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Imperialism
Imperialism was one of the causes of World War 1. The rivalry of acquiring land triggered anger and envy. By the year 1900, the British Empire expanded over five continents and France owned large areas of Africa. This sparked anger in Germany, which was scrambling to acquire as much land as it could. -
Militarism
In between the years of 1870 to 1914, France and Germany doubled their armies along with a competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the sea. Soon Germany was introducing battleships to their oceans to battle the French and British. They also made plans in case Russia decided to attack back. -
Alliances
In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the Triple Alliance, agreeing to give each other military support in the event of a war. By 1914, Britain, France, and Russia formed an alliance called Triple Entente -
Nationalism
Nationalism is an extreme devotion or loyalty to one's home country.One of the greatest examples of Nationalism was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand due to Pan-Slavic nationalism. Pan-Slavism was the belief that the Slavics of eastern Europe should have their own powerful nation. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
A teenage Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, as they were riding through Sarajevo, Bosnia. Their deaths sparked a chain of events that eventually led to World War 1. Their assassination was due to an extreme case of Nationalism. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
On July 5, 1914 in Berlin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany promised unconditional support to Austria-Hungary, especially in dealing with Serbia. Wilhelm sent Count Leopold von Berchtold a telegram with his pledge. However, this was a a mistake on Germany's side because they did not live up to their promise.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-gives-austria-hungary-blank-check-assurance -
WWI Begins
On July 28th, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, resulting in a chain of events that led to World War I. Austria-Hungary, who was in an alliance with Germany, blamed Serbia for the assassination and declared war. The tensions between the alliances resulted in other countries being pulled into this war, like the Triple Entente which included Great Britain. Due to all the alliances and treaties, when one country went to war, so did many others. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The British ocean liner, the RMS Lusitania, was torpedoed without warning on the afternoon of May 5th, 1915 by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland. The vessel sank quickly into the Celtic Sea, resulting in the death of 1,198 crew members and passengers. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram was a secret diplomatic communication sent by German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann. He sent it to one of his ambassadors in Mexico as a way to get Mexico to become allies with Germany in the war. This included parts of Texas and Arizona. This telegram further angered the US. -
Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
Germany begins lethally threatening with their U-boat submarines. It had done this before but they suspended temporarily due to pressure from the United States and other neutral countries about the sinking of the Lusitania. As a result, America broke off reliance with Germany and began preparing for war. -
US Enters the War
On April 16th, 1917, The United States entered the war, joining the alliance of Great Britain, France, and Russia. More than 2 million soldiers fought on the battlefields in France. The United States' large population and surplus of resources gave them a huge advantage. Also, the troops joined later in the war, meaning that they were well rested and fresh. -
Effects of WW1
The end of the war was very difficult. The economy was troubled in many countries due to the debts that come from war and many families were grieving the loss of their soldiers. By the end of the war, over 18 million people died and 23 million people were wounded. The six new countries that formed after the war were Poland, Austria, Hungary, Estonia, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia. Many people were in a haze and blamed Germany for the war resulting in a crumbling economy in Germany. -
Rise of Hitler
In September of 1919, Hitler's rise to power began when he joined the political party Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. By the 1930s, depression in Germany was at a peak. The economy suffered and millions were starving and unemployed. This allowed Hitler to make his mark on the hearts of the people of Germany due to his powerful, persuasive speaking abilities. He promised a better life to Germans through propoganda. In January 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor. In 1934, he was made Fuhrer. -
Treaty of Versailles
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles brought an official end to WWI. It was negotiated by the Allied powers with little participation on Germany's part. The treaty put certain provisions on Germany, including them admitting their responsibility for the war. Germany lost a lot of land, they had to pay millions of dollars in reparation, and their military became very limited. Germany's image and economy suffered greatly due to the treaty. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
In 1924, the Dawes plan was created as an attempt to save Germany from reparation problems. The plans offered possible solutions to the problems.In 1929, the Young Plan was formed by another committee of experts. The purpose of the plan was to reduce the amount of reparations Germany had to pay. They lowered the amount to $29 billion. The plan also established a bank for international settlements -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a period of time that lasted from October 29th, 1929 to 1939. In 1929, the stock market crashed as a result of unemployment, low wages, debt, and struggling agriculture. By 1933, half of America's banks failed and unemployment was reaching 15 million people.
