Unit VI. The Great War

B. The War Begins

B. The War Begins

1. The Balkan Crisisa. Ottoman Empire’s control over the Balkans weakened throughout the

1800’s

b. Serbia declared independence in 1878

*Intensification of self-determination and

ethnic nationalism

2. The Chain Reactiona. June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the

Austrian throne

*traveling through Sarajevo (Bosnia)

b. Gavrilo Princip, a member of a radical Slavic

nationalistic group

*shot and killed the archduke and his wife

c. After the assassination, the major nations of

Europe responded

B. The War Begins (cont’d)

3. The Outbreak of War

Each hostile action led to another hostile reaction:

1. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassinations and made harsh demands in Serbia

2. Serbia refused to comply with any of the demands

3. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, July 28, 1914

4. Russia, the Slavic protector and ally of Serbia, mobilized its forces in preparation for war

5. Germany, an ally of Austria-Hungary, declared war on Russia

6. Germany declared war on France, an ally of Russia

7. Germany invaded Belgium on August 3, 1914, so that German forces could enter France more easily

8. Great Britain declared war on Germany

B. The War Begins (cont’d)

4. Who was to Blame?

Who was to blame for causing WWI?

Austria-Hungary*blamed Serbia for terrorism

*wanted to crush Serbian nationalism

Germany*felt it must stand behind its ally, A-H

France*backed Russia

*felt it might someday need Russian support against Germany

Great Britain*felt duty to protect Belgium

*feared power of Germany just across the English Channel

Russia*supported Slavic peoples

*feared A-H wanted to rule Slavic peoples

B. The War Begins (cont’d)

5. Alliances and Powersa. Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire

b. Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia

*Italy eventually joined the Allies

*Russia pulls out in 1917 due to the Communist Revolution

*1917, United States joins the Allies

c. Neutral: Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands

6. Battle Fronts of WWIa. Three major fronts where the majority of the fighting occurred

*Western Front: along French-German border

*Eastern Front: ran from the Baltic to the Black Sea

*Southern Front: ran btw A-H and Italy

*fighting also took place in the Mid-East and Africa