World War I
Causes of the War: MAIN
1890 Germany, Bismark dismissed, Kaiser Wilhelm II
Alliance System: Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary & Italy) vs. Triple Entente (Britain, France & Russia). Germany was a powerhouse of industry, science, and military. Wilhelm saw Germany as a great nation still rising, wanted to increase navy
Imperialism: Germany wanted to increase colonies along with other European powers. Result was an unstable Europe with Germany at the centre.
Militarism: German navy increased, Britain’s increased, larger military spending… created a Security Dilemma.
Nationalism: Modern trend of nationalism, encouraged by many political leaders, led to instability & anti-others sentiments.
Schlieffen Plan (1905): German plan to attack France and avoid a two front war. Speed through rail transport was key, knock out France, then attack a slow to mobilize Russia. Inspired confidence among many Germans. War was seen as a way to protect honour & pride. Yet, death rates with new technology was increasing exponentially. 600 000 that died during American Civil War (1861-65) should have been a warning. Still people were emotional and patriotic looking forward to adventure in glorious war.
Peace & Co-operation: Many were looking for peace. Alfred Nobel (inventor of dynamite) started his yearly peace prize. Andrew Carnegie started Endowment for International Peace. Initially, Socialists fought for peace. Also, crowned heads of England, Germany and Russia were related… realism was beating out idealism of international co-operation. WWI was seen as the ‘people’s war”, most thought it would be over by Christmas.
Outbreak of War: Decay of Ottoman Empire created instability in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary tried to create a multinational empire in a time of nationalism, unsuccessful. Serbians (Slavs) turned to Russia, creating great tension. June 28^th, 1914… Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria assassinated in Sarajevo. Events unfolded and on August 4^th, Germany invaded Belgium and WWI began.
The July Crisis: Last days of Peace are often studied and interpreted. But Britain stood behind Belgium, and with all the complex alliances, the world was at war.
Beginning of War: Germany marched to within 35 miles of Paris, then stopped in Battle of the Marne. French countered and the Western Front was created. Germany knew it now had a two-front war, Russia attacked, and the Eastern Front was created. Russia was huge but very poorly equipped. Battle in Western Front created a huge 725 kilometre front of trenches, barbed wire… a battle of attrition. Became a battle of inches with hundreds of thousands being massacred.

Legacy: West & the World
Chapter 10 The War to End War: World War I, 1914-1919

The Consequences of War
See chart on p.401.. shows extremity of casualties listed by country. Many saw Versailles as the seeds planted for WWII. Wilson tried to build a League of Nations to build and maintain peace. Yet, many Americans were not interested in staying in Europe. In great part, many victor nations did not stick around to enforce the peace… opening the door for WWII.

The Results of War
- communist revolution, fascist revolution, evolution in military technology. Many historians call the first half of the century a period of war, with brief periods of peace.