The Causes of World War One

The Causes of World War One

Change in the weather

Causes of WWI

#1 Nationalism#2 Alliance System#3 Arms Race#4 Imperialism#5 Assassination of Archduke Franz

Ferdinand

#1 Nationalism: Rivalries Countries such as Britain, France and

Germany were growing and producing weapons.

Leaders were promoting strong nationalist messages i.e. “Germany is a superior country to all others.”

Family Rivalry

King George V (Britain), Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany) and Czar Nicholas II (Russia) were cousins.

Britain

A vast empire. A powerful navy. Saw themselves as the obvious

choice for leader of the world.

Germany

Believed that Britain was deliberately restricting its power and expansion.

They were basically surrounded and need room to grow.

The French

Life long rivals of the British. Had a very large Empire of their own. Had recently lost a war to Germany

(1870) and had to give up two of its provinces.

It vowed to get them back.

The Russians (Slavic)

Despite their massive size, Russia had failed to be taken seriously in world matters.

They were looking for an excuse to defend the Slavic people of Serbia from Austria-Hungary.

#2 Alliances

Triple Entente – Britain, France, Russia

Triple Alliance – Germany, Italy, Austria Hungary.

If one nation was attacked, the others would come to help. Designed to prevent war.

#3 Arms Race - Britain vs. Germany The British Navy was the most

powerful in the world. They developed the Dreadnought in

1905 (the most advance warship ever built).

Germany responded by building ships just like it.

Each tried to have the bigger fleet of Dreadnoughts.

#4 Imperialism

Germany was lacking colonies like Britain and France.

With most of the world spoken for, Germany’s only option was to take what it wanted.

The World of Empires

#5 The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Assignment – Read about the events surrounding the assassination and clearly explain how they lead to World War 1.

In addition, please answer the following question. “If the Duke had not been assassinated, would World War One have happened?” Please give a detailed explanation for your opinion.