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Causes of WW1 Day 3
Causes of WW1
Day 3
1. Lets take up your homework
1.Germany2.Austria-Hungary3.Serbia4.Bulgaria5.Romania6.Turkey7.Greece8.Italy9.Netherlands
10.Belguim11.Great Britain12. France13. Portugal14. Spain15. Norway16. Sweden17. Russia18. Albania/ Montenegro
Triple Alliance
Triple Entente: ( in blue sorry, yours is green!
Timeline: Who declared war because of ALLIANCE and
when did they do it?
28 July 1914- Austria declared war on Serbia
• The Austrian government blamed the Serbian government for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife and declared war on Serbia.
• Although Russia was allied with Serbia, Germany did not believe that she would mobilise and offered to support Austria if necessary.
• However, Russia did mobilise and, through their alliance with France, called on the French to mobilise
1 Aug 1914
Germany Declares War on Russia
3 Aug 1914 Germany declared war on France
• Germany declared war on France. German troops poured into Belgium as directed under the Schleiffen Plan, drawn up in 1905.
The Schlieffen Plan• The Schlieffen Plan was the German plan
for war against Russia and France (who were allies) at the same time.
• Russia had a very large army,but it would take at least 2 months to be fullymobilized and ready toattack Germany.
• The Schlieffen Plan therefore called for the bulk of the German army to launch a surprise invasion of France through Belgium.
• This would outflank the French army,and allow the Germans to get behind Paris and capture the city,thus knocking France out of the war
• The timetable for successful completion of the plan was 6 weeks,thus leaving enough time for the Germans to use their excellent railway system to move most of their army east to fight the Russians.
• Shorn of their ally France,Russia would would soon agree to peace,
leaving Germany the victors in the war
The Schlieffen Plan
• Germans thought Britain would not
intervene…But they did
The British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding their withdrawal from the neutral Belgium (with whom the Brits were allied).
4 Aug 1914 British declaration of war
• Germany did not withdraw from Belgium and Britain declared war on Germany.
** By extension, Britain's empire is at war too: Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa.
23 Aug 1914 Japan declared war on Germany
• Japan declared war on Germany through her alliance with Great Britain, signed in 1902
25 Aug 1914
• Austria Hungary declares war on Japan because it declared war on Germany.
NOTE: Italy
• Even though ITALY had been part of the Triple Alliance, it does not get pulled into war with Germany and Austria because of this.
• It cites a clause, which said they only need assist these countries in the event of a DEFENSIVE war.
We will discuss other joinee’s later.
Causes 3 & 4: Imperialism and Militarism
• Are intertwined.• Both serve to heighten tensions and
create enemies, alliances .etc• Let me explain…
Cause 3: Imperialism. Discuss
• Definition: When one country takes over another country to build an empire.
• Land equals power. Which countries are the most powerful at the turn of the 20th c?
• Why would a country want to take over another country?
Imperialism• All the great powers were in COMPETITON
for colonies / territory.• Germany wants to build an empires, and
therefore is in competition with the powers of Britain and France.
• This causes tension between these 3 powers and gives them more reasons than just alliance to want to fight with one another…
• Sidenote: as we already know, the Austrians feared Serbia / Russia in the Balkans
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/342WorldHistoryModern.html
Due to the fear and tension regarding territories and
Imperialism, an
ARMS RACE
breaks out
Cause 3: Militarism (arms race)Discuss:
• Definition: Making your military bigger and better than other countries.
• Why would you want your military bigger than other countries?
• What problems can arise when compete against other countries military strength?
Cause 4: Militarism
• During the 1800’s the Industrial Revolution was happening in Europe.
• With the invention of factories, weapons were less expensive to produce allowing countries to improve and buy them in mass quantities.
So: Imperialist Competition…• Pushes competing countries to arms
themselves as best as possible; they need strong armies and navies to get and protect colonies. The industrial rev. makes this possible.
• Germany increases the size of her army and navy, prompting France, Britain and Russia to do the same, as they felt threatened.
German Militarism: Important Man
• Kaiser Wilhelm II • Built up German army and
navy• Aggressive foreign policy• Determined to make
Germany a top nation.• Distrusted by other powers
“Germany must have its place in the sun”“The world belongs to the strong.”
Militarism creates tension: Examples
• Germany was competing with the UK to build battleships.
Militarism creates tension: Examples
• Germany was competing with Russia and France to expand their armies
1880 1914• Germany 1.3m 5.0m• France 0.73m 4.0m• Russia 0.40m 1.2m
Militarism – Per Capita Expenditures on Armaments
1870 1880 1890 1900 1914Great Britain
3.54 3.46 3.84 12.6 8.23
France 2.92 4.02 4.66 5.21 7.07Russia 1.28 1.5 1.26 1.44 3.44Germany
1.28 2.16 2.8 4.06 8.19
Austria 1.08 1.70 1.5 1.46 3.10Italy 1.38 1.74 2.52 2.34 3.16
And, there you have it. MANIA!!
