Causes of WWI

1. Causes of WWI

2. Causes of WWI - MANIA • Militarism • Alliances • Nationalism • Imperialism • Assassination

3. Militarism • When a nation’s armed forces come to dominate a country’s national policy • It is also a glorification of the military and war itself

4. Alliances • Signed treaties in which each nation involved pledges to defend the other if attacked by an aggressor • Basically, countries agreed to help each other

6. Alliances Triple Entente: Triple Alliance: Great Britain Germany Austria-Hungary France Russia Italy

7. Nationalism • Pride and patriotism in one’s nation • In terms of WWI, nationalism became aggressive and subsequently (because of this) a major cause of international tension • Independent nations desired dominance and prestige and as these powers tried to dominate each other in Europe, their rivalries may be regarded as one of the causes of the First World War

8. Imperialism • Domination by one country over the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or region • Due to the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, some European nations had a large portion of the world under their control

9. Imperialism and Colonial Rivalries • After 1870, the European nations began to acquire colonies in Asia, Africa and the Pacific • Colonial rivalry led to: • strained relations among the European powers. In Africa, all the European powers except Austria and Russia had colonies there. Thus there were many clashes among France, Britain, Germany and Italy. • the formation and strengthening of alliances and ententes. (indirectly) • an intensification of the arms race. • much hostility among the powers.

11. Assassination • The “spark” that started WWI • On June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria Hungarian Throne was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist who believed that Bosnia should belong to Serbia

12. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie at Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914

13. Gavrilo Princip after his assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

16. The Point of No Return • Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and declared war on Serbia. • Germany pledged their support for Austria -Hungary. • Russia pledged their support for Serbia.

17. Germany declares war on Russia • France pledges their support for Russia • Germany declares war on France • Germany invades Belgium on the way to France • Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany

18. Allied Powers: Central Powers: Germany Great Britain World War I Austria-Hungary France Ottoman Empire Russia Italy

19. Schlieffen Plan: Germany would attack fast by going through neutral Belgium along the coast and defeat France swiftly, and then take on Russia in the East. Germany did NOT want to fight a war on two fronts! England declares war on Germany. Italy sides with the Allies.

20. Fighting not only in Europe…also in China, Pacific Islands, India, Africa…this was the War to End all Wars!

21. Submarine Warfare • German U-Boats were sinking US ships killing many US citizens. Tensions were rising, but the US wanted to stay out of this war. Until... • The Zimmerman Note: the US intercepted a letter from Germany to Mexico. Germany would support Mexico in a future war against the US if Mexico supported Germany in WWI

22. Lusitania • British Ocean Liner • May 7th 1915 sunk by a German U-Boat • 1200 people die including 128 Americans • The lost of the Lusitania provoked great outrage in the United States and helped create the climate of public opinion that would later allow America to join the war.

25. The Western Front Trench Warfare • Soldiers fought each other from dug out trenches • Would storm each other’s trenches • Very bloody and each side would gain very little land -advanced about one mile per month • All Quiet on Western Front Clip

26. Trench warfare

27. Trench Conditions • Trenches were infested by rats and disease -dead bodies littered the ground • Food was scarce and sleep was almost impossible due to constant artillery blasts

28. “The men slept in mud, washed in mud, ate mud, and dreamed mud”

29. Trench Warfare

32. “No Man’s Land”

33. Trench Warfare New Weapons • Machine Guns: created huge # of casualties • Tanks: slow and hard to control • Poison Gases: painful and effective in trench warfare • Large Artillery: destruction of trenches, cities,... • Airplanes: used towards the end of the war

34. Machine Gun: Caused Huge # of Casualties

36. Flame Thrower

37. Artillery

39. Artillery: Constant bombardment of trenches and long range destruction BEFORE AFTER

40. Airplanes

41. Zeppelin airplanes Zeppelin Fly Boys Zeppelin Clip

42. WWI Tanks

44. British Tank German Tank

45. Poison Gas Use During WWI

46. Types of Poison Gas

47. Tearing Agent (lachrymatory) • France used it first in 1914 • Causes temporary blindness • Inflames the nose and throat • Gas mask offered good protection • Similar to mace and pepper spray • No long term effects if used properly • Some forms would freeze in cold weather and not work (Eastern Front)

48. US Army Basic Training Gas Chamber

49. Asphyxiant • First Used by the Germans in 1915 • Poisonous gases • Chlorine (First developed by Germany) • Chlorine is a powerful irritant that can inflict damage to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. At high concentrations and prolonged exposure it can cause death by asphyxiation Gas Masks were effective in filtering Chlorine

50. British Use of Chlorine Gas • Commander of British II Corps, Lt.Gen. Ferguson (officially) said of gas: “It is a cowardly form of warfare which does not commend itself to me or other English soldiers.... We cannot win this war unless we kill or incapacitate more of our enemies than they do of us, and if this can only be done by our copying the enemy in his choice of weapons, we must not refuse to do so” First attempt was a disaster as wind blew gas back into British Trenches. Also many British troops were not equipped with gas masks