2. The World of 1914
Militarism:
The idea that waging war, or
threatening to wage war, is
justifiable foreign policy
Examples:
Britain’s Navy wants to rule the
waves
-Two Power Standard
-Dreadnoughts (Battleships)
-“Arms Race” with Germany
5. Alliances:
A justifiable defensive strategy
Triple Entente Triple Alliance
Britain Germany
France Austria-Hungary
Russia Italy
Later will be called “Allies”
(and the U.S. will join)
Later will be called the “Central
Powers” & Italy will turn their back
on them
6. 1871: Alsace Lorraine
Annexed by
Germany
-Germany wins the Franco-Prussian
(German)War
-Germany takes France’s territory,
the Alsace-Lorraine
-France wants this territory back!
8. 1907: Triple Entente Formed
Great Britain, France and Russian
form an Alliance
Purpose: worried about Germany’s
increasing strength (and strength of
the Triple Alliance)
9. 1908: Austria annexed the
Ottoman
Empire’s province of Bosnia
Austria-Hungary, in a search of more
territory,
annexed Bosnia
Caused more territories in the Balkans
to want
their own independence
10. The World of 1914
Imperialism:
Believing that having an Empire with colonies is a
justifiable economic policy
Example:
-Britain became a very rich nation from its Empire
- An empire in which “The Sun Never Set”
- India, the crown jewel
- Slaves and raw resources from Africa
- Cash crops in the Caribbean (Americas, “West
Indies”
11.
12.
13. Example:
“The Scramble for Africa”
- In 1870, 10% of Africa was under European control
-By 1914, 90% of Africa was under European control
-Boer War: British in South Africa
-Mahdist War: British in Sudan
-The Congo: Belgians killed approx. 8 million (50% of
population) in 20 years
15. The World of 1914
Nationalism:
Think Patriotism… A justifiable Pride
1)You are an ethnic minority living under the rule of
someone else
Ex., Slavs, Serbs, Polish living within the A-H Empire
Ex., Arabs, Persians living under the Ottoman
Empire
2) My country is just so AWESOME
-> Nation = Identity
16. “One constant among
the elements of 1914—as
of any era—was the
disposition of everyone
on all sides not to
prepare for the harder
alternative, not to act
upon what they
suspected to be true.”
― Barbara W. Tuchman,
The Guns of August
The World of 1914…
… thought war would be glorious and quick
17. June 28, 1914: The Spark
Gavrilo Princip (Serb) assassinates Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, heir to A-H Empire
18. July 28, 1914: Austria-Hungary
invades Serbia
-Russia mobilizes in its defence
-Germany declares war on Russia
and France
-Germany invades France through
Belgium
-Britain defends Belgium and
France
19. 28 July 1914 -11 November 1918
Approx 10 million military dead
Approx 23 million wounded
Approx 7 million civilians dead
= 1.58 – 1.87% of world population
