World War I M.A.I.N Causes

Describe and define the four MAIN causes of WWI.

 Militarism: The theory of a government or people that a country should preserve the strength and capability of the military and should be open minded to the concept of using aggression to promote nationalist interests. Militarism lead to World War I because of the time due to strengthen a nations military in order to be ready for a major war.

Alliances: A union created to formulate mutual relationships. This lead to World War I because of the secret alliances created by the in-between countries. Austria-Hungary were alliances of Germany, and when they invaded Serbia, Germany decided to attack France, and invaded Belgium to finish their plans. This caused France and Russia to declare war against Germany. Britain was an alliance of Belgium, therefore they also declared war against Germany for the invasion of Belgium.

Imperialism: An extension of a country's dominance and influence through diplomacy or force. Before the war began the British Empire had great strength. Germany's determination to increase their economy was being interrupted by British policies of exclusion. 

Nationalism: Excessive pride for one's country. Countries built up their armies, added more weapons for more power, to show that they were better or deserved respect from the other countries. This made countries break from other countries or empires and become independent.

List, and define, and link to the start of the war.

What was the spark of war?

The spark that started World War I was the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. The assassination occurred on June 28, 1914 while Ferdinand was visiting the city of Sarajevo in the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Put in order, and explain, each of the following; include the date.

Lusitania: May 7, 1915

The British ocean liner was sunk on May 7, 1915, killing 1,198 out of the 1,959, 128 of which where Americans. The ocean liner was hit and sunk by the German U-boats. This enraged Americans, leading them to enter the war.

Sussex Pledge: May 4, 1916

The German government undertook the Sussex Pledge, saying that they would give warning before the sinking of a merchant an/or passenger ship to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.

Zimmerman Note: January 16, 1917

The Zimmerman Note was a secretive telegram sent to Mexico saying the they should enter the war in order to reclaim their loss land from the Mexican-American War, and that Germany would assist Mexico in the war.This disturbed the United States, causing anger towards Germany because they wanted to hurt the U.S, so they declared war on Germany.

Unrestricted Sub Warfare: February 1, 1917

Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare where submarines target and sink vessels. including freighters and tankers with no warning.

Unterwasser Boote Deutschland

                                                               U-Boats of Germany

                    

               In February of 1915, the German government proposed the idea of unrestricted submarine warfare as the solution to the problems circulation around World War I. The Germans devised a plan in order to sink merchant ships, instead of capturing them. A war zone around the British Isles was obtained by Germany, sinking any merchant ship that crossed. 50 ships were struck between the months of February and September, including the liner Lusitania. President Wilson feared the idea that America may enter the war, despite the lack of enough submarines, causing Wilson to protest against Germany. For a measured amount of time, Germany postponed their campaign.

                                      

             In February 1917, Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine war far took action against allied and neutral ships, those of the United States. German's minded the idea that their plan would eventually cause America to enter the war, and on the side decided that they could firstly starve off the British. In April, at the time America declared war, Britain was on the edge of expiration. Over 1000 merchant ships had been sunk and Britain was only weeks away before perishing from starvation. When escorted convoy came to mind, the amount of ship loss declined rapidly, and the route for supply between America and Britain began to motion.

 Source-http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/sub.htm