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Nationalism
Nationalism spread throughout many nations. In 1871, after the unification of Germany, Germans developed a great sense of nationalism and pride in their country which led to a more dangerous type of confidence going into the war. -
Alliances
In 1882 Italy joined Germany and Austria-Hungary's Dual Alliance of 1879, making it the Triple Alliance. In order to prove their strength, France, Britain, and Russia made the Triple Entente in 1907. These alliances tied the countries so close together that countries started fighting battles alongside their allies. -
Imperialism
During this time countries thought they were powerful enough to take land from other countries. In 1898 Britain tried to take the land from Cairo in north Africa to Cape Town in the south, while France went for the Atlantic to the Red Sea. The imperialim forced upon Africa almost started a war. -
Militarism
Countries expanded their armies in an arms race to keep the "balance of power", but Germany was far superior with 2,200,000 soldiers and 97 warships. -
The Assassination of the Archduke
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, were shot and killed by a Serbian nationalist in Bosnia. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for this attack, while Russia gave it's support to Russia. The conflict sparked the war when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia a month later. -
Beginning of WWI
The initial cause of the war was the killing of the Archduke and his wife, but there were many other factors. The four main factors were militarism, imperialism, nationalism, and alliances. After the Archduke was killed, all blame was put on Serbia. Many alliances were formed during this time, one of them being Britain and Belgium. When Germany tried to gain control of Belgium, Britain stepped in. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria Hungary
On July 6, 1914 Germany sent a letter along with a 'blank check' to Austria-Hungary letting them know that they give full support on whatever it takes to punish Serbia -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
When the Lusitania set out on May 7, 1915, it was suspected by the Germans that it was carrying ammunition. While the captain of the ship didn't think there would be any conflict, a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, killing more than 1,100 people. This incident started to turn many people against Germany. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
On February 1, 1917, Germany declared that they will go back to their old policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Germany claimed that their U-boats were an important part of their war startegy and they wouldn't hold back from using them -
Zimmerman Telegram
In 1917, German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegram to Mexico pitching the idea of a Mexican-German Alliance. Zimmerman even offered financial aid to Mexico in return for an alliance. When the U.S. found out about the telegram, they lost all trust for Germany and so did everyone else. -
US entry into the war
After the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman telegram, on April 2, 1917, the US declared war on Germany. At the end of the war France and the US won against Germany and Austria-Hungary but lost many soldiers in the end. -
Effects of WW1
After the war more than 9 million people died and 7 million were hurt or disabled. WWI had a major impact on the change in modern warfare and technology in general. Social life changed among men and women, giving women more opportunities for work. -
Treaty of Versailles
Following the incidents in the war, the countries made Germany sign the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty demanded them to give up their land, their armies, their weapons and their dignity. All blame was placed upon Germany and they were forced to accept full responsiblity causing embarassment among Germany and its peope. -
Rise of Hitler
After seeing Germany's defeat, Adolf Hitler sought to make Germany stronger. In 1919 he joined a workers party that soon came to be known was the Nazi's. Hitler rose to power and so did the Nazi party. Togther they tried to make Germany into a country of hatred. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
In order to make up for what was lost countries created the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan. Both plans helped with the countries debt and paid for reparations. -
Great Depression
In October of 1929, the stock market crashed. As everyone started to put all of their money into stocks, the stock market expanded at a very fast rate causing a decrease in production and an increase in unemployment. Stock prices began to rise and by October the market had officially crashed on October 29, 1929, also known as "Black Tuesday". Americans fell into debt and lost all of their money, leaving some homeless.
