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End of the Diverse-Minded (Nationalism)
Beginning in the late 1800's, many European nations became close minded about race and nationality. Instead of thinking of a nation as a group of multinational people, Europeans envisioned nations as singular ethnic groups. This nationalistic attitude brought proud nations to clash, leading to WWI. -
Period: to
World War I, Treaty of Versailles and The Great Depression
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Germany Conquers Alsace-Lorraine (Imperialism)
In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, Germany conquered Alsace when the French had given up the land. This contentious event eventually fueled France's decision to ally with Serbia and Russia to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary. -
Germany Prepares for War (Militarism)
Sensing the tensions rising between nations, countries began preparing for an inevitable war. By 1914, Germany formed a large army, had the largest and deadliest arms collection, and built a navy that rivaled the British Naval Fleet who had the strongest navy at the time. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Wife, Sophie
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were headed the Austria-Hungary's capital where young Bosnian (ethnically Serbian) men shot and killed Sophie Ferdinand and then Franz. This event was the spark that ignited the Great War. Because of this assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany offered Austria-Hungary Germany's full support in whatever decision the country made in response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by young Serbians from Bosnia. Basically, if Austria-Hungary declared war, Germany would back them up. -
WWI Begins
Austria-Hungary demanded Serbia's full support in an investigation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's death, but Serbia's effort fell short of Austria-Hungary's request, so Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Russia decided to help Serbia, so Serbia's ally, Germany, declared war on Russian and France. After Germany moved into Belgium and invaded France, Great Britain wanted to help their French allies and declared war on Germany. -
Russia Joins Serbia in the Great War (Alliances)
After Austrian soldiers made an attack on Serbia, Russia mobilized its troops to aid its allies in Serbia. The conflict involving Austria-Hungary and Germany versus Serbia and Russia determined the two main sides, or alliances, of WWI. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Germany engaged in unrestricted submarine warfare, so when German U-boats saw the British ship, the Lusitania, that was coincidentally carrying US citizens, they sunk it. In order to keep the US out of the war, Germany promised to never again attack passenger ships. However, this event still began to stir tensions between the US and Germany. -
Zimmerman Telegram
In January of 1917, Germany suffered severe supply shortages which became a big disadvantage in the war. The German foreign minister sent the Zimmerman Note to Mexico proposing an alliance in exchange for helping Mexico reclaim land that the US had taken from them. This telegram was intercepted by the British and given to the US. -
Germany Resumes Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
The German chancellor Bethmann Hollweg announced that unrestricted submarine warfare would resume the following day: February 1, 1917. -
US Enters WWI
In response to the Zimmerman Telegram, Americans were enraged by Germany's audacity. As a result, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany. Waging war on Germany meant joining the Allies, which offered a great advantage in the war that eventually brought the Allies to victory. Without the US, the Allies may not have won the Great War. -
Effects of WWI
On November 11, 1918. Germany surrendered to the Allies. At the end of the war, 5 million Allies soldiers, 8 million Central Powers soldiers, and 6.5 million civilians died. Germany empire was split, causing the formation of new countries such as Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Estonia. After such a catastrophic event, people all over the world became disillusioned, wondering about the whole purpose of the war and their trust in government. -
Treaty of Versailles
Countries involved in WWI met in France to sign the Treaty of Versailles - the official end of the war. President Woodrow Wilson offered his Fourteen Points, which was his plan for the countries to achieve peace through fourteen noble ideals that promoted openness, independence and freedom. Also, the countries placed a great deal of blame for the war on Germany, issuing punishments that restricted their military and forced them to pay war reparations, driving them into economic depression. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
War Reparations were impossible for Germany to pay. Fearing a communist revolution may rise from a ruined German nation, the Dawes Committee (US, UK, France, Italy and Belgium) decided to return the Ruhr to power, decrease war reparations and Allies' supervision of the German national bank. However, Germany continued to face economic struggles. In 1929, Owen Young proposed a plan that reduced war reparations to 112 billion marks to be payed in 59 years in an attempt to support Germany's economy. -
Great Depression
At the end of the period of the Roaring '20s, Black Tuesday occurred - the Stock Market Crash of 1929. The fortunes invested in the stock market that once brought in profit became worthless. Following this, people began withdrawing money out of banks at an unmanageable pace, leaving banks out of money and people's money uninsured. Without the money invested into companies, workers were fired or forced into terrible working conditions, leaving 25% of Americans in poverty. -
Rise of Hitler
With Germany in such a depressed state following World War I, the German people were desperate to reclaim the glory and worldly status they once had. Hitler and the Nazis manipulated and took advantage of the Germans' desire, promising power to return to their beloved country. Through this propaganda, Hitler gained public approval and gradually climbed through the political ranks until eventually being appointed chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933.
