2. Section 1: Marching Towards
War
• Main Idea: In Europe, military buildup,
nationalistic feelings, and rival alliances, set
the stage for a continental war
• Why it matters now? Ethnic conflict in the
Balkan region, which helped start the war,
continued to erupt in that area in the 1990s
• Setting the Stage: Congress of Vienna (1815),
Industrialization, Nationalism
3. • 1 = a devotion to the
interests and culture of one nation
– Many feared Germany’s growing
power in Europe
– Many nations longed to be
independent
– Ethnic groups looked to larger
nations for protection
• Ex: Russia was the protector of
Europe’s Slavic peoples. Serbia was an
independent nation but millions of
ethnic Serbs were under rule of
Austria-Hungary
• Result: Russia and Austria-Hungary
were rivals over influence in Serbia
Rising Tensions in Europe
4. • Imperialism= large
empires extending their
economic, military or
political power over
others
• As Germany industrialized,
it competed with France
and Britain in the contest
for colonies (to get raw
materials and find market
for their goods)
Rising Tensions in Europe
5. • Militarism= development of
armed forces and their use as a
tool of diplomacy
• Each nation wanted a stronger
armed forced than those of any
potential enemy
– In Europe, Germany, had the
strongest military
– Britain had the strongest navy in
the world (island nation)
• Naval Race: Germany wanted to
be as strong as British with their
navy. France, Italy, Japan and the
U.S. quickly joined the naval arm
race
Rising Tensions in Europe
6. • Bismarck- united Germany,
turned energy towards
maintaining peace in
Europe
• Biggest threat= France
– Why? Results over Franco-
Prussian War
– Plan Isolate France, no
allies
– Result Formed alliance
with Austria-Hungary, later
Italy joined (Triple Alliance)
Tangled Alliances
7. • Kaiser Wilhelm II
– Fired Bismarck
– Let treaty with Russia
lapse (Russia then joined
with France)
– Shipbuilding program to
compete with Britain
– Results Britain formed
an alliance (entente)
with France and Russia
Tangled Alliances
8. • Alliance System=
Nations joining
together to form a pact
to protect and defend
each other
• Triple Entente (Allies)=
France, Britain and
Russia
• Triple Alliance=
Germany, Austria-
Hungary, and Italy (aka
Central Powers))
Tangled Alliances
9. The SPARK!!!
• Where: Balkan Peninsula,
aka “powder keg of Europe”
• Why there?
• Russia wanted a route to
Mediterranean Sea
• Germany wanted a link to the
Ottoman Empire
• Austria-Hungary was angry at
Serbia stepping over them and
trying to rule Bosnia (which A-H
had taken over)
Powder Keg was ready to
EXPLODE!
Crisis in the Balkans
11. The Assassination that Led to a War
• 1914, Archduke Franz
Ferdinand, heir to the
Austrian throne, and his
wife were shot while visiting
Bosnia (Remember: Austria
had power over Bosnia, but
Serbia was stepping on their
toes)
• Who killed him? Gavrilo
Princip, a Serbian nationalist
• Austria-Hungary declared
war with Serbia, but it was
expected to be a very short
war
Crisis in the Balkans
12. Section 2: Europe Plunges into
War
• Main Idea: One European nation after
another was drawn into a large and
industrialized war that resulted in many
casualties
• Why it matters now? Much of the technology
of modern warfare, such as fighter planes and
tanks, was introduced in WW1
• Setting the Stage: 1914, Europe divided (Triple
Entente vs. Triple Alliance)
13. • Alliance System brought many into the war
– Germany, obligated by a treaty with Austria-Hungary,
declared war on Russia
– Germany then declares war on Russia’s ally France
– After Germany invaded Belgium, Britain declared war on
Germany and Austria-Hungary
The Great War Begins
CENTRAL POWERS=
• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Bulgaria
• Ottoman Empire
• Italy (beginning)
vs
ALLIED POWERS=
• Great Britain
• France
• Russia (Serbia)
• Japan
• Italy (end)
• United States (end)
15. The Conflict Grinds Away
• Schlieffen Plan= German
developed plan to avoid
fighting a two front war
– Plan
• 1. Attack and defeat France in the
west, then…
• 2. Rush to fight the Russians in the
east
Why they thought it would work?
• Russia lagged behind in its railroad
system and would take longer to
supply to the front lines
A Bloody Stalemate
17. • Early on…
– Germany attacked France quick
and almost took Paris
– The Allies regrouped outside of
Paris and put almost every
available solider into battle
• In the end…
– Battle of the Marne went to the
Allies
– Germans could not fulfill their
Schlieffen Plan
A Bloody Stalemate
18. Trench Warfare
• Between the trenches= “no
man’s land”
• 3 kinds of trenches
– Front line trench
– Support trench
– Enemy trench
– Dugouts were made as
officers’ quarters and
command posts
A Bloody Stalemate
30. New Weapons
• First large scale use of
weapons
– Machine gun
– Tanks
– Airplane (first used for
scouting, then for early
air combats, by the
end of the war planes
could carry heavy
bombs loads)
– Poison gas & gas
masks
– Observation balloons
A Bloody Stalemate
31. Eastern Front
• Eastern Front=Battlefield along the German
and Russian border, more mobile than the
western front
Battle on the Eastern Front
32. Early Fighting
• 1. Russia Germany
– 4 day battle (Tannenberg)
– Result- Russia lost 30,000 soldiers, retreated
• 2. Russia Austria-Hungary
– Russians defeated the Austrians twice
– Eventually Austria-Hungary pushed them
out of their country
Battle on the Eastern Front
33. Russia Struggles
• By 1916, Russia’s war efforts were collapsing
• Cons:
– Russia had not become industrialized yet
– Army continually short on food, guns,
ammunition, clothes, boots, blankets
– Allies were blocked from supplying Russia by
Germany & the Ottoman’s control of the seas
• Pro:
– Russian population
A Bloody Stalemate
34. Research Activity: WW1
• Fold a blank piece of paper into 4 boxes
• Label the boxes
• As you watch the clips or read the articles, take notes.
There will be an open note quiz.
Who started
WW1
How WW1
started?
Why
trenches?
What were
trenches like?
Battle of
Marne
Technology
Advances
WW1 Soldier QUIZ
Front Back
Editor's Notes
Named after its designer, General Alfred Graf von Schlieffen
How long where the trenches on the Western Front?
Why Trenches? (Too dangerous above ground,
