1900-1914

The Causes of World War I

1871 Germany won Alsace-Lorraine from France in the Franc0-Prussian War

Two early alliances: Germany, Austria, Russia originally, but it will soon fall apart (Three Emperors League)

Germany, Austria, Italy | The Triple AllianceOn your map color the Triple Alliance members RED

Early Alliances

Turkey had ruled this area for centuries, but couldn’t hold on to all the areas where ethnic minorities were getting anxious to be independent

Serbia was the biggest threat—in 1903 the new leader became aggressively and public anti-Austria-Hungary.An anti-Austrian terrorist group named the

Black Hand was active in Serbia and the government did nothing to stop it.

The Balkans

Ethnic identities were not physical—they all looked the same. They were based on language, culture, and religion—Roman Catholics, Orthodox Catholics, and Muslims

Shade in theBalkans on yourmap

The Balkans

1. What piece of land did Germany win in the Franco-Prussian war?A. BelgiumB. Alsace-LorraineC. SerbiaD. Bosnia

Quiz Time!

2. Which countries made up the Triple Alliance?A. Germany, Austria, FranceB. Russia, Germany, ItalyC. Germany, Austria, ItalyD. Great Britain, Austria, Germany

Quiz Time!

3. What country came to be called The Sick Man of Europe?A. Turkey/Ottoman EmpireB. GermanyC. AustriaD. France

Quiz Time!

Since Austria and Russia were busy fighting over the Balkans, Germany had to pick a friend—decided on Austria (closer in language and culture)

Russia decided to ally with France in 1894—if war started, Germany would have enemies on both sides, called a Two Front War

Germany tried to bring Britain into an alliance so France and Russia would leave Germany alone

Method? Threats. Build the German navy and scare Britain who ruled the seas

Germany would like “A Place in the Sun”—an empire like Britain’s

Dragging Britain into it…

Answer the following questions:Why did Germany want Great Britain as an

ally? Why was Britain so popular at this time?

 With the map colored the way it is, and with

tensions in the Balkans, what should Austria do to prevent war? Is that even possible? What could ease tensions with Russia?

With a partner:

1905: France, Britain, and Russia are allied; Germany, Austria, and Italy are allied

Germany makes the Schlieffen Plan— “to move like lightening”1. Defeat the French by sending an army

through Belgium2. Unleash the whole German army on Russia3. Hopefully avoid fighting on two fronts at

once

The Schlieffen Plan

Instead of join Germany, Britain joins an alliance with France called the Entente Cordiale

This means France is now allied with both Russia and Britain

On your map: Label Britain, France, Russia, Austria, Italy, and Germany. Color the first three BLUE, and the Triple Alliance Red.

Britain: everyone wants to be bffs

Agreements included: Britain gets to control Egypt (Suez Canal access) – previously France had controlled it

France gets to control Morocco, tries in 1905Germany interfered in this exchange and went to

Morocco in 1905 promising to defend them against the French

Germany banked on the fact that Russia had just lost to Japan in the Russo-Japanese war and would leave them alone

But Britain was strong and held the Algeciras Conference 1906, decided to ignore Germany’s concerns and humiliate them

The Entente Cordiale was strengthened

The Entente Cordiale

4. Who are the members of the Entente Cordiale?A. Britain and France B. Britain, France, RussiaC. Germany and BritainD. Britain and Russia

Quiz Time!

5. Which of the following is NOT part of Germany’s Schlieffen Plan?A. Attack France through BelgiumB. Attack ItalyC. Avoid a two front warD. Attack Russia after France is defeated

Quiz Time!

6. Which of the following is NOT one of the agreements of the Entente Cordiale?A. Britain gets EgyptB. France gets MoroccoC. Russia gets SerbiaD. Britain will defend France

Quiz Time!

1906, Britain launched the Dreadnought, a new battleship trying to best Germany’s newest

1907, Britain allies with Russia, officially creating the Triple Entente, an alliance that rivals the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria, and Italy

The Kaiser of Germany went to Britain to smooth things over but in an interview in the Daily Telegraph he embarrassed himself and made tensions worse by calling the British “Mad as March Hares”

Growing Tension…

Germany relied heavily on Austria for support In 1908 Austria seized control of Bosnia, a

country in the Balkans (see your map)Because of how this angered Russia, there

was a very close call at the start of war in 1908

Kaiser of Germany gave Austria a blank cheque, promising full support no matter what

Russia, still weak from the Russo-Japanese war, backed down

The Bosnian Crisis

How did the alliance system increase tensions in Europe at this point? Give evidence in your answer.

With your partner, answer:

1911 Germany and France again clash over Morocco; Germany sent the gunboat Panther; Britain again sided with France and Germany backed down

1912 Russia and Austria again clash over the BalkansAustria was determined to crush Serbia, which had

become very nationalistic, hated AustriaThere was a large Slavic group in Austria that

threatened to revolt, and were ethnically similar to Serbian Slavs

Preventing a strong Serbia was crucial to Austrian security

Germany said Austria had their full backing if they wanted to attack Serbia

Tensions increase 1908-1914

June 28, 1914, a Serbian terrorist group called Black Hand assassinated the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Bosnia.

Austria had taken Bosnia in 1908 and angered Serbs living there, so this was revenge

July 23, 1914, Austria gave Serbia an ultimatum—requiring Serbia to squash anti-Austrian activities, punish guilty people, basically submit to Austria

They pretended to accept all but one measure, so ultimately rejected the ultimatum

July 28th, 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia

The Spark

July 29: Austria bombs Serbia Germany was an ally of Austria, and Russia

was an ally of Serbia… war was imminent.July 30: Russia started mobilizing her army.

Germany and Russia exchange the Willy-Nicky Telegrams… doesn’t work

July 31: Germany asks nicely for Russia to demobilize; Russia said only Austria is threatened. Germany asks France not to get involved. (France ignores the message.) Germany and France ask Britain whose side she’s on… she ignores them all.

July Crisis 1914

August 1st: Germany declares war on RussiaAugust 3rd: Germany declares war on France;

Britain promises to protect Belgium, a neutral nation—remember the Schlieffen plan said Germany would first attack France through Belgium

Germany marches into BelgiumAugust 4th: Britain declares war on Germany

World War I has begun.

July Crisis 1914