WW1 Causes

Question 1

What is Militarism and how did it cause WW1

Answer 1

• It is a belief that a country should have and keep building a military.
• Britain and Germany were having an arms and naval race between 1898 and 1912.
• Prior to the war, all countries in the main alliances ramped up their spending

Question 2

What are alliances and how do they cause WWI?

Answer 2

• Alliances are unions between two countries that give them mutual benefits
• The Triple Alliance was signed in 1882 and consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
• The Triple Entente was signed in 1907 and consisted of Russia, Britain and France.
• After the shooting of Franz Ferdinand, the alliance system came into play creating a domino effect of tension.

Question 3

What is imperialism and how did it cause WWI?

Answer 3

• Imperialism is a policy of extending a countries power through land - usually through an empire or colony.
• Many countries within alliances had been formed for some time and had large amounts of land. Britain, for example, was one of the biggest empires in history.
• Germany, on the other hand, only formed in 1871 and so it had less time to gather an empire.
• Kaiser Wilhelm wanted ‘a place in the sun’ meaning land in Africa where important and valuable resources were.

Question 4

What is nationalism and how does it cause WWI?

Answer 4

• Nationalism is a feeling of love or pride for ones own country. It is often a belief that it is superior to other countries.
• Countries, especially in the Balkans, wanted independence from Austria-Hungary and so there was tension in that area.
• Countries were also hugely nationalistic and believed their country was superior to others and were much more likely to go to war if their sovereignty was threatened.

Question 5

Who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

Answer 5

Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne

Question 6

How did Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s death play a role in the start of WWI?

Answer 6

On the 28th June, 1914, Franz Ferdinand was shot by a member of the Black Hand (a nationalist Serbian group that wanted independence for Bosnia) called Gavrilo Princip .

Austria-Hungary threatened war with Serbia and countries within both the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente began to get involved.