Causes of WWI

Causes of WWI - MANIA

• Militarism
• Alliances
• Nationalism
• Imperialism
• Assassination
 Militarism
• When a nation’s armed forces come to
dominate a country’s national policy
• It is also a glorification of the military and war
itself

1910-1914 Increase in Defense

Expenditures
France 10%
Britain 13%
Russia 39%
Germany 73%
 Alliances
• Signed treaties in which each nation
involved pledges to defend the other if
attacked by an aggressor
• Basically, countries agreed to help each
other
 Alliances
Triple Entente: Triple Alliance:
Great Britain Germany

France Austria-Hungary

Russia Italy
 Nationalism
• Pride and patriotism in one’s nation
• In terms of WWI, nationalism became
aggressive and subsequently (because of
this) a major cause of international tension
• Independent nations desired dominance
and prestige and as these powers tried to
dominate each other in Europe, their
rivalries may be regarded as one of the
causes of the First World War
 Imperialism
• Domination by one country over the
political, economic, or cultural life of
another country or region
• Due to the Industrial Revolution of the
1800s, some European nations had a
large portion of the world under their
control
 Imperialism and Colonial Rivalries
• After 1870, the European nations began to
acquire colonies in Asia, Africa and the Pacific
• Colonial rivalry led to:
– strained relations among the European powers. In
Africa, all the European powers except Austria and
Russia had colonies there. Thus there were many
clashes among France, Britain, Germany and Italy.
– the formation and strengthening of alliances and
ententes. (indirectly)
– an intensification of the arms race.
– much hostility among the powers.
 Assassination
• The “spark” that started WWI
• On June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz
Ferdinand, heir to the Austria Hungarian
Throne was assassinated by Gavrilo
Princip, a Serbian nationalist who believed
that Bosnia should belong to Serbia
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie at
Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914
 The Point of No Return
• Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s
death and declared war on Serbia.

• Germany pledged their support for Austria

-Hungary.

• Russia pledged their support for Serbia.

• Germany declares war on Russia

• France pledges their support for Russia

• Germany declares war on France

• Germany invades Belgium on the way to

France

• Great Britain supports Belgium and

declares war on Germany
Allied Powers: Central Powers:
Great Britain Germany

France Austria-Hungary
World
World War
War II

Russia Ottoman Empire

Italy
 Sources
• http://www.thecorner.org/hist/wwi/colonial.htm
• http://www.mrberlin.com/8th/WWI/World_War_I_
causes.ppt
• http://www.msroachesplace.com/causes1.ppt