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Nationalism
Nationalism is the strong feelings of support toward one's country. As you could imagine, if various countries had the unending support from their citizens who would fight (or argue) to the death if it meant that their country would persevere, it would create a courage in them that supported the act of war, that is one of the things that fueled the First World War as it went on. Nationalism was around since the appearance of the first civilizations, but it started a bit of trouble around 1861. -
Imperialism
Imperialism is basically colonization of lands by countries and, over time, some countries acquired massive amounts of land from Imperialism, and would resort to force to keep them all from rebelling (didn't work for Britain in the case of America though). In truth, some countries such as France, Russia, and especially Britain had expanded over huge areas of land, (Britain had lands in 5 continents at one point) which fueled some rivalries and eventually led to World War One. -
Militarism
Countries had placed a high importance on their military, creating a tense world environment. Armies of various countries increased in the number of soldiers and weapons. Rivalries become all the more intense and a major conflict was sure to arise. -
Alliances
Alliances are agreements between two or more countries to aid each other in case of a struggle. Alliances were among some of the major causes of World War One because a lot of countries were in different alliances, and that meant that if a country from one alliance declared war on a country from a different alliance, then the countries from both alliances would clash into a war, a big war. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The assassination of archduke and heir to the Austo-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, was one of the major causes of World War One. Nationalism, Imperialism, and Imperialism were causes of tense relations, but the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the first bloodshed. The archduke was assassinated on June 28, 1914, by a young Serbian man. Austria-Hungary Declared war on Serbia a month later, which began the First World War. -
Germany's "Blank Check" to Austria-Hugary
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledged to Austria-Hungary on July 5, 1914 that Germany would support Austria-Hungary no matter what their decision toward Serbia, as a result of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, would be, even if it meant war with Russia. Kaiser's pledge to Austria-Hungary, which is also known as the "blank check" was a conformation that World War One would happen, resulting in Russia, France, Britain, and Serbia warring against Germany and Austria-Hungary. -
World War One Begins
While negotiations were being held in Austria-Hungary, Serbia, who was sure that war was inevitable, made sure that Russia would join on their side, and finally, exactly a month after the Assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand, on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary, joined by Germany, declared war on Serbia, joined by Russia. On the 4th of August, Germany invaded neutral Belgium, resulting in the very first battle of World War One. -
Great Britain & France Join the Allies
On the 4th of August, 1914 Great Britain and France declared war on the Central Powers and join the Allies. -
Japan Joins the Allies
Britain requested Japan to help the allies defeat the Central Powers, and on August 23, 1914, Japan declared war on Germany and joined the allied powers. -
The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) Joins the Central Powers
On October 28, 1914, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) Joined the Central Powers consisting of Germany and Austria-Hungary. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner, going from New York, America, to Liverpool, Britain, was sunk by a German U-boat. There were 1,900 passengers on the Lusitania, 1,100 of which perished, including 120 Americans. The sinking of this ship turned American public opinion against Germany, and played a huge role as a cause of America's entry into World War One on the Ally's side. -
Italy Joins the Allies
Italy declared war on the Central Powers and joined the allies on May 23, 1915. -
Romania Joins the Allies
In 1916, Romania Declared war on the Central Powers and joined the Allies. -
Zimmerman Telegram
On January 16, 1917, the German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman, sure that America will join the war on the Allies' side, sent Heinrich von Eckhardt, a German ambassador to Mexico, a note, ordering him that, in case America did join the war on the allies' side, to propose a military alliance to Mexico. In that agreement, Mexico would attack America, and would be allowed to annex the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, but would also try to get Japan to join the Central Powers. -
German Resumption of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
After the sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915, the U.S demanded that Germany quit its unrestricted submarine warfare. Germany complied to the request, but sank an Italian ocean liner on November 1915 without warning, killing 270 people total, including 25 Americans. Finally, on January 31, 1917, Germany officially resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, causing American public opinion toward Germany to plummet. -
The United States of America Join the Allies
After the sinking of the Lusitania, unrestricted German submarine warfare, and the Zimmerman note, the U.S.A joined the Allies to fight the Central Powers on April 6, 1917. Although many people thought that America would make a big difference by entering into the war, the effect was, while existent, small, because one of the previous countries on the allies' side, Russia, was leaving the war. If America hadn't joined the war when it did, it most likely would have been a loss for the Allies. -
End of the War to End all Wars
Following the last major battle of World War One, the Battle of Amiens, which was an allies' victory, the Germans retreated and surrendered shortly after on November 11, 1918. There was a total of 41 million+ casualties as a result if this war, 18 million deaths and 23 million wounded soldiers and civilians. Six new countries were formed as a result of World War One: Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Estonia. -
The Treaty of Versailles
On June 28, 1919, the allies negotiated the Treaty of Versailles in Paris, France. The terms of peace were negotiated without the council of Germany, which led to oppressive terms, sealing the fate of World War Two. According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany's borders covered less area, Germany lost all of its colonies, Germany's military was limited to a set size and technology, and Germany was to pay for all reparations. Those terms made the German population vulnerable to Hitler's rise. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
After World War One, both the allies and the Central Powers faced the problem of funding reparations. They came up with the solution of charging Germany for all the reparations, but Germany's economy was falling apart rapidly. Dawes Plan suggested that Germany would pay a sum of money annually, and while it does, foreign banks would lend the German Government money. The Young Plan decreased the total debt owed by Germany and the last of the occupying troops would leave German soil. -
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The Great Depression
Between 1920 and 1929, many people began investing in the stock market. As a result, it began to grow very rapidly, and reached its peak in 1929. It finally crashed on October 10, 1929, resulting in 6 million unemployed people by 1931. Fortunately for America, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1933. While others panicked about the crisis, he kept a confident and optimistic personality, slowly restoring hope to the people and doing all that he could to resolve the economical crisis. -
The Rise of Hilter
Adolf Hitler was a soldier in World War One. After the war ended, he joined the Nazi party. In 1921 he became the leader of the Nazi party. He held meetings and speeches, which, due to his very charismatic personality, attracted large crowds. Hitler tried to start a revolution, but failed and was imprisoned. After he got out of prison, the Nazi party's popularity had declined, but grew slowly. In 1933, Hitler finally obtained the position of chancellor of Germany from the President of Germany.
