Unit: World War I Topic: Short-Term Cause of WWI.

Unit: World War ITopic:

Short-Term Cause of WWI

1. Europe, 1914

A. England, France and other European countries did not trust or like Germany.

B. Germany was gaining strength and industrializing rapidly; nobody wanted Germany to start taking over land.

C. All the secret alliance systems were in effect and all the countries had giant, powerful militaries.

D. The Balkans is referred to as a “powder keg” because of all the turmoil caused by AH taking Bosnia away from Serbia.

2. The Visit

A. AH’s heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was to visit Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, on June 28, 1914.

B. The Black Hand, a Serbian terrorist group, vowed death to Franz!

3. The Assassinatio

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A telegram from Franz to his daughter, June 28 A.M.

“Mama and I are very well…We gave a large dinner party yesterday and this morning there is a big reception in Sarajevo…Another large dinner party after that and then we are leaving… Dearest love to you all, Papa.”

There had been a FIRST assassination attempt on Franz Ferdinand’s life on the morning of June 28; several men threw homemade bombs at the motorcade, but did not succeed in injuring the Archduke!

A. On June 28, 1914, as the Archduke’s motorcade proceeded through Sarajevo, Gavrilo Princip fired two shots to kill Franz and his wife, Sophie.

“Sophie, Sophie, don’t die. Stay alive for the children!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCTIaiiGB4o

4. The Fallout

A. AH blamed Serbia, and wanted it punished.

B. AH sent Serbia a list of ultimatums (the July Ultimatum) if it wanted to avoid war; Serbia agreed to most, but not all, the demands.

C. This gave AH an excuse to declare war on Serbia!

Alliance Systems Activate! Serbia went to Russia

for help; Russia (secretly) promised to go to war if Serbia was attacked.

AH declared war on Serbia.

Russia declared war on AH.

Germany declared war on Russia.

Germany declared war on France.

England declared war on Germany.

France declared war on Germany.

D. World War I began in early August, 1914; the assassination was the spark that lit the “powder keg!”

British diplomat Edward Grey

“The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”

What does this mean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=cEa7Xseq4rc