Why did the Great War start? Flashcards
What do the letters in the word MANIA stand for?
Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, and Assassination.
What was Militarism in WW1?
People took great pride in their armies and navies. To make sure they had the finest armies, countries spent more and more money on bigger and bigger armies. To many, there was no point in having a big, expensive army if you weren’t going to use it.
What was The Alliances in WW1?
Triple Entente: In 1907 Britain, France and Russia signed the Triple Entente.
Triple Alliance: In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy signed the Triple Alliance.
It would only take a small disagreement between any two nations involved and all of Europe would be dragged into war.
What was Nationalism in WW1?
At the beginning of the 20th century, people started to take great pride in their countries. They thought their nation was superior to others. Unfortunately, for European leaders, the best way to prove they were the best was to have a war with their rivals.
What was Imperialism in WW1?
Imperialism is the claiming of another territory as one’s own. The race to gain control of other nations, particularly Africa, led to tension and fierce rivalries among European countries.
Who was the German leader at the time?
Kaiser Wilhelm
Why did Britain join the war? (includes knowledge about Assassination of Ferdinand)
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was shot and killed by a Serbian man who thought Serbia should control Bosnia instead of Austria.
Because its leader had been shot, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. As a result:
Russia got involved because Russia had an alliance with Serbia.
Germany then declared war on Russia because Germany had an alliance with Austria-Hungary.
Britain declared war on Germany because of its invasion of neutral Belgium. Britain had agreements to protect both Belgium and France.
