M A N I A

An explanation of how World War I began . . .

•Militarism•Alliances•Nationalism•Imperialism•Assassination

Militarism

• The nations of Europe were concerned with protecting their colonies.

• The military and naval buildup made the nations of Europe anxious and nervous

Alliances• With the massive military buildups, the nations of

Europe sought ‘friends’ should war come

• The Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy

&

• The Triple Entente – Britain, France and Russia

The Alliance SystemThe Alliance System

Triple Entente:Triple Entente: Triple Alliance:Triple Alliance:

Nationalism• Nationalism – a strong

devotion to one’s national group or culture

• Europeans began to unify along cultural lines and sought to expand the extent of their control

• It was particularly tense in the Balkans

Imperialism

• European nations sought to build empires during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

• Germany, France, Britain and Russia in particular believed they could not afford to fall behind the others

Assassination• On June 28, 1914 the Archduke of Austria-Hungary,

Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Bosnia by a Serb named Gavrilo Princip

• Princip was a member of the nationalist group the Black Hand