World War IWorld War I

Libertyville HSLibertyville HS

Long Range Causes of WWILong Range Causes of WWI

• Militarism– Glorifying military power– Large standing armies– Arms race (ex. battleships)– Quick mobilization

• Alliances– “Triple Entente”

• Great Britain, France, Russia

– Triple Alliance• Germany, Austro Hungary,

Ottoman Empire

Long Range Causes of WWILong Range Causes of WWI• Imperialism

– Quest for colonies brought conflict

• Nationalism– Intense love of country– Created competition – National rivalries

developed over territory (Russia vs. Austro Hungary; Germany v. France)

Short Term Cause of WWIShort Term Cause of WWI

• Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand– Heir to Austro-Hungary throne

– Serbs intensely nationalistic

– Gavrilo Princip (Black Hand)

– AH: declares war on Serbs

– Russia declares war on AH

– Triggers chain reaction of war declarations, due to alliances

– Map to show beginning of war

Mobilization & the “Race to the Mobilization & the “Race to the Sea”Sea”

• Germans strike first– Schlieffen Plan (1905)

• 2 front war• “Right Hook” through

Belgium• Hold Russians

– Later changes to plan• Weaken R. Hook• Strengthen defenses

• Schlieffen Plan fails

The “Race to The “Race to the Sea”the Sea”

• Series of flanking maneuvers tried by both Germans, French

• Led to creation of Front Lines (series of fortified positions)

Stalemate on the ContinentStalemate on the Continent

• Trench Warfare– Defensive lines– “No man’s land”– “Over the top”

• Horrors of modern war– Machine guns– Poison gas– Trench foot– Barbed Wire

““Over the Top”Over the Top”The Myth

The Reality

Machine GunsMachine Guns

Poison GasPoison Gas

Poison GasPoison GasCountry Fatal Non-fatal

Russia 50,000 400,000

Germany 10,000 190,000

France 8,000 182,000

UK 8,000 181,000

Austria-Hungary 3,000 97,000

USA 1,500 71,500

Italy 4,500 55,000

Totals 85,000 1,176,500

Trench footTrench foot

Trench footTrench foot

Barbed WireBarbed Wire

Barbed WireBarbed Wire