CAUSES OF WW1

MILITARISM

• In the years leading up to World War I, there was a great arms build up,
• The newly industrialized nations of Europe had a capacity to create more powerful weapons, in greater quantity.
• After 1907, there was an increase in military influence on policy making.
• This could be reflected particularly in Germany and Russia.
• 1914, the Russian generals were also able to force the Czar to accept full mobilization.
• They threatened him with the danger of defeat if he acted contrarily.

IMPERIALISM

• By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa.
• With the rise of industrialism countries needed new markets.
• The amount of lands 'owned' by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to acquire colonies late and only had small areas of Africa.

IMPERIALISM

• European nations divided much of Africa into colonies in order to obtain raw materials and sell goods.
• The European nations forced China to grant them to trading rights.
• England, France, Italy, Belgium, and Germany were busy carving up the rest the globe in a contest known as imperialism.

ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND

• assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in 1914.
• Two bullets fired on a Sarajevo street on a sunny June morning in 1914 set in motion a series of events that shaped the world we live in today
• WW1,WW2,CW, its conclusion all trace their origins to the gunshots that interrupted that summer day.

NATIONALISM

• National groups in Austria Hungary and the Ottoman Empire wanted their independence.
• European nations sought to regain lost territories and added land.

ALLIANCES

• Germany, Austria Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliances in 1882
• Great Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente in 1907.

DOMESTIC ISSUES

• It defused the near civil war situation in Ireland “The one bright spot in this hateful war” (Asquith).
• The crisis over income tax and the length of military service (France)
• The unpopularity of the Tsar (Russia).

MOROCCAN CRISIS

• In 1904 Morocco had been given to France by Britain, but the Moroccans wanted their independence.
• In 1905, Germany announced her support for Moroccan independence.
• War was narrowly avoided by a conference which allowed France to retain possession of Morocco.
• However, in 1911, the Germans were again protesting against French possession of Morocco.
• Britain supported France and Germany was persuaded to back down for part of French Congo.

BOSNIAN CRISIS

• In 1908, Austria-Hungary took over the former Turkish province of Bosnia.
• This angered Serbians who felt the province should be theirs.
• Serbia threatened Austria-Hungary with war, Russia, allied to Serbia, mobilized its forces.

BOSNIAN CRISIS

• War was avoided when Russia backed down
• There was, however, war in the Balkans between 1911 and 1912 when the Balkan states drove Turkey out of the area.
• The states then fought each other over which area should belong to which state
• Austria-Hungary then intervened and forced Serbia to give up some of its acquisitions.
• Tension between Serbia and Austria-Hungary was high.