world war 1 unit 4

I. Causes of World War I in Europe

Long-Term Causes (M.I.N.E.)

  • Militarism

    • Arms race and expansion of military power

    • Heavy reliance on military alliances

    • Germany and France rapidly built up armies

  • Imperialism

    • Competition for colonies and global influence

    • Increased tensions between European powers

  • Nationalism

    • Belief that nations or ethnic groups should govern themselves

    • Especially strong in the Balkans (Serbia)

    • Encouraged rivalries and conflict

  • Alliances

    • Divided Europe into hostile camps

    • Turned local conflicts into global war

II. European Alliances Before the War

Triple Alliance (1882–1915)

  • Germany

  • Austria-Hungary

  • Italy

  • Secret military agreement for mutual defense

  • Italy stayed neutral at first and later joined the Allies (1915)

Triple Entente

  • Great Britain

  • France

  • Russia

  • Informal alliance formed to counter the Triple Alliance

  • Became the core of the Allied Powers

III. Serbia and the Balkans

  • Serbia became independent in 1882

  • Gained territory after Balkan Wars

  • Strong Serbian nationalism

  • Tensions with Austria-Hungary

  • Balkans known as the “powder keg of Europe”

IV. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28, 1914)

  • Assassinated in Sarajevo

  • Killer: Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist

  • Linked to the Black Hand terrorist group

  • Triggered a chain reaction leading to war

V. The July Crisis (1914)

  • Austria-Hungary issued 10 demands to Serbia

  • Serbia accepted 9

  • Austria-Hungary declared war anyway

  • Germany supported Austria-Hungary

  • Russia, France, and Britain mobilized

  • Diplomacy failed

VI. Declarations of War

  • July 28, 1914: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia

  • Russia mobilized

  • Germany declared war on Russia and France

  • Germany invaded neutral Belgium

  • Britain declared war on Germany

  • By August 1914, most of Europe was at war

VII. United States Before the War (1914–1917)

American Neutrality

  • Most Americans wanted to stay out of war

  • Reasons:

    • Ethnic ties (Irish and German Americans)

    • Pacifism

    • Fear war was about protecting loans to Allies

U.S. Strength

  • Largest industrial producer

  • Major exporter (wheat, steel, oil)

  • Population over 100 million

VIII. President Woodrow Wilson

  • President from 1913

  • Progressive reformer

  • Believed in neutrality

  • Supported labor laws and antitrust reforms

  • Supported racial segregation

  • Allowed KKK influence (screened Birth of a Nation)

IX. The Preparedness Movement

  • Wanted stronger U.S. military

  • Leaders:

    • Theodore Roosevelt

    • Leonard Wood

  • Believed military strength preserved peace

  • Created officer training camps

Opposition

  • Jane Addams and the Woman’s Peace Party

  • Pacifists, Socialists, Emma Goldman

  • Believed militarism would cause war, not prevent it

X. Events Pushing the U.S. Toward War

Belgian Atrocities (1914)

  • Germany invaded neutral Belgium

  • Thousands of civilians killed

  • British propaganda increased U.S. sympathy for Allies

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

  • Germany used U-boats to sink all ships, including neutral ones

  • Threatened American trade and lives

Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)

  • British passenger ship sunk by Germany

  • 1,100+ killed, including 128 Americans

  • Shocked U.S. public

  • Later evidence suggested it carried weapons

XI. Shift in Wilson’s Neutrality

  • Wilson still tried to stay neutral after 1915

  • Reelected in 1916 on a peace platform

  • Germany temporarily stopped submarine attacks

  • Resumed unrestricted warfare in 1917

  • Sank American ships

XII. Holtzendorff Memo (1916)

  • German admiral urged unrestricted submarine warfare

  • Claimed Britain would surrender in 5 months

  • Acknowledged risk of U.S. entering war

  • Germany accepted the plan in January 1917

  • Strategy failed

XIII. Zimmermann Telegram (1917)

  • Germany offered Mexico U.S. territory if it joined Germany

  • Intercepted and revealed by Britain

  • Outraged Americans

  • Final push toward war

XIV. U.S. Enters World War I

  • April 2, 1917: Wilson asked Congress for war

  • Claimed Germany had effectively declared war on the U.S.

  • April 6, 1917: U.S. officially entered World War I