Unit 7.2 World War I Causes

Long Term Causes of Great War (WWI)

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Militarism: Aggressive military preparedness that celebrates war → European competition = large funds + recruitment thru propaganda + ship building + mass-produced supplies

Alliances: Members secretly agree to protect one another when attacked

• Triple Etente → Allies: FRN + UK + RUS + CHN + US + ITL + JPN

• Triple Alliance/Central Powers → Axis Powers: GRM + AUS-HNG + OTO + BUG

Imperialism: All of Africa colonized → fight for raw materials + arms race + markets in colonies

• FRN: lost Alsace Lorraine’s iron to GRM in Franco-Prussian War

Nationalism: Self-determination & cultural pride

• Serbs: Fought for allies against AUS-HNG

• Arabs: Fought for allies against OTO

Immediate Cause of WWI

Gavrilo Princip: member of Serbian nationalist group Black Hand assassinates Archduke Franz Ferdinand

• AUS-HNG declares war on Serbians → RUS, UK, FRN, JPN help Serbians + GRM helps AUS-HNG

What empires disintegrated after WWI?

Russia: Bolshevik took advantage of the disorder of WWI

Ottoman Empire: Ataturk & lost WWI

Austria-Hungary: Black Hand/Serbian nationalism & lost WWI

Germany

Lost WWI in Treaty of Versailles

• Lost overseas colonies

• Full blame

• Reparations

  Limited military