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Imperialism- The Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife, Sofie, were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajero, the capitol city of the Austrian-Hungarian province of Bolivia. Gavrilo Princip was an ethnic Serb who believed that Bosnia rightfully belonged to Serbia and saw Francis Ferdinand as a tyrant and usurper (imperialism). Austria-Hungary, as well as many countries, blamed Serbia for their deaths. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledges his country's support of Austria-Hungary in whatever measures they take against Serbia in retaliation to the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia. The alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary was a major contribution to the outbreak of the first world war because if Germany had not gotten involved, the conflict would have stayed localized to the Balkans. -
Alliances- World War I Begins
With Germany's support, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia, ally to Serbia, mobilized for war against Austria-Hungary to help Serbia. Germany, ally to Austria-Hungary, declared war against Russia. France, ally to Russia, declared war against Germany. Germany then declared war against neutral Belgium so it could launch an invasion of France through Belgium. Great Britain, ally to France and Belgium, immediately declared war against Germany. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A German u-boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing nearly 1200 passengers, 128 of which were American. Germany, not wanting the US to join the war, promised not to sink any more passenger ships. -
Militarism- Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Britain broke international law by confiscating non-contraband shipments to Germany and Germany retaliated by sinking unarmed and unresisting Allied ships using u-boats in February of 1915. On March 24, 1916, Germany broke its promise to not sink any more passenger ships and sunk the French passenger ship Sussex. Outrage broke out in the US and Germany once again pledged to not sink any more unarmed ships. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
On March 1, 1917, the US learned of a secret German proposal to Mexico. The Zimmerman Telegram stated that, should the US declare war against Germany, Mexico should declare war against the US. In return, following a German victory, Mexico would get back Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Even though many leaders knew Mexico had no intention of declaring war, US President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany on April 2, 1917. -
US Entry into the War
The US Congress responded to President Woodrow Wilson on April, 6, 1917, with a decleration of war against Germany. The commander of American forces in Europe arrived in France in June 1917 with a small American force. Large American forces began arriving in early 1918. By the end of March 1918, Allied counterattacks and German exhaustion ended the German offensive. By the end of the war, 1.3 million Americans soldiers had served on the front. More than 50k had died, and about 230k were wounded. -
End of WWI and Effects
On November 11 1918, Germany surrendered to the Allied Powers. In all, there were over 40 million casualties of World War I, including 10 million civilian deaths. Out of the dissolved Austrian-Hungarian Empire, the new countries of Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were created. Months before the end of the war, many German and Austro-Hungarian soldiers had been deserting or refusing to fight, growing disillusioned with the national pride of war. War was no longer a glorious thing. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace document signed at the end of WWI by the Allied Powers and Germany in the Palace of Versailles, France. The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to give the Alsace-Lorraine back to France, as well as territories along Belgium and Poland. Germany was forced to give up overseas colonies and dismantle its navy and army. However, the thing that the German people loathed the most was the War Guilt Clause, which declared Germany to blame for all loss and war damage. -
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The Dawes Plan and The Young Plan
The Dawes Plan (1924) was an agreement in which the US would loan money to Germany to then pay as war reparations to Britain and France, who would then pay their war debts to the US. However, it soon became obvious that Germany would not continue to pay the war reparations for very long. In 1929, the Young Plan was proposed which would further reduce Germany's war reparations by about 20%. -
The Dawes Plan and The Young Plan
The Dawes Plan (1924) was an agreement in which the US would loan money to Germany to then pay as war reparations to Britain and France, who would then pay their war debts to the US. However, it soon became obvious that Germany would not continue to pay the war reparations for very long. In 1929, the Young Plan was proposed which would further reduce Germany's war reparations by about 20%. -
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The Great Depression
After WWI, the demand for crops fell drastically but farmers still had huge debts to pay. The Great Depression was caused by an uneven distribution of the nation's wealth, where wealthy people did not spend enough money to keep the economy booming. Easy access to credit hid economic problems and caused more debt for more people. The stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, after weeks of the stock market sputtering. By 1933, nearly a quarter of American workers had lost their jobs. -
Nationalism- The Rise of Hitler
Adolf Hitler was appointed as Chancellor of Germany on January 1, 1933, but even before that he held considerable power over the German people. With his charismatic and manipulative ways, he rose the German people up and gave them a strong leader to follow after fifteen years of humiliation and depression. He made the German people proud to be German once more. -
Work Cited
