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The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Wife, Sophie.
Tension between Bosnia and Austria-Hungary caused the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Franz Ferdinand, next in line to the throne, was personally visiting Sarajevo to inspect the armed forces in Bosnia when a Bosnian Serb nationalist shot the couple. "The assassination set off a rapid chain of events, as Austria-Hungary immediately blamed the Serbian government for the attack" (1914 Archduke Ferdinand). This assassination triggered the beginning of World War I. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
One major error made by Germany was to support Austria-Hungary on punishing Serbia for the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand through a "Blank Check". The Blank Check "failed to address important details like the timing of all subsequent moves"(Sass). Germany made many faulty assumptions that led to more problems, such as "bolstering Austro-Hungarian leaders in their decision to embark on war against Serbia"(Mulligan).This had created tension which further activated World War I. -
Nationalism
Nationalism is having devotion and loyalty to your own nation. Nationalism was a major cause to World War I and the continuation of the war, as it caused people to be completely aware of their strengths and weaknesses. This made people try and prove how powerful they can be and try to dominate all other nations. The lust for national advancement made people have fierce competitions and rivalries between Europe nations as well as the United States. -
Imperialism
Imperialism is when a country or kingdom increases its power by acquiring territories. With Britain and France being the most plentiful out of land and territories at that time, tension rose and competitions grew to see who can acquire the most land and territories. One major drawback to imperialism was it "led Europeans...taking straightforward political and military control on the undeveloped world"(How did Imperialism Contribute). Further stretching the tension line between nations. -
Militarism
Militarism was the “domination of the military man over the civilian, an undue preponderance of military demands, an emphasis on military considerations”(Vagts) as stated by Alfred Vagts. Prior to the war, nations began expanding their militaries which sparked Europe's powers into a sense of distrust and war. This further complicated the tensions between nations and advanced future alliances. Though militarism was not solely responsible for triggering World War I, it was a large factor. -
Alliances
There were several alliances that allowed for a large war to happen. When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany followed as well as Italy. This has come to be known as the Triple Alliance and later Central Powers. Eventually Italy left which further complicated things. As Serbia went to war, so did Russia, France, and Britain because they were allies. Later to be known as Triple Entente or Allies. Later on the US entered the War with its allies Russia, Britain and France. -
The Beginning of World War I
July 28, 1914, came around the corner and War took place. The tensions caused by Militarism, Imperialism, Nationalism, and the alliances all broke loose. Eventually war took place and lasted four years (1914-1918). All of this pressure of war began with the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ended with the Treaty of Versailles being signed in 1919. However, this was not the end of all wars, as many predicted. This sparked further tension that would result in another war, World War II. -
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World War I
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Sinking of the Lusitania.
Less than a year after the beginning of World War I (1914-1918), a German U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915. "More than 1,100 perished, including more than 120 Americans" (Lusitania). Prior to entry in the war, the US was determined to stay neutral, however, the Sinking of Lusitania irritated the US and also created tension to the opposing nations of Germany. The Sinking of Lusitania played a significant role in further strain between nations and the involvement of the US in the war. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Note was the secret communication between Germany and Mexico. In the note it stated that the "the Germans would provide military and financial support for a Mexican attack on the United States, and in exchange Mexico would be free to annex “lost territory in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona”(Andrews). Later when the US received the decoded Zimmerman note, President Woodrow Wilson was outraged, and declared war. The Zimmerman Telegram was another factor to the involvement of the US. -
Germany's Resumption of Unrestricted Submarine Welfare
In the early 1915, unrestricted submarine warfare was introduced "...when Germany declared the area around the British Isles a war zone, in which all merchant ships, including those from neutral countries, would be attacked by the German navy" (Germany Resumes). This caused a commotion because the Lusitania was a British passenger ship, yet it was destroyed at sea. President Wilson sent out a worded note to end these attacks, but he only received more aggressive behavior from the German army. -
US Entry Into The War
Events leading up to the entry of the war, such as the Sinking of Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram, created tension between Germany and the US. This tension only had a certain tolerance and on April 2, 1917, President Wilson asked congress the permission to enter the war. "Four days later, Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of a war declaration"(Woodrow Wilson Asks). Over 500,000 men were sent to war and provided a significant fighting force to the Allies. -
The Impact of The War
World War I impacted all nations in political, economic, and social revisions. The US came into the war with little preparations, but "emerged from the war as a world military and industrial leader"(Effects of WW1). The war ended in 1918, but it left much debt and damage, including in the US. The Allied troops put together a peace treaty with Germany, known as the Treaty of Versailles, that happened later after the war. Several years were needed to recover from the damages of the war. -
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World War I Impact
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Treaty of Versailles
World War I was officially at an end when the Treaty of Versailles was signed. The Treaty of Versailles was an agreement set up by the Allied troops to establish guidelines between the French, British, Americans and Germans. The Allied troops hoped that it would prevent future wars and make Germany pay for the damages done during World War I. Germany lost land and also had strict regulations placed on it, this would create tension leading up to World War II. -
Dawes Plan & Young Plan
The Dawes Plan and Young Plan were renegotiations to Germany's damage payments to other nations. These plans "provided short-term economic benefits to the German economy and softened the burdens of war reparations" (Dawes Plan). The Dawes Plan was first put in to act, but later was replaced with the Young Plan because it was considered unworkable. These plans included things such as the availability of loans and the evacuation of foreign troops, which the US used to seize as an opportunity. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression (1929-1939) was one of the most difficult events in US history. It "was the deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world" (The Great Depression). On October 27,1929, the stock market crashed which sent the nation into panic. Investments and consumer spending decreased. People were in great alarm because almost half of the banks failed. The Great Depression left people unemployed with no money and no certainty for recovery. -
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The Great Depression
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Rise of Hitler
Adolf Hitler was a German politician that rose to power and was the leader of the Nazi Party. Hitler's final decision, also known as the Holocaust, triggered all nations to the second Great War. "The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators" (Introduction to the Holocaust). This slaughter to the Jewish triggered the nations into ending the Holocaust through War, including the US.
