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Militarism
One of the causes of WW1 was because of the expansion of armies across Europe that rapidly grew in the late 19th century to early 20th century. Known as the "arms race," nations competed in a "competition" to see who could build more powerful weapons/armies.
(PS: No exact starting date so I put Jan. 1) -
Imperialism
An example of the military aspect of imperialism was the Great White Fleet. Starting in 1907 and ending on February 22, 1909, US President Theodore Roosevelt sent battleships on a "good will cruise" around the globe. The act was to show the US's military power. -
Nationalism
Nationalism can be defined as the devotion to one's country. The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand was an act made by a Serbian nationalist. This assassination could be considered one of the main causes of WW1. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and His Wife, Sophie
Austrian-Hungarian heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in June of 1914 by Gavrilo Princip. Princip, a Serbian nationalist, committed the act because the Serbs wanted freedom, for they felt the Austrian-Hungarian empire oppressed them. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Germany's "Blank Check" was them promising to support Austria-Hungary for whatever action they'd take to punish Serbia. Because of this alliance's support, it was made clear that a war would be declared. -
WW1 Begins
On July 28, war was declared on Serbia by Austria-Hungary. This was the beginning of the war, and days later allies were in the war too, for Germany declared war on Russia and invaded their ally France too. Because of the alliances, Great Britain was brought into the war too to bring neutrality of power. -
Alliances
On August 3, 1914, Germany declared war on France. With Germany and France both having allies (the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente), their allies had joined the battle too. This is what triggered the war into becoming a global issue. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Germany submarines, known as U-boats would sink Allied ships. The Lusitania, an unarmed British liner was sunk by a U-boat during WW1. Germany tried to justify the act but eventually pledged to not attack passenger ships (Sussex Pledge). This pledge delayed the US's entry into the war. -
Zimmerman Telegram
During WW1, German Foreign Minister Zimmerman wrote a telegram proposing an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the US. This caused America's entry into the war. -
Germany's Resumption of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
On January 31, Bethmann Hollweg announced that Germany would resume unrestricted submarine warfare the next day. This urged the United States to enter the war. -
US Entry into War
The US entered the war because of Germany's resumption on unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram. There was a big political, social, and economical impact that the US's entry had. A positive was the economy of the US rose. At the same time, inflation was high and there were many protests and strikes. -
Effects of WW1
WW1 ended on November 11, 1918. There were 38 million casualities, over 17 deaths and 20 million injured. Six new countries were formed after: Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Estonia and Poland. A lot of disillusionment was over the fact that many saw as if the war solved no problems. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, was the peace treaty that ended WW1. The treaty established many guidelines, mainly aimed towards Germany. It had the greatest punishment on Germany, for Germany had to pay reparations, give back land, etc. The Treaty aimed to make Germany no longer a war threat, which damaged Germany's economy. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
In August of 1924, the Dawes Plan was a payment plan that was created to solve the reparations Germany had to pay because of the Treaty of Versailles. When it failed, the Young Plan replaced it in 1930 to further reduce payments. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a horrible time for the United States economy. Unemployment rised as the economy crashed between 1929 to 1941. Though not the sole cause, the stock market crash on October 29 could be seen as the start of The Great Depression. -
Rise of Hitler
Back at the end of WW1, Adolf Hitler begun his rise of support from giving speeches and promising to fix Germany's economy. Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, and soon became a dictator after the death of President Hindenburg.
