-
Militarism
Before World War I, many nations were working to define their national greatness by growing their military's. All those nations thought they had to have a impenetrable military to be great, and an example of this is Germany building a very strong navy to show their power. Germany's navy programs scared and intimidated England which in turn made them try to increase their navy in size and strength. This arms race is likely the reason that England and Germany went to war in the first place. -
Nationalism
Nationalism united Italians into a new Italy in the nineteenth century. This happened during the Middle Age, so Italian speakers were spread out across the land. With the support of France, Italy was able to take back Italian-speaking provinces from Austria-Hungary. Italy was unified for good with the capture of Rome in 1870, and so the new nations Germany and Italy would prove to be a problem towards France, Great Britain, and Russia. the nationalist movements in Germany and Italy were growing. -
Alliances
In 1882, the Triple Alliance was formed involving Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. When this alliance was formed it gave a real scare for France because since that alliance was formed they would be isolated, and they wouldn't have much of a chance to defend themselves without help. Fifteen years later the Triple Entente was formed between France, Britain, and Russia. War eventually broke out between France and Germany, and because of the Alliance and Entente, the other countries had to join. -
Imperialism
In Morocco, Kaiser visited North Africa where Germany was building it's empire, and there was an international conference held where Kaiser was humiliated.This made him very angry because he wanted to be seen as a power, but that didn't happen. In 1911 France tried to take over Morocco, and there was another conference held. Britain and France stood up to Germany, and France eventually took full power over Morocco, and Germany was given a piece of land in Central Africa as a act of compensation. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and His Wife, Sophie
Bosnia was under the rule of Austria-Hungary, and they wanted their freedom. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the ruler of Austria-Hungary, so Bosnian nationalists came to the conclusion to kill him. Ferdinand and his wife Sophie went on a trip to Sarajevo, and on the day they were returning from their trip an assassin from The Black Hand group named Gavrilo Princip fired his gun twice at Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, killing them both. Princip was arrested, but both Ferdinand and Sophie were dead. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
The days that followed the assassination of Duke Franz Ferdinand Austria Hungary decided it was time to make a move on Serbia and take control. Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary, so they sent a blank check to Austria-Hungary saying they supported them in their decision about Serbia. This was done by Kaiser Wilhelm II, and many other German politicians because they wanted to expand their territory. They believed that war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary would bring that dream to life. -
The Beginning of WWI
Great Britain signed a treaty in 1839 called the Treaty of London, and Britain had agreed in this treaty to protect Belgium from anything. Germany wanted to pass through Belgium to get to France,so they could attack France, but Britain wouldn't budge on their decision of protecting Belgium. Germany decided to go through with it anyway, and they attacked France through Belgium. If the Germans got a hold of Belgium that would be bad for Britain, so the minute they heard the attack they attacked. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Less than a year after the war started, a German U-boat torpedoed a British ocean liner called the RMS Lusitania. There were 1,900 passengers and crew members on board, and more than 1,100 died from the impact. There were about 128 Americans on board as well, and nearly two years passed since the sinking when the U.S officially entered WWI. The sinking of the RMS Lusitania played a significant role in turning public opinion against Germany both in the United States and countries abroad. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
Sometime in January 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from the German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister of Mexico, Von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. On February 26, 1917 U.S President Woodrow Wilson found out about the telegram, and he proposed to the Congress that the U.S should start arming its ships against possible German attacks. On April 2, 1917 Wilson brought Congress a message of war. -
US entry into the war and the impact
In 1917 the attacks Germany led were not stopping. The continuous submarine attacks on U.S merchant ships, and the Zimmermann Telegram implied that Germany wasn't planning on holding the peace with the United States anymore. All of these things that happened are reasons that U.S President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to make a declaration of war against Germany. Congress agreed, and war was declared on Germany. When the United States joined the throng it took a turn for the worst. -
Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
The attack of the Lusitania is what started it all with submarine warfare, and Germany did back off for a period of time when they were pressured by the U.S and neutral countries. U.S President Woodrow Wilson sent a letter to Germany demanding them to stop submarine warfare, but the German navy commanders didn't take to lightly to that. They got even more aggressive with the use of submarines, and those commanders convinced Kaiser Wilhelm that submarine warfare was essential to war strategy. -
Effects of WWI
WWI brought the downfall of four monarchies: Germany, Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. WWI ended the rule of colonialism, and nationalism started to rise. Economically, WWI left European countries deep in dept, and that made the U.S an industrial leader. After WWI, modern warfare changed the course of history for all countries. Due to cruel methods used during the war there were major losses for all countries, and social life changed for women. Labor laws were enforced, and women had to work -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28th, 1919 by the Big Three. There were five big different parts of the country that Germany didn't have control over anymore, the League of Nations took control of Germany's overseas colonies, their military was reduced by 100,000 men, and the army weren't allowed to have tanks. Germany was absolutely devastated financially as well. Germany had to admit that they were the cause of the war, and they were practically forced to bare shame everywhere. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
Germany was under a lot of pressure because they were basically broke. The U.S decided to help out with Dawes Plan and Young Plan. Dawes Plan was giving money back to Germany to pay for France's reparations, and Young Plan was to reduce the pressure on Germany by reducing a 3/4 of their war reparations. In the Dawes Plan money was cycled through Germany and France to eventually be paid back to the U.S, and the Young Plan was designed to cut down Germany's reparations with a scale model. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression started with the Wall Street Crash, also known as Black Tuesday. It went downhill from there for the U.S, and the unemployment rate was about 25%. There were over 12 million people who were unemployed, and about 12,000 were released every day. The main causes of the Great Depression were the 1929 Stock Market Crash, bank failures, lack of credit, bankruptcies, unemployment, reduction in purchasing, and so on. The Great Depression not only affected the U.S but abroad as well. -
The Rise of Hitler
Fifteen years after Germany's defeat, the Depression had hit them hard, millions of people were out of work, they were humiliated, and they lacked confidence in their weak government. This gave Adolf Hitler a chance to rise and make Germany powerful, Hitler and his party went around all of Germany speaking to millions about how he would promise to make theirs lives better. In the 1932 elections, the Nazis won 33% percent of the votes, and Hitler was appointed leader over all of Germany.
