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Growing Nationalism
Nationalism is a form of patriotism that is often taken to extremes; having the utmost confidence in their country that they are invincible. One form of Nationalism was ‘penny press’. These were cheaply made stories full of racial stereotypes and prejudice against England’s rivals. The stories talked about invasions, espionage, and future wars. One example is book 'The Battle of Dorking' (1871). It was an off the wall story about German forces invading England. -
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The Many Alliances
The first Alliance, called the Dual Alliance, was made in 1879 between Germany and Austria-Hungary, in 1881 was the Austro-Serbian Alliance, 1882 The Triple Alliance was made between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, 1894 the Franco-Russian Alliance was formed by Russia, 1904 an agreement between France and Britain, called the Entente Cordiale, 1907 the Anglo-Russian Entente agreement between Britain and Russia, 1907 the Triple Entente alliance was formed between Russia, France, and Britain. -
Militarism Amongst the Nations
Militarism was common amongst the European countries during this period of time. An arms race had developed due to the divide between the main European countries. Between Britain and Germany, there was competition of who had the best Navy. In 1906, the British introduced a new battleship named the ‘Dreadnought’. The Germans, not wanting to be bested, started introducing battleships themselves. -
Imperialism Across the Globe
Imperialism is when a powerful nation gains control of one or more colonies, usually by force. One imperialist nation was Russia. By the start of WW1 in 1914, Russia ruled modern-day Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Latvia, Ukraine, Georgia and multiple regions in Asia. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot and killed along with his wife by 19 year-old Gavrilo Princip, who was a Serbian nationalist. The Archduke and his wife were visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia to inspect the imperial armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina. -
The Blank Check from Germany
After the assassination of Archduke Franz and his wife, the Austrian's felt there was a need for immediate action against Serbia. They sent an envoy to relay the message to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany about the assassination of the Archduke and their feeling for immediate action. Wilhelm felt personally affected by the assassination, so on July 5, 1914, he pledged Germany’s unwavering support of Austria-Hungary in whatever action they decided to take regarding Serbia, even if Russia joined in. -
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The Beginning of World War I
WWI started with the assassination of the Archduke and his wife. This caused Austria to declare war on Serbia. Germany being allied with Austria joined. Russia joined to support Serbia. France joined to support Russia. Germany declared war on Russia. Germany declared war on France. Germany invaded Belgium to get to France. Belgium was a neutral country that was allied with Britain, they demanded that Germany leave. Britain declared war on Germany when they refused to withdraw from Belgium. -
The Lusitania Sinks
“February 1915 Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare in the waters around Britain”, says History.com. Three months later on May 7, a German U-boat torpedoed the RMS Lusitania. The Lusitania was a British ocean liner carrying more than 1,900 passengers from New York to Liverpool in England. The torpedo sank the ship and killed more than 1,100 of the passengers, including 120 Americans. After this incident, public opinion in America and across the seas was turned against Germany. -
Germany Returns to Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
The United States protested the sinking of the Lusitania, in response to the pressure from America, Germany apologized and pledged to end unrestricted submarine warfare. In November 1915, a German U-boat sank an Italian liner without warning despite their recent pledge. This attack killed more than 270 people, including more than 25 Americans. These actions turned the people of the United States against Germany. Germany declared that they would resume unrestricted warfare in war-zone waters. -
The Zimmerman Telegram Intercepted
In January 1917, a telegram from Arthur Zimmermann was intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence. He wanted to offer an alliance between Germany and Mexico in case there was ever a U.S.-German war. If Mexico agreed to enter the war as a German ally, they would provide financial support and they would return Mexico their lost territories. On March 1, this telegram was published on the front covers of newspapers across the U.S., which helped sway Americans to favoring entry into the war. -
The United States Enters the War
The U.S. declared war on Germany in response to the attacks from German U-boats and the Zimmerman telegram. The United States' greatest contribution to the war was economic. Britain, both for itself and for its allies, was spending $75 million per week on U.S. arms and supplies. The U.S. entrance into the war saved Great Britain and the rest of the Entente from bankruptcy. America played a crucial role in reinforcing the Allied naval blockade of Germany. -
After World War I
WWI is considered one the deadliest conflicts in history with the total number of casualties ranking in at 41 million. After the war, six new countries emerged. The new countries were Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Estonia. After the war, there was a great deal of disillusionment because it was such a great catastrophe with so little to show for. The war had achieved practically nothing, and only caused problems that lead directly into WWII. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was negotiated by the Allies with almost no participation from Germany. The French wanted to punish Germany in a way so that they could not start another war, while the British and Americans did not want to give means to another war. They agreed on punishments that put all the blame on Germany. Germans felt this blame was unfair and that they should not be held solely responsible for this war. They were left outraged and resentful towards the other nations. -
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The Dawes Plan and the Young Plan
1924, The Dawes Plan reduced Germany’s annual reparation payments, and as Germany’s economy improved, the amount would be raised. However, the total amount to be paid was still undetermined. 1929, the Young Plan reduced the total amount of reparations Germany had to pay. It went from $31.5 billion to $29 billion, which was payable over 58 years. These plans and with some help from the U.S., Germany’s economy was improving and they were paying the reparations. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression started with the crash of the stock market. The market started declining and over a span of a couple months $14 billion of investments were gone. This caused a panic amongst the people who ran to the bank to withdraw their money, which forced many banks to close down. Over 9,000 banks failed. With less money being spent, businesses had to fire workers. The unemployment rate rose above 25%. -
Hitler's Rise to Power
After WWI, the humiliating defeat weighed heavy on the Germans, the worldwide depression was hitting them hard causing millions to be out of work, and the Germans had little confidence in their government. Hitler exploited this lack of hope by spewing out promise after promise of change and improvement. The desperate citizens grabbed onto this false hope and helped raise Hitler and the Nazi party to power. January 30, 1993 Hitler was appointed Chancellor.
