Chapter 10World War I

1914-1920

1. Franz Ferdinand—Heir to the Austrian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia (the capital city).

2. Gavrilo Princip—A member of the Black Hand. He was responsible for shooting Franz Ferdinand.

3. This assassination ignited what was called the Great War, later known as World War I.

4. The main causes of the war existed before 1914.

5. Those causes included:– Imperialism– Militarism– Nationalism– Alliances

6. Convinced that Serbia was responsible for the assassination, Austria-Hungary used the event to declare war on Serbia.

7. Serbia—a small country adjacent to Bosnia.

8. This declaration of war set off a chain reaction that worked its way through Europe’s web of alliances.

9. On July 29, Russia, Serbia’s protector began mobilization- readying troops for war.

10.Germany, Austria-Hungary’s ally, demanded that Russia stop mobilizing but Russia refused.

11. Russia’s ally, France began to prepare its troops to go to war. At the same time Germany also prepared its troops for war.

12.On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia.

13. To avoid being trapped by advancing French and Russian armies, Germany implemented the Schlieffen Plan.

14. The Schlieffen Plan was a first strike strategy that called for a rapid advance through France in order to eliminate France from the war. Then the German army could concentrate on Russia.

15.To reach France as quickly as possible, the German army chose to pass through Belgium. This action caused Great Britain, Belgium’s protector, to enter the war.

16.Central Powers—Germany, Austria-Hungary, also the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).

17.Allies—Russia, France, Great Britain, and later the United States.

18. Battle of Tannenberg—August, 1914. The Russians suffered major defeat.

19. Battle of the Marne—near Paris, September, 1914. The German drive through Belgium to Paris was halted 15 miles from Paris. To protect the city, French troops were transported to the battlefield in taxis and buses.

20.Battle of Ypres—Western Belgium, April, 1915. Allies on the Western Front experienced a new kind of warfare—poison gas. (Mustard gas, chlorine gas)