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The Causes of World War I and the Road to Conflict

Explore the series of events that led to World War I, from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to the sinking of the Lusitania and the US entry into the war in 1917.

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The Causes of World War I and the Road to Conflict

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  1. Causes of World War I

  2. Assassination leads to war • Balkan Peninsula = “Powder keg of Europe” • 1) Ethnic Rivalries 2) Leading rivals had economic and political interests The “Spark” Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria shot by Serbian nationalist

  3. Situation 1 • War breaks out in Europe between two great alliance systems • Allies (France, Britain, and Russia) • Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Empire) • Archduke Franz Ferdinand is killed ( July 28, 1914 Austria Hungary declares war against Serbia) • US stays neutral, sells to both sides

  4. Situation 2 • Aug. 3, 1914 Central Power (Germany) attacks and quickly defeats neutral Belgium. • Gruesome (Yellow Journalism) stories appear in American newspapers concerning how Germans treated the Belgian people. • Schlieffen Plan – hold Russia, drive through Belgium, on to Paris, then Russia US Remains neutral

  5. Situation 3 • Allies stop US ships and confiscates goods purchased by Central Power (Germany) • They ignore formal US complaints • The US stays neutral because… (see situation 4)

  6. Situation 4 • 1915-1917 Allied powers blockade the ports of Germany. In desperation… • Central Powers launch submarine warfare to attack all ships sailing to and from Great Britain • Neutral US ships were sunk • US stays neutral under Woodrow Wilson

  7. Situation 5 • May 7, 1915 the US luxury liner Lusitania was sunk. • 1,198 persons die (including 128 Americans) • Germany boasts about actions • US Public opinion begins to turn

  8. Situation 6 • 1915 Sussex Pledge: Germany says “we will sink no more passenger ships without warning • March 1916 Germany breaks promise. Sussex sinks 80 Americans killed/injured • US warned it would break diplomatic relations in Germany didn’t stop sinking ships • Germany agreed if US could convince British to lift blockade

  9. Situation 7 • Wilson wins 1916 Election- Calls for peace • Germany renewed unrestricted submarine warfare • Zimmerman note proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany and if US was defeated in war, Mexico could recover lost Texas territory. • Congress declares war in April of 1917

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