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Alliances
Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente, while Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy joined in the Triple Alliance in World War 1. Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis powers, while Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, the Soviet Union, China and the United States of America made up the Allies in World War 2. This complex web created many conflicts between nations that used to be friendly toward one another and many new alliances between former enemy nations. -
Militarism
Militarism was a significant force in several European nations in the years prior to World War I. Their governments were strongly influenced by military leaders. Alfred Vagts, a German historian who served in World War I, defined militarism as the “domination of the military man over the civilian, an undue preponderance of military demands, an emphasis on military considerations”. -
Nationalism
Nationalism is the devotion one has for their country. Another word that comes to mind when describing nationalism. It is no surprise that this was a huge factor in the beginning of World War 1. Attitudes and self-confidence in people can easily cause problems between nations, especially if both people are driven by their loyalty to the country they call home. Nationalism gave citizens inflated confidence in their nation and their military strength to succeed in war. -
Imperialism
Prior to World War I the world’s largest, richest and most dominant imperial power was Great Britain. Imperialism is a system where a powerful nation controls and exploits one or more colonies. In most cases the imperial nation establishes control over its colonies by coercion. and this territory is claimed as a colony. Colonies are governed and administered by the imperial nation and a military presence is often stationed in the colony to maintain order. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie
A significant event that led to increased tension between the nations of Austria-Hungary and Serbia was the assassination of both Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. This terrible tragedy was the event that spurred nations into war and alliances to be formed. Without this assassination, World War 1 as we know it may never have come to be. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Germany's vow to aid Austria-Hungary in whatever retaliation they choose to take against Bosnia for the double assassination of Ferdinand and his wife. This alliance was very important to the causes of World War 1 because without Germany's support, Austria-Hungary would have been quickly defeated in the war. Another thing to keep in mind was that Germany choose to help Austria-Hungary even with the knowledge that they would be up against some of the strongest military powers in the world. -
Beginning of World War 1
Seemingly the start of World War 1 occurred in Bosnia when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie of Austria-Hungary were assassinated while visiting. This angered Austria-Hungary, causing them to form a quick alliance with Germany. Bosnia paired with Great Britten after France was attacked by Germany who used Belgium to sneak into France for the attack. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Germany added the United States into World War 1 by sinking British ship, the Lusitania. After Germany started using submarine warfare, the British decided to blockade Germany. Angered, the Germans decided to sink the Lusitania, believing it to be smuggling weapons for the war. However, this was a passenger ship with many American aboard. The deaths of these Americans was the event that angered Americans everywhere and untimely lead the United States to join World War 1. -
Germany's Resumption of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
During and leading up to World War 1, German navy commanders continued to push for a more aggressive use of the submarine and that the U-boat was an essential component of German war strategy. Germany thought the use of submarine warfare would quickly help them win the war by destroying enemies with surprise attacks. Untimely, German refused to stand down in their war strategy and created many more enemies than allies during World War 1. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a top-secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office and proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of the United States entering World War I. The Zimmerman Telegram is important to the history of World War 1 because it was one of the main reasons that the United States entered into the war. -
US Entry into the War and Impact
The Unite States entered World War 1 due to Germany's unwillingness to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram which proposed an alliance with Mexico. Immediately, the United States had very little military or economic impact on the war because the Allies had already relied on American industry to provide them with resources. However, with the additional military forces provided, the United States played a huge role in helping defeat Germany and winning the war. -
Rise of Hitler
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The Effects of World War 1
The Effects of World War 1 included mass casualties and times of depression all over the world. It was estimated that 37 million people died from this war that shook nations. The former empire of Austria-Hungary was dissolved and new nations were created from its land that include Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Disillusionment was a huge affect of World War 1 because everyone was in a state of chaos and anxiously searching for peace. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was what most consider to be the official end of World War 1. This treaty marked the end of the war and helped bring nations around the world back together in unity. This treaty impacted the Germans because they weren't send any delegates to the signing of the treaty and had to accept whatever was decided. Additionally, Germany was held responsible for World War 1 and this caused a lot of negative attention to be brought upon Germans, some who were entirely innocent. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
The Dawes Plan and Young Plan were both plans for Germany to repay their war debts. The plans consisted of the United States loaning money to Germany to increase the economy. With the increased economy, Germany could increase tax revenues to pay back Great Britten who relied on this money to repay loans and imports given to them from our country. These increased taxes devastated many people in the Weimar Republic because the people had no clue that Germany was loosing the war. -
Great Depression
Like many other nations, our economy was drained after World War 1. Farmers quickly went into debt after the war because other counties could once again buy goods cheaper from Europe. America's economy took a turn for the worst when the stock market crashed, spiraling our country into a time of slow business, high unemployment, low prices, and even lower wages.
