Europe Explodes into War. Tensions among nations were threatening the peace of Europe.

CHAPTER 23, SECTION 1Europe Explodes into War

Tensions among nations were threatening the peace of Europe

Tensions in Europe3 Sources of Tension1. Nationalism Nationalism fueled much of the

tensions Nationalists called for freedom and

self government People with a certain language

and culture sought to throw off foreign rule and form their own countries

3 Sources of Tension

Nationalism called for unity but it also set nation against nation Created mistrust Hatred Bitter rivalries (like between France

and Germany) Eastern Europe nationalism

deepened hostility between Austria –Hungry and Russia

3 Sources of Tension

2. Imperialism 1870-1914 Britain, France, Germany,

Italy, and Russia scrambled for colonies in Africa, Asia, and the pacific.

Seeking raw materials, new markets Competition for power in the same

regions led to wars

3 Sources of Tension

3. Militarism: the policy of building up strong forces to prepare for war

European nations expanded their armies and navies

Germany expanded its naval power so Britain strengthened its’ naval power

Rival Alliances

Triple Alliance: organized by Germany to protect itself and isolate France Germany, Austria-Hungry, and Italy

Triple Entente: Organized by France in response to the Triple Alliance France, Russia, and Britain

Rival Alliances

Allies agreed to support each other in case of an attack

A crisis involving one member involved that nation’s allies A minor incident could spark a major

war

The Balkans in Crisis

The Balkans in Crisis

Nationalism had caused turmoil in the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe

Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia battled for territory

Nationalist groups sought freedom from Austria-Hungry

The fatal shots

June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand heir to the Austrian-Hungry throne visited Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia (part of Austria-Hungry)

Black Hand: terrorist group who wanted Bosnia to break away from Austria-Hungry and join Serbia

Gavrilo Princip shot and killed the archduke and his wife

Assassination of Archduke Franz FerdinandArchduke Franz Ferdinand

Gavrilo Princip

Alliance leads to war

Austrian-Hungry accused the Serbian government of orchestrating the murder of Ferdinand

Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia

Russia moved to protect Serbia Ordered its forces to mobilize:

prepare for war

Alliance leads to war

Germany asked Russia to cancel the order to mobilize

Russia does not reply Germany declared war on Russia Germany declared war on France (Russia’s

ally) Germany marches through neutral Belgium

on their way to France Long before Britain had promised to defend

Belgium Britain declared war on Germany

Alliance leads to war

What had begun as a local crisis in Bosnia exploded in to a major war

The “Great War” Begins

Central Powers Germany Austria-Hungry Ottoman Empire

Allied Powers France Britain Russia In time, 21 other

countries

The Germans Advance German generals had long before

drawn up a plan for fighting both France and Russia

German easily overtook Brussels, the Belgium capital on their way to France

Germans enter France Battle of the Marne

British and French troops slowed the German advance

Ended the German hopes for a speedy victory in the West

Trench warfare

Stalemate: neither side is strong enough to defeat the other

3 years armies fought huge battles but no one gained much territory

Both sides dug a maze of trenches protected by mines and surrounded by barbed wire

Men spent weeks in muddy rat infested ditches

Trench warfare

Trench warfare: soldiers spent day after day shelling the enemy

Then officers would order men over the top resulting in many deaths with little gain of new territory

Trench Warfare World War I

Trench Warfare

Trench warfare

Battle of Verdun: 1916, lasted ten months

German lost some 400,000 men trying to overrun French lines

French lost even more

Losses on the eastern Front Trench warfare and stalemate

brought large death tolls on the Eastern front as well

Germany and Austria-Hungry faces off against Russia and Serbia

Mid 1916 Russians lost over one million soldiers

Neither side could win a decisive victory

American Neutrality

American and President Woodrow Wilson were determined to stay neutral

Divided Opinion

Most Americans favored the Allies Longstanding ties to Britain spoke the dame language and

shared traditions) U.S. and France had been allies in

the American Revolution

Divided Opinion

Ties to the Central Powers about 8 million Americans were of

German or Austrian descent Million of Irish Americans hated

Britain which had ruled Ireland for centuries

American Jews favored Germany against Russia

Fled persecution in Russia

Impact of the war

The economy boomed Allies and Central Powers needed

food, weapons, oil, steel, and other goods

Americans traded 7 times more with the Allies

Americans were not truly neutral

Impact of the war

Propaganda: the spreading of ideas or beliefs that help a particular cause and hurt an opposing cause

Both sides conducted propaganda war in the U.S.

Freedom of the Seas

U.S. argued that as a neutral nation it had the right o trade with either side

Britain blockaded German ports Germany set up a blockade around

Britain

Submarine warfare

German U-boats attacked any ship that entered or left Britain ports

Germany warned the U.S. and other neutral nations to keep their ships out of the blockade zone

President Wilson vowed to hold Germany responsible if its submarines caused Americans to die or lose property

Sinking of the Lusitania

German ignored Wilson’s threat German submarine torpedoed the

Lusitania, a British passenger ship killing 125 Americans

Germany did not war with the U.S. and later apologized agreeing to stop attacking neutral ships without warning