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Militarism
Militarism refers to the belief or notion that a nation should keep a powerful military and use it aggressively to promote its own interests. When discussing the events unfolding in Europe, Col. Edward House, an adviser to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, said, “The situation is extraordinary. It is militarism run stark mad.” The technology created made being a militaristic country much easier. -
Murder In The First
On June 28, 1914, a teenage Serbian nationalist gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, as their motorcade drove through the streets of Sarajevo. He was next in line for the Austro-Hungarian throne, but Ferdinand was not a favorite in aristocratic cliques. Nonetheless, his death quickly set off a chain reaction of events culminating in the outbreak of World War I. -
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Alliances
By 1914, the six major powers of Europe were split into two alliances. Britain, France and Russia were in the Triple Entente, while Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy were in the Triple Alliance. The pre-war alliances really did affect who fought who. There was nothing natural or inevitable about the Entente alliance because it was created in a large part by German actions and miscalculations. -
Assurances
In Berlin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledged that Germany would give unconditional support to Austria-Hungary in any action it took in retaliation against Serbia. This was very tense sort of drawn out conflict/rivalry up until everything was thrown into chaos by the assassination. The day of June 28, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were murdered by a Serbian nationalist during an official visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia. This was exactly 7 days before the pledge. -
World War
On June 28 the assassination of Archduke Franz set off a chain of events that would lead to the start of World War I barely one month later. It was called Great War at the time. It seemed to come out of the blue. The Europeans were enjoying their long stretch of peace and prosperity. In fact, the seeds of the devastating conflict had been planted long before the young Serbian pulled the trigger. -
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The Effects of the War
The countries of Europe, the factories and home of the US had not been destroyed, meaning manufacturing and efficiency had increased because of the war. America had emerged as a world industrial leader and the US economy was booming, American history called the Roaring Twenties with a massive rise in consumerism for the wealthy. On the negative side, inflation was high and companies and corporations started the reduce wages and lay off workers to keep down operating costs. -
Subfare
The lethal threat of the German U-boat submarine raises its head. Germany introduces the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Unrestricted sub warfare was first introduced into the war in early 1915, when Germany declared the area around the British Isles a war zone. A string of attacks on merchant ships followed which of course resulted in the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat. -
You sunk my Battleship!
On May 7, 1915, less than a year after World War I erupted across Europe, a German U-boat shot and sank the RMS Lusitania, a British ship on its way from New York back to Britain. There was more than 1,900 passengers and crew members on board. More than 1,100 died, including at least 120 Americans. Nearly two years passed before the U.S. actually entered the war. The Lusitania played a significant role in turning public opinion against Germany. -
Enter the United States
On April 6, 1917, the U.S. joined its allies Britain, France, and Russia to fight in World War I. Under the command of General Pershing, more than 2 million U.S. soldiers fought on the battlefields of France. Many Americans were not in favor of the U.S. entering the war and wanted to remain neutral. However, the U.S. eventually did enter the war. -
Peace
The War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. It was worked on by Allied powers with little help from Germany. It had 15 parts and 440 articles that forced strict boundaries and assigned liability for reparations. Germany agreed to pay reparations under the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan, but those plans were cancelled in 1932.
