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Marching Toward War
Introduction
Efforts to outlaw war and achieve a
permanent peace had been gaining
momentum in Europe since the middle of
the 19th century.
 Some Europeans believed that progress
had made war a thing of the past.
 Yet in little more than a decade, a massive
war would spread across the globe.

Rising Tensions in Europe
 Below
the surface of peace and
goodwill, Europe witnessed several
gradual developments that would
ultimately help propel the continent
into war.
The Rise of Nationalism
The growth of nationalism—deep
devotion to one’s nation—caused intense
competition among the Great Powers:
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain,
Russia, Italy, and France.
 The Great Powers competed for markets
and territory.
 Intense nationalism in the nations of the
Balkans led to demands for independence
among Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians, and
others.

Imperialism and Militarism
Imperialism, and the quest for colonies
sometimes pushed European nations to
the brink of war and intensified the sense
of rivalry and mistrust.
 The nations of Europe took pride in having
strong militaries and being prepared for
war. This led to a dangerous arms race.
 Glorifying military power is called
militarism.

Tangled Alliances
 Growing
rivalries and mutual
mistrust had led to the creation of
several military alliances among
the Great Powers as early as the
1870s. This alliance system had been
designed to keep peace in Europe.
But it would instead help push the
continent into war.
Bismarck Forges Early Pacts
Between 1864 and 1871, Prussia’s bloodand-iron chancellor, Otto von Bismarck,
freely used war to unify Germany.
 Bismarck saw France as the greatest
threat to peace.
 His goal was to isolate France and leave it
without allies.
 In 1879, Bismarck formed the Dual
Alliance between Germany and AustriaHungary.
 In 1881, Italy joined this alliance forming
the Triple Alliance.

Triple Alliance (1881)
Shifting Alliances Threaten Peace
In 1890, Germany’s foreign policy
changed dramatically. That year, Kaiser
Wilhelm II—ruler of Germany—forced
Bismarck to resign.
 Wilhelm let his nation’s treaty with
Russia lapse in 1890.
 Russia formed a military alliance with
France in 1892 and 1894. Such an
alliance had been Bismarck’s fear.


Picture of Kaiser
Wilhelm II
Military Alliances
Before World War I
Shifting Alliances Threaten Peace
(continued)
Kaiser Wilhelm II starts a shipbuilding
program to make the German navy equal
to the British fleet.
 Alarmed by this, England forms the Triple
Entente with France and Russia.
 Therefore, there are two rival camps in
Europe: the Triple Alliance and the
Triple Entente.

Crisis in the Balkans

This mountainous
peninsula in the
southeastern corner of
Europe was home to
an assortment of
ethnic groups. With a
long history of
nationalist uprisings
and ethnic clashes,
the Balkans was
known as the
“powder keg” of
Europe.
A Restless Region
By the early 1900s the Ottoman Turks had
declined and the peoples of the Balkans
had formed new nations: Bulgaria,
Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and
Serbia.
 Serbia had a large Slavic population and
was supported by Russia.
 In 1908, Austria annexed Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Serbian leaders were
outraged and tensions between the two
nations rose.

A Shot Rings Throughout Europe

On June 28, 1914
the heir to the
throne of Austria,
Archduke Franz
Ferdinand and his
wife Sophie, paid
a visit to Sarajevo,
the capital of
Bosnia. Foolishly,
they were riding in
an open car.
Assassination and Ultimatum

The couple was
shot by 19-yearold Gavrilo
Princip (right), a
Serbian nationalist
member of the
terrorist
organization Black
Hand.
Location of Assassination
Historical Marker
Ultimatum
 Austria
delivers an ultimatum to
Serbia with numerous demands on
July 23, 1914. Serbia agreed to most
of the demands trying to avoid war.
Historical Artifact

The blood stained
uniform of
Archduke Franz
Ferdinand
The War Begins
 July
28, 1914: Austria rejects
Serbia’s offer of most of the
demands and declared war on
Serbia.
 Russia, the protector of Serbia,
mobilizes its forces toward the
Austrian border.