7.2 - Causes of World War I

Great War

The name commonly used for World War I before a second world war occurred

Militarism

The belief that a strong military is essential to national power and security

Arms Race

A competition between states to build larger and more advanced militaries

Triple Alliance

The prewar alliance linking Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

Central Powers

The wartime bloc led by Germany and Austria-Hungary, later joined by the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria

Triple Entente

The prewar alliance linking Britain, France, and Russia

Allies

The wartime coalition of Britain, France, Russia, and later Italy, Japan, and the United States

Imperialism

A policy of extending national power through territorial conquest, colonization, or economic domination

Nationalism

Strong loyalty to one's nation or ethnic group, often tied to demands for power or independence

Self-determination

The principle that a people with a shared identity should govern themselves in their own state

Pan-Slavism

A movement promoting the unity and political strength of Slavic peoples

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination triggered the July Crisis

Gavrilo Princip

A Bosnian Serb nationalist who assassinated the Austro-Hungarian heir in Sarajevo

Black Hand

A Serbian nationalist secret society that supported violent resistance to Austro-Hungarian rule in the Balkans

July Crisis

The chain of diplomatic ultimatums, mobilizations, and declarations after the Sarajevo assassination in 1914