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Rivalries and Nationalist Pride
There were rivalries between certain nations, such as economic ones and the arms race, where the nations compete for militarily power. Nationalist pride and imperialism influenced many nation of the war. They wanted to expanded their influence and viewed themselves as superior which they show in the fighting. -
Alliances and the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Austrian-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed by a Serbian which cause Austria to declare war on Serbia. This caused other nations who were in alliances with these states to join in on the War. -
Start of WW1
The German offensives started with a planned quick invasion of France, but they were stopped and both sides entered trench warfare. On the Eastern Front, Germans troops were met with Russian troops. The war caused discontent in the poor people of Russia. The Russian Revolution happened and the communist party that arose ended Russia's involvement on the war. The whole time, Japan invaded China. -
Towards the End of WWI
When the Lusitania sank in 1915 by a German submarine, the USA got ready for war. But it wasn't until 1917, they entered the war because of the mobilization of German submarines. The american provided an advantage against the Central Powers. They allied powers eventually won and the Treaty of Versailles was signed. It gave Germany responsibility for the war and they had to pay for damges. -
The Great Depression
After WW1, the Great Depression happened and it left economies in ruins and caused political instability. They gave rise to dictators, such as Hitler and Mussolini. Coupled with the debt of WWI, Fascist movement arrived in Germany from Italy. Japan expansionism was present before the war and they grew to an empire. -
Failures to stop Germany before it grew
The League of Nations was formed after WWI to keep peace between the European nations. They failed to controlled German's expansion. Britain and France offered help for the Germans to satisfy their demands, but its only made Germany stronger. -
Start of WWII
When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, which caused the Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Germany invades the neutral Belgium once again to get to France. Then they invade Russia, but ultimately loses in the end. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 which causes US to enter war on the side of the Allies. -
End of WWII
In the 1944, the D-Day occurred where the combined ally forces landed in German-occupied France and made their way to Germany just as the Soviets approached from the eastern front. Germany was defeated and the war ended in 1944. US fought Japan in the Pacific and eventually liberated the land that the Japanese conquered. The USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, ending the war with a central power defeat. -
The USA and USSR
After the WWII ended, the old powers of Europe fell and two superpowers arose, the USA and the USSR. Europe was dived to the western sphere of USA influence and the eastern sphere of USSR influence. These two nations were at a nuclear arms race and entered into the Cold War. It was fought with little battle of proxy wars. -
Effects on the World
Like WWII, a organization was formed to prevent future conflicts, the United Nation which is around today. European nation formed a organizations that promoted growth and cooperation, similar to the European Union. Decolonization from the once great powers was happening. India gain independence from Britain, Indonesia from the Netherlands, the Philippines from the US, and eventually African states. Chinese communist emerged from the rubble to form the people's republic of China.