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Militarism: After the American Civil War
When the American Civil War ended, the United States military fell apart. At this time, Social Darwinism was taken into consideration as the military expanded onto the overseas in the Pacific and the Caribbean. -
Imperalism: Liliuokalani takes over Hawaii
Before the United States annexed Hawaii, Queen Liliokalani held the throne of Hawaii, being the queen of the future United States state. She was able to claim the throne after King Kalakaua passed away in January 1891. A believer in monarchy, she attempted to create a constitution that would restore the power of the monarchy and the Hawaiian citizens. In 1898, Hawaii was annexed by the United States. There was no longer a monarchy and the queen was dethrorned, making her the last known ruler. -
Nationalism: The Economic Boom
Before World War I, an economic boom occured. Increased industrialization occured in many countries. Also increased was the number of armies and military spending. Countries thrived on very satisfied citizens. -
The Assassination: Archduke Franz Ferdinad
The famous event that triggered World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinad.
A Serbian nationalist shot both the archduke and his wife in the area of Sarajevo, Bosina. Ferdinad had gone to to Sarajevo to do an inspection of the imperial armed forces in both Bosina and Herzegovina. The assassination led to the World War I, with Austria-Hungary declaring revenge. -
World War I: The Beginning
World War I had officially began as soon as Archduke Franz Ferdinad was assassinated. Austria-Hungary was the country that triggered the war.
On August 1st, Germany declared war on Russia. This was because the news of Russia's general mobilization angered the Germans. The Germany army launched an attack on France, Russia's ally. This attack was performed in Beligum. Great Britain was forced to enter the World War, as Beligum netruality was violated. -
The Blank Check: Germany to Austria-Hungary
About a week after Ferdinad was assassinated, Germany gave Austria-Hungary a "blank check". This event made World War I more personal. The "blank check" marked a significant movement in Europe entering the war. Germany had promised Austria-Hungary that they would support actions towards Serbia. This would also come with a large risk of having a war against Russia, and even more serious was that Russia had poweful allies: France and Great Britain. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
The Dawes plan was an attempt to solve problems caused by the aftermath of World War I for Germany. This plan was orchesterated by Charles G. Dawes. His plan was able to resolve a international crisis. However, the plan became unworkable. In 1914, it was replaced by the Young Plan.
The Young Plan was a program for settling German reparations debts caused by the aftermath of World War I. The plan became official in 1930. Millions of dollars were organized. -
Lusitania: The Sinking of the Ship
A ship, called the Lusitania, was approaching the coast of Ireland.
Germany u-boat U-20, found the ship. The boat attacked the ship by firing a torpedo. The Lusitania's lookout spotted the torpedo, but it was far too late to take any action. Fatally, the torpedo directly hit the side of Lusitania and the explosion was felt by the people on the ship. Immediately, it began to sink. 1,198 people were killed while there were only 761 survivors. This outraged many countries across the world. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: Germany
Unrestricted submarine warfare is a kind of naval warfare in which vessels are sunk by submarines.
Germany introduced unrestricted submarine warfare on February 1st, 1917. Countries strongly disagreed to this. Some tried to limit them, and others even tried to abolish submarines.
When Germany performed a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare during World War I, this was enough, alongside the Zimmermann Telehraph, to bring the United States into the war. -
Alliances: America pulled into War
After declaring war on Germany in April 1917, the United States had officially joined World War I, three years after it began. The Zimmerman telegram created by Germany angered Americans, driving the country into the war. United States did not fully align with France and the United Kingdom, as the United States was only an "associated power". Britain, France, Russia, and Italy all were in an alliance with the United States. -
US Entry Into War
Germany decided to use unrestricted submarines to attack Britain, risking its relationship with the United States. Arthur Zimmermann, a German who wrote the Zimmermann telegraph, wanted Mexico to join them in a war against the United States. The British got ahold of it, decoded it, and sent it to the President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson. The telegram was published to the public, and it angered Americans, who then eventually declared war against Germany. America officially joined a war. -
Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram was a telegraph sent from Germany to Mexico. This telegram pulled the United States into World War I.
In the telegraph, it said that Mexico should join World War I and attack the United States. This was supposed to be revenge for the Mexican-American war.
But when the British got ahold of the telegram and decoded it successfully, they gave it to Woodrow Wilson. He and the Congress agreed for a Declaration of War. America declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917. -
World War 1: The Effects
The amount of casualties of World War I was 38 million. It took the lives of over 17 million people, 11 million of them being in the miltary. Germany suffered the most amount of deaths in Central Powers with 52% of the casualites over the rest of the Central Powers.
Some of the new countries formed as a result of World War I include: Austria, Iran, Latvia, Syria, and Turkey.
After World War I ended, the British felt disillusionment because they had been harsh on Germany, who felt lots of guilt. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty between five nations: Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States.
Germans believed they did not start the war, so the German government did not participate in the treaty. The French made the treaty unfair for Germany, because in the treaty, it says that Germany is not allowed to start a new war. It also put lots of debt on Germany. The treaty in general angered Germans, who perceived themselves as innocent. -
Hitler: Rise to Power
Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1919. He joined a political party during World War I. The party was against Marxists, opposed a democratic post-war government, against the Treaty of Versailles, and advocated extreme nationalism. Hitler's rise arguably ended on March 1933, after the Enabling Act of 1933 took place. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a serious economic struggle that began when the United States stock market crashed. It caused about 25-30% of Americans to lose their jobs. It also revoked the Roaring Twenties' wealth. Social Security was formed as a solution to this, giving elderly people small incomes to use for only necessary items. The Great Depression ended when World War II began, since it gave people new jobs.
