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History Term 2 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - primary source
        
        objects created or written at the time being investigated, for example, during an event or very soon after. Examples of primary sources include official documents, such as laws and treaties; personal documents, such as diaries and letters; photographs or films; and documentaries. These original, firsthand accounts are analysed by historians to answer questions about the past.
      - secondary source
        
        accounts about the past that were created after the time being investigated and which often use or refer to primary sources and present a particular interpretation. Examples of secondary sources include writings of historians, encyclopaedia entries, documentaries, history textbooks, films, illustrations, reconstructions and websites. Historians do not always agree on evidence, even when it is coming from the same source. They often have different opinions or points of view. This is why historians are constantly searching for new sources of evidence. They need to use a range of different sources to help them gain a more complete picture of the past.
- - - - militarism
        
        Militarism is the belief that all nations should build and maintain strong armed forces so that they are prepared to defend themselves against attack or promote their national interests. In the lead-up to World War I, many European countries competed with each other not only over the size of their empires, but also over the size of their armies. Between 1870 and 1914, military spending in many European countries increased on average by about 300 per cent. After 1871, all the major European nations except Britain also introduced conscription, which meant that all men over the age of 18 were forced to serve a minimum period in the armed forces such as the army or navy. By 1900, Britain had developed the largest and strongest navy in the world. It needed a navy of this size to administer and control its huge overseas empire. When Germany started to build up its own navy, Britain became suspicious. Germany and Britain began competing over who could build the most ‘Dreadnoughts’ – a very fast, powerful and heavily armoured battleship. By early 1914, even though the leaders of Europe were still talking of peace, they were clearly involved in an arms race and were preparing for war
    - - the alliance system
        
        One of the key factors that led to the outbreak of World War I was the alliance system. From the 1870s onwards, Europe’s leading nations grouped themselves into two alliances. Over time, these alliances became more formal and legally binding. In 1882, the Triple Alliance was formed between the countries of Germany, Austria–Hungary and Italy. In 1907, the Triple Entente was formed between the countries of Britain, France and Russia (see Source 2). Entente is a French word meaning an ‘understanding’ or ‘alliance’. By joining one of these alliances, each participating nation promised to provide military support if one of its members was attacked by a member of the opposing alliance. Ironically, one of the main goals of the alliance system was actually to prevent the outbreak of war. It was assumed that no single country would go to war against another if there was a risk that a small conflict between two nations could easily build into a large conflict between many countries. Unfortunately, the alliance system had the opposite effect and over time these alliances increased the tension between Triple Alliance and Triple Entente countries.
    - - imperialism
        
        Another factor that led to tensions between European countries in the lead-up to World War I was imperialism. Imperialism is a policy by which a country increases its power by gaining control over new territories to create an empire. This is usually carried out for financial and strategic reasons.European powers, such as Britain, Spain, France and Portugal had been building empires around the world since the 15th century. Since that time they had claimed new territories and colonised much of North and South America, Australia and parts of Asia. By the late 19th century, European nations were engaged in a new wave of imperialism. This time, they competed to be the first to claim new territories across Africa. Historians often refer to this period as the ‘scramble for Africa’.
    - - nationalism
        
        Nationalism was another important factor that contributed to the outbreak of war in 1914. Put simply, nationalism is a sense of pride in, and a love of, one’s nation. Nationalism grows out of an understanding of common goals and beliefs between the people of a nation – for example, a shared language, culture and history. In Europe, nationalism played an important role in the lead-up to World War I. Nationalism can either unite or divide the people of a nation or region. For example, feelings of nationalism contributed to the unification of many small German kingdom states to form the German Empire (Germany) in 1871. A sense of nationalism also encouraged cooperation between Germany and Austria– Hungary, because German-language speakers ruled both empires.However, Austria–Hungary was not only made up of people who thought of themselves as Germans and spoke the German language; it was also made up of many other ethnic and language groups, such as Hungarians, Serbians and Bosnians. From around 1900 onwards, a number of ethnic groups began fighting for independence from Austria–Hungary. One region attempting to assert its independence was Bosnia–Herzegovina, an area in south-eastern Europe known as the Balkans. In the years before World War I, Bosnia– Herzegovina was under the control of Austria–Hungary. However, Bosnia–Herzegovina was made up of many different ethnic groups, including Bosnians, Serbs and Croats, who did not see themselves as historically, ethnically or culturally linked to either Austria or Hungary. Instead, most of the people of Bosnia– Herzegovina wanted to join with Serbia to form their own nation. Russia had been supporting moves by Bosnia– Herzegovina to become independent and unite with Serbia, so when a Serbian youth was accused of assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, Russia was drawn into the conflict that followed.