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Militarism- The Arms Race
The arms race between the powers started in 1871, however didn’t get serious until 1900-1914. In these years, everyone put a lot of money into their armed forces in order to try to always have a step up on the other powers. An example of this is that from 1913-1914, Germany added 170,000 soldiers. (Exact dates are unknown.) -
Alliances
The allied powers were Britain, France, Italy, Russia, and the U.S.. The central powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. Another way it is stated is that Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente, while Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy were the Triple Alliance. Both the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance made up The Great Powers. The Triple alliance was formed in 1882, and the Triple Entente in 1907. -
Imperialism- The Sun Never Sets on Britain
In the late 1800s, Britain was one of the most powerful countries. They held territory in Canada, India, Sri Lanka, Pacific and Caribbean Islands, Australia, Burma, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. France was also quite an imperialist nation, with territory in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Pacific islands, and Africa. Due to how many places they controlled, they had access to many more supplies than any other single country. In 1914, Britain held the most amount of colonies around the world. -
Nationalism Turned Sour
With the amazing sense of Nationalism that each country and alliance had, they were all confident that they would win the war quickly, therefore they were all very ready and willing to go to war. The Germans wanted world power, the French wanted revenge, etc. However the most obvious act of nationalism was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by pan-slavic nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28 1914, Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand because he was one of many who wanted Bosnia to be its own country. Princip was part of the assassination group called The Black Hand. They tried to blow up the archduke’s car first, but the bomb bounced off and they were able to get away. When the car later took a wrong turn, they ended up right next to Princip, where he shot and killed archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie. -
Germany's Blank Check
On July 6, 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II says he will support however Austria-Hungary wants to fight back after the assassination of the archduke. Historians call this a “blank check” to Austria-Hungary, and it is believed to be a big reason why the war spread the way it did. If they did not have the funds and support from Germany, it’s possible that the war could’ve stayed contained. -
World War I Begins
Some argue that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 started the WWI. Others say it merely started a chain reaction that lead to the war. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on June 31st. Germany declared war on Russia on August 1st. Britain declared war on Germany on August 4th. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
On May 7, 1915, Germany sent a torpedo which blew up the British ship the Lusitania. This attack killed almost 1200 people, which included 128 Americans. This however did not immediately make the U.S. join the war, because President Wilson wanted to remain neutral. The Lusitania was eventually used on posters and advertisements to recruit soldiers, and was used as a symbol of what they are fighting against. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was intercepted in January 1917. It was from Germany to Mexico stating that if Mexico joined forces with Germany, they could have some of the American land once conquered. Ultimately, it is this document that made the U.S. join the war. (I was unable to find the exact date of interception.) -
Germany's Resumption of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
On February 1, 1917, Germany sent torpedoes and other ammo to sink ships and resume unrestricted submarine warfare. They believed it would make Britain and France surrender, however this was not the case. -
Effects of WWI
Perhaps the biggest effect of the war was the casualty count. There were over 35 million war-related deaths or injuries. Also due to the war, many new nations were formed. Some of these new nations include Finland, Yugoslavia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and more. Specific dates are not available, but they were all formed in 1918, after the Treaty of Versailles. Because of how catastrophic this war was, and of the somewhat strange reasons why the U.S. joined, much of the country was disillusioned. -
Treaty of Versailles
On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles officially ended the war. The treaty however was extremely harsh to Germany because it caused it to pay reparations to many countries, give up it’s territory in Africa, limit the size of its military, and take full responsibility for the war. The German people were not happy with the treaty at all due to how unfair they believed it to be. The treaty hurt Germany and its peoples’ pride, and angered them. -
The Dawes Plan
After realizing how much trouble Germany was having paying off debts, the Reparation committee was formed. This committee was run by Charles G. Dawes, and they proposed the Dawes’ Plan in April of 1924. The plan essentially stated that the U.S. would help Germany pay their debts to other countries like France, and then the countries they pay can pay back the U.S. This plan had many flaws, but did help at the time. -
The Young Plan
In early 1929 The Young Plan was proposed. The Young plan stated that Germany had to pay $29 billion over 58 years, and all foreign troops would have to leave Germany. Also in the Young Plan was a request for an international bank in order to help with all of these loans and debts. This bank is still working today. When the stock market crashed however, it put a ton of strain on the Weimar Republic because they could no longer get the U.S.’s assistance. Pictured is Owen D. Young. -
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The Great Depression
October 29, 1929 is the day when the stock market crashed. This marks the beginning of the Great Depression, and it lasted until 1939. A couple of the causes is that demand was down for most products, and surpluses were piling up. Also, shares were still getting more and more expensive. Eventually, people began to realize that the shares were much too expensive for what the company was worth. 16 million people sold their stocks on October 29th, and it marks the beginning of the Great Depression. -
Rise of Hitler
The Nazis began to gain power when it became evident that the Wiemar Republic was weak and failing. They were able to (somewhat) easily gain the support of thousands because everyone just wanted a leader. Hitler and the other Nazis took advantage of this weakness. On January 30, 1933, Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. -
U.S. Enters the War
President Wilson asked congress for permission to declare war on Germany on April 2, 1917. As two main reasons to agree, he mentioned that Germany broke their pledge to stop “unrestricted submarine warfare”, and the Zimmerman Telegram. A couple days later, the house and senate agreed. On April 6th, the U.S. declared war on Germany. War was then declared on Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917.
