed for the war, lost a lot of land, and was prohibited from many military powers. Also they were forced to pay restitution which drove Germany into debt. -
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The Great Depression
The Stock Market crash of 1929 signified the start of the Great Depression. As stocks prices began to rise many could not keep up with the rising stock prices and a mass of investors began dumping their shares. This caused millions of shares to be worthless and many lost large sums of money. this caused many citizens to become unemployed. The Depression lasted until the start of World War 2. -
The Rise of Hitler
Adolf Hitler took advantage of the turmoil in Germany after the war and during the Great depression to assume power. He was angered by the outcome of the war for Germany and used the unfair punishments of the Treaty of Versailles toward Germany to rally the German people together. Because of his powerful pro-German views people believed in him, which allowed Hitler to indefinitely take complete power of Germany and turn it into a fighting machine within a few years.
