-
Formation of the Central Powers
-- also known as the Triple Alliance
-- grew out of close relations between leaders of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Ottoman Empire
-- originally a defensive pact that ensured reciprocal protection from a Russian attack / neutrality in case of an attack from any other power
-- sought to protect political status quo in Europe, but viwe with suspicion by other nations
-- motivated by hostile France attacking them (German / Italy), free hand in pursuing Balkan politics (Austria-Hungary) -
Formation of the Triple Entente (Allies)
-- formed between Russia, France, and Britain
-- wanted to counteract the power of the Triple Alliance
-- eventually signed a military contract in the summer of 1914; felt the need to not be the only nation in a hostile world -
The Naval Race
-- between Germany and Britain; wanted to expand naval dominance for trade routes and merchant shipping (went on until 1914)
-- also wanted control as an advantage during war
-- creation of battleships called "dreadnoughts"
-- expanded further tensions and hostility between nations -
Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
-- shot by Gavrilo Princip (Serbia nationalist)
-- set motion to a series of diplomatic activity that escalated to the Great War
--Austria-Hungary vs Serbia -
Period: to
World War I
-
Japan's Entry to War
-- wanted to "secure firm and enduring peace in Eastern Asia"
-- sent ultimatum to Germany to hand over the territory of Jiaozhou to Japanese authority without compensation
-- demanded German navy to withdraw from Japanese and Chinese waters
-- refusal --> Japanese entered war on the Allies side
-- able to take fortress of Qingdao and Marshall Islands
-- however, exploited Allies support to advance imperial interest in China (21 Demands) -
Gallipoli Campaign
-- lasted until January 9, 1916
-- extensive military operation in the Ottoman Empire to seize the Dardanelles strait to open supply lines for Russia
-- failure; 250,000 causalities on each side
-- long term effect = weakening of British imperial ties; emerging of nation identities for Canada, Australia, and New Zealand -
Battle of Verdun
-- lasted to December 18, 1916
-- Germans tried to break the deadlock with a huge assault of the fortress of Verdun
-- French victory; rallying cry "They shall not pass"
-- One of the bloodiest battles (bloodletting); resulted in 315,000 French deaths and 280,000 German deaths -
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
-- required Germany to accept sole responsibility and guilt for causing war and reduction of military potential of former Central Powers
-- denied Germans a navy and airforce and limited army to 100,000 troops
-- defeated Central Powers must pay the cost of the war (money / kind) -
The Great Depression
-- compelled by the economic distress of the worldwide depression --> campaign of territorial expansion that broke apart the international cooperation -
The Holocaust
-- lasted to May 8, 1945
-- genocide of mainly Jews, but also Slavs, Gypsies, homosexuals, communists, and other "undesirables"
-- creation of concentration camps; resulted in 1.4 million Jewish deaths -
Period: to
World War II
-
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
-- Japanese attack on the United States in hopes of destroying American naval capacity in the Pacific --> pave way for conquest of Southeast Asia
-- declared war on the Axis Powers; entered the war
-- formed a coalition with the Soviet Union and Great Britain -
Creation of the United Nations (UN)
-- supranational organization dedicated to keeping war peace; maintaining peace and security and promoting friendly relations among the world's nations --> global reconstruction
-- replacement of the ineffective League of Nations -
The Cold War
-- lasted until 1991 (when the Soviet Union fell apart)
-- tensions between the two superpowers: US and USSR
-- divided global populations, categorized humand and nations sypathetic to the Societ Union or the United States
-- defined post-war era as one of political, ideologies, and economic hostilities between the two superpowers -
Truman Doctrine
-- crystallized the new US perception of a world divided between free and enslaved people (capitalism vs communism)
-- committed itself to an interventionist foreign policy, dedicated to the "containment" of communism
