CAUSES OF WORLD WAR 1

• SEVERAL DIFFERENT CAUSES BROUGHT WORLD WAR 1 ABOUT,THOUGH IT CAUGHTMOST BY SURPRISE– NATIONALISM– CHANGES TO THE

POWER STRUCTURE OFEUROPE

– ARMS RACE– ALLIANCE SYSTEM– REGIONAL TENSIONS– IMPERIAL AMBITIONS CANADIANS AT THE SOMME 1916

• NATIONALISM– NATIONALISM’S APPEAL GREW WITH THE INDUSTRIALIZATION

OF THE 19TH CENTURY– NEW COUNTRIES SUCCESSFULLY ASSERTED THEIR

INDEPENDENCE, (ITALY, GERMANY), OR STRIVED TO ACHIEVE IT, (SERBIA)

– NEWLY FORMED GERMANY WANTED TO ACHIEVE THE IMPERIAL STATUS SHE FELT SHE DESERVED

– SERBIA STRUGGLED TO ASSERT HER INDEPENDENCE AND CREATE A SOUTH SLAV FEDERATION

• CHANGES TO THE POWER STRUCTURE OF EUROPE– AN ECONOMICALLY STRONG GERMANY CHALLENGED THE

ASSUMPTIONS OF THE OLD POWERS– THE DECLINE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE (‘THE SICK MAN OF

EUROPE’), LEFT A VACCUM IN THE BALKANS TO BE FILLED BY RUSSIA OR AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

• ARMS RACE– BRITAIN DEVELOPS THE NEW

AND SUPERIOR HMSDREADNOUGHT

– THIS SHIP MAKESOLDER VESSELS OBSOLETEAND A RACE BEGINS BETWEENBRITAIN (TRADITIONAL RULER OF THESEA), AND GERMANY (NEWLY MODERNIZED), TOPRODUCE THE MOST BATTLESHIPS

• ALLIANCE SYSTEM– TRIPLE ENTENTE

• BRITAIN, FRANCE AND RUSSIA

– TRIPLE ALLIANCE• GERMANY, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY AND ITALY

– THE SYSTEM OF ALLIANCES ENSURED THAT ANY SINGLE CONFLICT WOULD INVOLVE ALL THE POWERS OF EUROPE

• REGIONAL TENSIONS AND IMPERIAL AMBITIONS– ITALY, DEFEATED BY ETHOPIA, DEMANDED

RECOGNITION AS A MEDITERANEAN POWER, ARGUED WITH FRANCE OVER TUNISIA

– BRITAIN AND GERMANY MAINTAINED BOTH A NAVAL ARMS RACE AND COMMERCIAL COMPETITION

– RUSSIA, DEFEATED BY JAPAN, OPPOSED AUSTRIA-HUNGARY OVER REPLACING THE OTTOMANS (TURKEY) AS THE MAJOR POWER IN THE BALKANS

• OUTBREAK OF THE WAR– DURING A TOUR OF SARAJEVO, SERBIA,

ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND, HEIR TOTHE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN THRONE WASASSINATED ON 28 JUNE 1914

– ARGUING THAT THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENTWAS IMPLICATED, AUSTRIA-HUNGARYDELIVERED AN ULTIMATUM TO SERBIAWHICH WOULD HAVE EFFECTIVELYELIMINATED SERBIA’S INDEPENDENCE

– AUSTRIA-HUNGARY EXPECTED SERBIA TO REJECT THE ULTIMATUM, GIVING HER REASON TO LAUNCH A LIMITED WAR AGAINST SERBIA

– SERBIA’S RESPONSE (WHICH MET MOST POINTS OF THE ULTIMATUM), WAS UNSATISFACTORY TO AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, WHO DECLARED WAR ON SERBIA ON 28 JULY 1914

– RUSSIA, IN A TREATY WITH SERBIA, ANNOUNCED MOBILISATION OF ITS LARGE ARMY, A PROCESS EXPECTED TO TAKE 6 WEEKS

ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND

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• OUTBREAK OF THE WAR (CONTINUED)– GERMANY, ALLIED TO AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, VIEWED RUSSIA’S

MOBILIZATION AS AN ACT OF WAR AGAINST AUSTRIA-HUNGARY AND DECLARED WAR ON RUSSIA ON 1 AUGUST 1914

– FRANCE, BOUND BY TREATY TO RUSSIA, DECLARED WAR AGAINST GERMANY ON 3 AUGUST 1914, GERMANY RESPONDED BY INVADING NEUTRAL BELGIUM

– BRITAIN, ONLY LOOSELY TIED TO FRANCE BY TREATY, HONOURS A 75 YEAR OLD PACT WITH BELGIUM AND DECLARES WAR ON GERMANY ON 4 AUGUST 1914 – (WITH BRITAIN COME THE DOMINIONS INCLUDING CANADA)

– THE UNITED STATES DECLARES A POLICY OF NEUTRALITY ON 4 AUGUST 1914

– JAPAN, ABIDING BY A TREATY WITH BRITAIN, DECLARES WAR ON GERMANY ON 23 AUGUST 1914

– ITALY, DECIDING THAT GERMANY AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY ARE ENGAGED IN AN OFFENSIVE WAR, ARGUES THAT SHE IS NOT BOUND BY TREATY AND REMAINS NEUTRAL UNTIL MAY 1915

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