What caused World War 1 ?

http://www.painesville-township.k12.oh.us/userfiles/1139/Classes/6285/major%20causes%20of%20wwi-0.pdf

Prerequisite knowledge:

The "Triple Alliance" (the countries in Red) were Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary.

The Triple Entente (the countries in Green )were Britain, France and Russia.

Look up the definition of Alliance on Google.

Look up the definition of Entente

Major Causes of World War I

One way to remember the FOUR main causes of World War I is to

remember the acronym M – A – I – N.

(M = Militarism, A = Alliances, I =Imperialism, and N = Nationalism.)

MILITARISM

remember the acronym M – A – I – N.

Militarism: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests

Militarism was one of the four major causes of the war. It was an

“arms race.” Because Britain had a large navy, Germany wanted a large

navy too. Germany and France competed to build larger armies. For reasons of prestige and self-defense, the more one nation built up its army and navy, the more other nations felt they had to do the same.

pres·tige (prĕ-stēzh′, -stēj′) n. 1. The level of respect at which a person or thing is regarded by others

ALLIANCES

remember the acronym M – A – I – N.

Did you ever hear of a smaller boy making friends with a bigger boy for protection in school?

Well countries also do the same. This is was is known as an alliance.

Can an alliance in school lead to a negative outcome?

Alliance:

a union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries.

For twenty years, the nations of Europe had been making

alliances. It was thought the alliances would promote peace. Each country

would be protected by others in case of war, making it foolish for one

country to wage war on another. The danger of these alliances was that an

argument between two countries could draw all the other nations allied with

them into a fight. This is just what happened when a conflict between

Austria-Hungary and Serbia led to World War I.

Can you find Serbia on the Map?

Here are some of the alliances of Nations in World War I (look at the map below).

Germany was friends with Austria-Hungary. Russia was friends with Serbia.

Russia was also friends with France

What do you think happened when Serbia started fighting with Austria-Hungary?

IMPERIALISM

remember the acronym M – A – I – N.

Imperialism is a type of government that seeks to increase its size, either by forcing (through war) or influencing (through politics) other countries to submit to their rule.

Example of Imperialism : The Roman Empire grew to be so vast because they invaded, conquered, and developed everywhere they could.

Map below shows Historical Map of Imperialism by different Empires namely: Russian Empire(white),Ottoman Empire(orange) ,The French Empire(blue) and the British Empire(red)

What's happening in picture below?

Another cause of World War I was that European

nations ruled smaller countries, called colonies, and competed with each

other to amass more colonies. Gathering colonies is known as IMPERIALISM.

The purpose of imperialism was and is to build up national wealth and

influence by owning colonies. Both France and Britain had many colonies in

Africa and Asia. In the 1880s and 1890s, Germany and Italy decided they

wanted a colonial empire too. This global competition for land caused

confrontations and conflicts in many places. For example, Great Britain

almost went to war with France and the United States during the 1880s over colonies.

.

NATIONALISM

remember the acronym M – A – I – N.

: a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countriescountries

In addition to political conflicts, the causes of the war

included such forces as nationalism, or pride in one’s country. The belief that

one’s own nation or culture is superior to all others, nationalism led

European nations to compete to build the largest army and navy. It also

gave groups of subject peoples the idea of forming independent nations of

their own. Serbians, Czechs, Slovaks, Bosnians and many other peoples

living under the rule of the Ottoman or Austro-Hungarian Empires wanted

freedom from “foreign” rule.

TASK: Use Google images to google: Nationalism

Question #1 Do you think Nationalism can lead to fighting between two Countries?

Question#2: Was there excessive Nationalism after the September 11 attacks? (that led America being involved with a war in Iraq)

1. Why was the system of alliances in Europe before the First

World War a threat to peace?

A. because a country could go bankrupt supporting its allies

B. because the belief that one’s own nation was superior to all

others could lead nations to believe they could – or should –

conquer “inferior” peoples

C. because an attack on one country could lead to that country’s

allies becoming involved in the conflict

D. because peace can never be guaranteed

2. What is the BEST definition of nationalism?

A. the belief that one’s own nation is superior to all others.

B. the conviction that “might makes right”

C. the acquisition of colonies

D. a commitment to peace

3. Why was imperialism a threat to peace?

A. because it always involved the military conquest of other

countries

B. because peace is always “fragile”

C. because people in the 19th century did not place a high value on

human life

D. competition for colonies brought nations into conflict in many

different locations

4. What was the Triple Entente?

A. an alliance between Serbia, Austria-Hungary, and Great Britain

B. an alliance between Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary

C. an alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia

D. an alliance between Great Britain, the United States, and France

TASK #1

DO A GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH OF : MAP OF WORLD WAR 1

PICK A MAP THAT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND THE NATIONS INVOLVED

TASK#2

Image search on GOOGLE: WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF WORLD WAR 1

What Was World War I?

World War I was an extremely bloody war that engulfed Europe from 1914 to 1919, with huge loss of life due to M.A.I.N.

What is M.A.I.N.?

THE BLACK AREA IN THE MAP BELOW SHOWS BRITISH imperialistic RULE IN 1914.

WHAT COUNTRIES CAN YOU IDENTIFY IN BLACK IN THE MAP?

NOTE THAT INDIA, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA WERE ALL UNDER BRITISH CONTROL IN 1914.

THIS IS WHY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SPREAD TO COUNTRIES LIKE INDIA.

Map of LOCATION OF TRENCHES.

The blue dotted line is the French Army, the Red line is the German Army

World War I is known for the extensive system of trenches from which men of both sides fought.

Trench Warfare

Much of the war along the western front was fought using trench warfare. Both sides dug long lines of trenches that helped to protect the soldiers from gunfire and artillery. The area between enemy trenches was called No Man's Land. Trench warfare caused a stalemate between the two sides for many years. Neither side gained ground, but both sides lost millions of soldiers

Trench Warfare trench

WHAT COUNTRIES ARE IN RED BELOW?

WHAT COUNTRIES ARE IN BLUE BELOW?

WHERE WAS THE FIGHTING OF WORLD WAR 1 HAPPENING?

LOOK AT CIRCLES BELOW.