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Imperialism
The act of imperialism is when a dominant nation or country takes control over and governs other colonies. Many European nations were racing to build their empire. The British Empire was the largest at the time. Many countries fought over territory in Africa to try and increase the size of their empire. The Ottoman Empire was also deteriorating at the time, which attracted many European powers. This caused imperial instability, leading to tensions rising in Europe. -
Nationalism
Nationalism was the patriotism taken to a extreme degree. The actions and thoughts of nationalists were to honor their country and their cultures. They would place their country's interests above others. Nationalism was fuelled by newspapers, conquests and rivalry, and rhetoric. The expansion and flourish of the British empire sparked their nationalism. A rivalry began to brew between Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, and France. -
Militarism
Militarism is the belief in a country the military capability should be kept strong in case of an attack. It influenced the arms race which increased defense spending and new technologies for the military. Between the years 1910 to 1914, military and army expenditure among European nations increased dramatically. The Entente powers had cooperative military discussions in secret. Therefore, by 1914, all of the European powers were ready for war. -
The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his Wife, Sophie
Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were both killed by a Serbian in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Ferdinand was shot I the neck while Sophie was shot in her abdomen. The first attempt of an assignation against Ferdinand was unsuccessful. He was initially supposed to be killed by a bomb that was thrown towards his car. This attack triggered the fury of Austria-Hungary which led to the war declared on Serbia. From then Germany announced the beginning of a war against Russia. -
Alliances
An alliance is essentially an agreement between two or more nations regarding military, economics, or politics. The two most important alliances in World War 1, were the Triple Entente formed in 1907 and the Triple Alliance formed in 1882. The Triple Alliance was formed between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente was and alliance between Britain, France, and Russia. These alliances did not prevent war, they increased the likelihood of war by furthering militarised alliances. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman note was a factor that drew the United States into World War 1. A telegram that was deciphered by British cryptographers from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt. In the telegram, and offer stood that United States territory was being offered to Mexico in exchange for joining the German cause. After this incident, the United States formally declared war on Germany. -
US Entry Into the War
There were many reason why the United States decided to enter the war. The Zimmerman note was the last straw. United States declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. The main reason why Wilson decided to enter the war was because of Germany's resumption of submarine attacks. As the United States entered the war, this clearly turned the tables in favor of the Allies, and turned the Axis to a defeated position. -
Effects of WWI
World War 1 ended on November 11, 1918. There were many effects of the war. The total amount of causualties of all countries included in the war was 37, 466, 904. The total amount of people that were killed in the war was 8, 528, 831. Also Europe's countries were rearranged and reformed. New nations in place of Austria-Hungary were Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia. Poland was reconstituted. The Ottoman Turks were able to retain the country of Turkey. -
Treaty of Versailles
The official end of World War 1 was declared by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles by the Allied Powers and Germany in 1919. Germany was forced to accept the blame, loss, and damage of the war. They were also to pay reparations worth $442 million dollars, disarm, as well as give up land to France. The German people felt pain and anger over the treaty, and they thought it was unfair. Germans lost pride over the debates of accepting the treaty. Nationalism decreased among their people. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
The Dawes Plan was a plan to collect the reparations from Germany from the war. Charles D. Dawes was an American banker who created a payment plan for Germany. The Young Plan was a plan for the second renegotiation of the Dawes Plan. The committee was run by Owen D. Young. He set up a system to handle the transfer of funds, but soon after the Great Depression occurred making it nearly impossible for Germany to pay. These plans affected the German Weimar Republic by causing hyperinflation. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression was the worst economic failure in the history of the United States of America. One of the causes of the depression was the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Just after two months of the crash, stockholders had lost more than $40 billion dollars. Bank failures was another cause becasue they were uninsured and people simply lost their savings. Also, people stopped purchasing products, causing a reduction in the workforce and a reduction of items produced. -
Rise of Hitler
Hitler rose to power with many different tactics. Many long-term factors included, exploiting the Weimar system through propoganda, resentment in the German people, his brilliant and inspiring speeches, and the fear his stormtroopers instilled. Hilter's voting numbers increased once the people realized that the Great Depression was ruining their lives. President Hindenburd then made Hilter the post of Chancellor.
