World War I Begins

Long Term Causes of the War

• Nationalism• Imperialism• Militarism• Alliance System

Triple Entente (Allies)

• Britain• France• Russia• The United States

Triple Alliance (Central)

• Germany• Austrian-Hungarian Empire• Ottoman Empire

Map of Europe 1914

The Balkans

• Part of Austria Hungary• Comprised of many

different ethnic groups• Many wanted nation of

their own

Franz Ferdinand

• Heir to the Austrian-Hungarian Throne

• Assassinated by Serbian nationalist group

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuLviBGy7Yc

Alliance System Produces War

• A-H declared war on Serbia

• Russia declared war on A-H

• Germany declared war on Russia

• Germany declared war on France

• Great Britain declared war on Germany and A-H

Alliance System in Action

The Schlieffen Plan

No Man’s Land

• Barren expanses of mud• Area of land separating

opposing trenches

Trench Warfare

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJkpsOqQgc

Divided Loyalties

• Many Americans were against the war

• Socialists and Pacifists• Seen as a European

affair

• German-American sympathized with Central Powers

• Many Americans sympathized with Britain (special relationship)

Neutrality Breaks Down

• Economic connection to Allied Powers– British Blockade– Trade with Britain and

France– Wanted to ensure debts

were paid– Businesses also saw

opportunity in war

• German Aggression– Deadly German U-Boat

Attacks– Lusitania, Sussex, and

Arabic all sunk– The Zimmerman

Telegram

The British Blockade

• United States could not trade freely with Germany

• Germany had a hard time getting food

• Resorted to submarine warfare

The Lusitania

• May 7, 1915• British Liner Sunk• 128 Americans were

killed

The Arabic + Sussex

• August, 1915• British Liner Sunk• 2 Americans killed

• March, 1916• French Liner Sunk• 80 dead including

Americans• Results in Sussex Pledge

to stop submarine warfare

The Zimmerman Note

• Telegram from Germany to Mexico

• Proposed an alliance to Mexico

• Germany would support Mexico’s attempt to gain lost lands

Woodrow Wilson’s War Message

• April 2, 1917• “The world must be

made safe for democracy”