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WorldWar I

19141919Why It Matters

World War I changed the world. The people of the time called the conflict the Great War,and they believed that there could never again be another like it. Although the United States

tried to remain neutral, it was drawn into the conflict.

The Impact TodayThe war touched all aspects of life. When the fighting was over, the United States emerged

as one of the great powers in the world.

The American Journey Video The chapter 23 video, Over There, examinesthe impact of technology in World War I.

1914 Beginning of

Great Migration1915 Germany torpedoes

the Lusitania

1914 Franz Ferdinand assassinated

World War I begins

1917 Lenin leads Bolshevik

Revolution

Wilson19131921

1917 Zimmermann telegram angers U.S.

United States enters WW I

Selective Service Act passed

CHAPTER 23 World War I

1914 1916

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1920 Senate rejects League

of Nations

1918 World War I ends

Flu epidemic kills more than 20 million worldwide

1919 Treaty of Versailles signed

HISTORY

Chapter OverviewVisit taj.glencoe.com andclick on Chapter 23Chapter Overviews to pre-view chapter information.

To the Front World War I combined traditional means of warfare, suchas the cavalry, with modern means, such as the tank and the airplane.

CHAPTER 23 World War I

1918 1920

1918 National War Labor

Board is set up

1914 1915 1917 1919 War1916 1918 Post-

Step 1 Fold two sheets of paper in half from topto bottom.

Time Line Study Foldable Time lines are usedto list important dates in chronological order. Usethis foldable to sequence key events of World War I.

Reading and Writing As you read the chapter,record key events that occurred during each yearof World War I.

Step 2 Turn the papers and cut each in half.

Step 3 Fold the four pieces in half from topto bottom.

Step 4 Tape the ends of the pieces together(overlapping the edges very slightly) to make anaccordion time line and label it as shown.

Cut alongfold lines.

Piecesof tape

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June 1914Franz Ferdinandis assassinated

July 1914Austria-Hungarydeclares war on Serbia

August 1914Germany declares war on Russia and France

1916France and Germany fightthe Battle of Verdun

CHAPTER 23 World War I

The swift chain of events that led to war in Europe in 1914 stunned Americans.Most agreed with Jeannette Rankinthe first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress ata time when women could not even vote in most statesthat You can no more wina war than you can win an earthquake. Most Americans wanted the country to stayout of other countries affairs. They saw no good reason to get involved in a conflictthat they believed grew out of national pride and greed. As time went on, the UnitedStates found it more and more difficult to remain neutral.

Troubles in EuropeThe people of Sarajevo crowded the streets of their city on the morning of

June 28, 1914. They wanted to see Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to thethrone of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The royal couple had come on a statevisit to Bosnia, an Austrian province. Suddenly shots rang out. The archdukeand his wife were hit and died soon after. The assassination destroyed the delicate balance of European stability. Within weeks Europe was at war. Thetensions that led to World War I had roots that went back many years. The con-flicts grew as European nations pursued dreams of empires, built up theirarmies, and formed alliances.

Main IdeaWhen Europe went to war in 1914,the United States tried to stay out ofthe conflict.

Key Termsnationalism, ethnic groups, mili-tarism, alliance system, entente,balance of power

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information As you readthe section, re-create the diagrambelow, and identify four causes ofWorld War I.

Read to Learn what factors led to World War I. how the early fighting progressed

in Europe.

Section ThemeScience and Technology Newweapons and other technology wereused in fighting the war.

War in Europe

Causes of WWI

Preview of Events

Guide to Reading

1914 1915 1916

Jeannette Rankin

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Forming AlliancesAlong with militarism came a strengthening

of the alliance system, or the defense agree-ments among nations. By 1914 two majoralliances had been established. Germany, Aus-tria-Hungary, and Italy banded together in theTriple Alliance, while Great Britain, France, andRussia joined in the Triple Entente. An ententeis an understanding among nations.

The alliances aimed to keep peace by creatinga balance of powera system that prevents anyone country from dominating the others. Yet thealliance system actually posed a great danger.An attack on one nation was all that was neededto trigger a war involving many countries.

Europe was like a powder keg. One Americandiplomat noted that it would take only a sparkto set the whole thing off. That spark wasignited in the Balkans.

Describing What was the purposeof the alliance system?

Crisis in the BalkansThe Balkan Peninsula in southeastern

Europe was a hotbed of nationalist and ethnicrivalries in the early 1900s. The nations ofGreece, Albania, Romania, and Bulgaria arguedover territory, while Slavic nationalists hopedto unite all the Slavic peoples in the region.Especially bitter was the dispute between Austria-Hungary, whose Slavic people desiredindependence, and the neigh-boring nation of Serbia,which supported the Slavsand opposed the empire.

An Assassination Leadsto War

Franz Ferdinandsassassin, Gavrilo Princip,was a member of a Ser-bian nationalist group.Princip and other terroristshad plotted the murder toadvance the cause of the unifi-cation of Slavic peoples.

NationalismNationalism, a feeling of intense loyalty to

ones country or group, caused much of the ten-sion in Europe. On the one hand, nationalismencouraged new nations, such as Italy and Ger-many, to unify and to establish their power inthe world. Italy had become a kingdom in the1860s, and the German states had united in the1870s. Their actions challenged the position ofolder nations such as Great Britain and France.

On the other hand, nationalism inspired certain groups of people to break away fromexisting nations. Some of these ethnic groupspeople who share a common language and traditionsdemanded independent nations oftheir own.

Imperial ExpansionTension in Europe also grew out of the desire

of nations to expand their empires. Nationscompeted for colonies in Africa, Asia, and otherparts of the world. These colonies not onlybrought new markets and raw materials, theyalso added to a nations prestige.

Great Britain and France already possessedlarge overseas empires, but they wanted toexpand them even more. Germany, Italy, andRussia wanted to increase their colonial hold-ings as well. Because few areas were left to col-onize, however, expansion by one Europeannation often brought it into conflict withanother power.

Military BuildupAs European nations competed for colonies,

they strengthened their armies and navies toprotect their interests. If one nation increasedits military strength, its rivals felt threatenedand built up their own military in response. Inthis atmosphere of militarism, Germany,France, and Russia developed huge armies inthe early 1900s.

Great Britain, an island nation, had theworlds largest and strongest navy. When Ger-many began to challenge Britains naval powerin the early 1900s, a bitter rivalry grew betweenthe two nations. The rivalry led to an arms racethat threatened peace in Europe.

ArchdukeFranz Ferdinand

CHAPTER 23 World War I

A day later, Germany invaded Belgium aspart of a plan to sweep across eastern andnorthern France. In doing so, Germany violateda treaty signed in 1839 guaranteeing Belgiumsneutrality. The invasion of Belgium promptedGreat Britain to honor its pledge to protect Bel-gium, and Britain declared war on Germany.

Describing What actions did Austria-Hungary take after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand?

A World War BeginsThe Great War had begun. On one side were

the Allied Powers, or the AlliesGreat Britain,France, and Russia. On the other were the Central

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1. Region What nations made up the the Central Powers?2. Drawing Conclusions What incident sparked the

beginning of World War I?

Europe in World War I, 1914

Allies

Central Powers

Neutral nations

June 28 Franz Ferdinand assassinated

July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

July 30 Russia mobilizes armed forces

Aug. 1 Germany declares war on Russia

Aug. 3 Germany declares war on France

Aug. 4 Germany invades Belgium