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Militarism
Militarism is the idea of a government or nation maintaining a strong military, much stronger than the government itself. This made generals into presidents, and harsh military tactics into international trade policies. Militarism in Germany helped start WWI because Germany started to shift its focus on building a strong military, with the hopes of destroying negotiation and using war to take what they want. This also appeared very threatening to other countries, causing tension between forces. -
Imperialism
Imperialism is the extension of a country's power and influence over other territories through force, diplomacy, or a little bit of both. As the Ottoman Empire started to collapse, other imperial forces in Europe fought to secure territory of the crumbling nation. Tensions rose as empires fought for control of small portions and remainders of the Ottomans' reign. -
Nationalism
Nationalism was a large factor in WWI because it gave everyone a reason to fight, even if it was a bad reason. Nationalism gave citizens a false confidence in their home country, believing that every action they took was right and anything was possible if they dedicated themselves to their leaders. This mindset led to the world's superpowers fighting each other with full faith and no consideration for their possibility in losing. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his Wife
The Archduke and Duchess were on a visit in Sarajevo when they were attacked by a group of assassins. Their first attempt of bombing the Archduke's vehicles resulted in a fail that injured 20 people and destroyed on of the escort vehicles. In the second attempt, an assassin approached the vehicle while they were on the way to visit Sarajevo Hospital and shot the Archduke in the neck, and his wife in the gut. She died on the way to receive medical treatment, and he passed a ten minutes later. -
Start of WWI
WWI was technically started after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. It didn't instantly involve the entire world, and took till the end of 1914 before it really was a world war. Germany had signed a treaty with the Ottoman Empire, forming the Triple Alliance, and then declared war on France. After Germany began invading Belgium, Great Britain in turn declared war upon Germany. Austria-Hungary invaded Russia, and allies became involved. -
Alliances
During World War I, 2 main alliances formed: The Triple Entente and The Triple Alliance. The Triple Entente was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Alliance was made up of Russia, France, and Britain. These alliances made WWI a world war because it involved the world's superpowers at the time, and it reached all sides of the earth. When another force would get involved, a counter-force would also have to step in to defend their ally. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Only a few days after the incident in Sarajevo, Count Leopold von Berchtold wrote a letter to Wilhelm II to convince him that Serbia was responsible for the assassination. His attempt was successful, and Wilhelm II sent him a "blank check," insuring him that Germany would support whatever action they decided to take to deal with their problem with Serbia. -
Sinking of Lusitania
On May 7, the Lusitania fell under attack by torpedoes. There were arguments on whether the passenger ship was a valid target, with both sides making false claims to try and save or destroy the ship. In the end, the ship sunk with rifle cartridges, non-explosive shell casings, and many civilian passengers. This raised tensions and disputed between both side, because the toll on innocent lives during the attack showed the decision to bomb it was very unethical. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was message sent to Mexico from Germany. It was a proposition for them to form an alliance in the case that the U.S. joins the war. The telegram was intercepted by British Intelligence, who turned over the information to the U.S. This added to the extreme negativity Americans felt for Germany, and the direct threat against America would eventually lead to them joining the fight. -
Germany's Resumption of Submarine Warfare
Germany declared the area around the British Isles a war zone in 1915, which resulted in the destruction of many passenger ships, killing many innocent people. They were convinced to halt their attacks on neutral ships, but on February 1st, Germany announced that they would resume their unrestricted warfare in the isles, which would provoke tension and anger from both the U.S. and European countries receiving supplies by sea. -
U.S. Entry into WWI
The United States of America officially declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary on December 7th of 1917. Their stated their official reason for entering the war was to protect democratic nations from anti-democratic ones. It is more likely that the attack on the Lusitania, that killed 128 Americans, and the Zimmerman Telegram had a larger effect on their involvement, since democratic nations were being attacked since 1914 with no reaction from the U.S., aside from full neutrality. -
Effects of WWI
WWI resulted in a very large death toll. 1.7 million Russians were killed and 4.9 million injured, 1.7 million Germans were killed and 4.2 million injured, 1.3 million French soldiers were killed and 4.2 million injured, and 1.2 million Austrians were killed and 3.6 million were injured. In the end, the U.S. gained a strong military status, and Britain's large losses resulted in them indebted to the U.S. The world's financial center shifted from London to New York in result to this. -
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Hitler's Rise To Power
Hitler's rise to power started when he joined the German Workers' Party. He made his start was one of the best speakers in the party, and showed his willingness to use force to achieve his goals. Through the 1920's, he grew his party in popularity. In 1929 and the early 1930's, Hitler patrolled the country, and SA troops paraded around, beating up opponents and breaking up their meetings. In January of 1933, Hitler was appointed as chancellor, thought to be "tamed" by vice chancellor Papen. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
Under the Dawes Plan, Germany's reparations payments were lowered, and set to increase as Germany's economy improved. Whether or not Germany had to pay the full amount was purposely left undetermined. Under the Young Plan, that was created in 1928, Germany's reparations were to be lowered to around 29 billion, with a span of 58 years to pay off this debt. The Young Plan was supportive of the German government; they only had to pay 1/3 of the amount per year, only paying more if they could do so. -
The Great Depression
In August of 1929, the U.S. fell into an economic recession. The Stock Market crash is thought to have been caused by optimistic bank loans, unregulated markets, and high consumer debt. Many people saw the market as a safe bet, and didn't realize the impending doom that would be caused by it. Everyone thought the economy was strong, and many consumers borrowed money to pay for shares. Banks began to fail about one year after the crash. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was written for Germany and their allies to take responsibility for all damages done from the war. The treaty forced Germany to give up territories and and pay a total of 31.4 billion dollars in reparations. The German government was not allowed to participate in negotiations, which they reacted to by calling the treaty a "violation of honor" and withdrawing from the peace conference. The treaty was denounced and condemned by Germany, and was abhorred by their citizens.
