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Nationalism
Nationalism is one's loyalty to their nation. A lot of people in Europe started to believe that nationalism should be expressed as a single ethic group. They believed that their nation had a strong military and economy, and that if a war started, they would win. -
The Alliances
Before the war began European countries started to form alliances with each other. There was the Triple Alliance which consisted of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy. There was also the Triple Entente which consisted of France, Russia, and Great Britain. -
Militarism
Before the war started the countries involved started to prepare. Britain, France, Russia, the United States, Austria-Hungry, and most of all Germany, increased their military and weapons starting an arms race. -
Imperialism
Before the war started France, Great Britain, and Germany were fighting over territories in Africa and other countries. This was one of the causes of World War 1. -
The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Duchess of Hohenburg
Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Duchess of Hohenburg were assassinated by Gravilo Pricip. He and the other assassins were from Serbia and believed that Bosnia should belong to their country. It was another cause of the war. -
Germany's Blank Cheque
Germany sent their ally Austria-Hungary a blank check to pledge that they had unconditional support for them, and would back them up if Russia entered the war. -
The Beginning of World War 1
World War 1 began on July 28 , 1914 when Austria-Hungary gave Serbia an ultimatum to let them do an investigation on the assassinations. When Serbia did not agree, Austria-Hungary declared war. In a few days the allies stepped in, and Russia, France, Germany, and Belgium were all involved. -
Germany's Submarine Antics
Early in the war Germany started expanding its navy and using u-boats as weapon tactics. Germany sunk Great Britain's Lusitania and the France's Sussex. After that Germany promised to stop sinking unarmed ships but they still did. -
The Lusitania Sank
The Lusitania was sunk by a German boat without warning. The Lusitania was unarmed and filled with passengers. This was very concerning to the United States and other countries involved. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman telegram was a secret message from Germany to Mexico proposing an alliance if the United States entered the war. This was very concerning to Americans since Mexico is right under the United States. -
America Enters the War
After the Zimmerman telegram America declared war against Germany. President Woodrow Wilson tried everything he could to maintain peace, but the steaks were too high. -
The Effects of World War 1
There were several main effects of World War 1. Influenza started and spread around the world killing millions of people. Over 117,000 Americans died in the war. More than 38 million people died in all countries including military and civilians. New countries that were formed after the war include Finland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. After the war in America people started to reject the idea of war. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty that helped end the war. It ended the war between Germany and the allied powers. Some of the main points of the documents were not to keep secret treaties, everyone had to reduce weapons, and all of the countries had to be part of the league of nations. Germany also had to pay reparations and take the blame for the war. It also started nationalism in Germany. -
Dawes Plan and the Young Plan
Dawes plan was a proposal by Charles Dawes as an attempt to help Germany with their reparations. It ended up making Germany depend on foreign markets and economies. So when the Great Depression started it hit Germany. The Young Plan replaced it 1929. -
Hitler's Rise to Power
After the war Germany's economy was in ruins. It was very hard for German citizens to support their families without being employed. When Hitler ran for president he said that he would fix the economy and make their lives easier. The citizens did not know what the consequences would be for electing him. -
The Great Depression
One of main causes of the Great Depression happened on Black Tuesday when the stock market crashed. Another cause was that people were worried and started to withdraw money from banks. The wealthy people were also not spending enough money. All of these things together destroyed the economy and left thousands of people unemployed.
