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1.World War I: Causes and alliances - Coggle Diagram
1.World War I: Causes and alliances
Causes of the conflict
Nationalist rivalries
Two of the biggest industrial powers, France and Germany
There were great nationalist tensions in the Balkans
Kingdom of Serbia, which was supported by Russia and, in turn, a rival of Austria-Hungary
Imperialist ambitions
In the partition of colonies, Germany had been left at a disadvantage relative to France and Great Britain
The Second German Empire was Europe’s main industrial and economic power, and it claimed its own colonial territories
An aggressive diplomacy
Each power tried to protect its interests by seeking alliances with other nations
No forum for debate or international organisation was created to discuss conflicts between states
Armed Peace
The arms race
The atmosphere of rivalry, imperialist ambitions and diplomatic initiatives designed to prepare for war rather than to avoid it, led to the rearmament of states
Due to technological and industrial progress, countries started the industrial manufacturing of new, more deadly weapons, launching an aggressive arms race
Weaponary
The Great War was the most devastating military conflict that history had ever seen
Technological advances in the weapons industry largely contributed to this fact
It was the first war in which aviation played a fundamental role
Following the manufacture of the first metal aeroplane by the German company Junkers in 1915
Inventions of enormous destructive power:
Machine guns, tanks and armoured vehicles, German Zeppelins and airships, as well as lethal mustard gas, which killed people and left the environment polluted and barren
The Alliances
The Triple Alliance
Formed by Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. Italy later this bloc, while the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined once the war started.
The Triple Entente
Formed by Russia, France and Great Britain and its respective colonial empires
Italy abandoned the Triple Alliance, rivalry with Austro-Hungarian Empire ended up joining the Triple Entente
Other countries participated in the Triple Entente, but very unequally:
Belgium, Serbia and Montenegro were invaded by Germany and Austria-Hungary, and suffered greatly during the conflict
The United States entered the war in 1917 and played a decisive role
Romania (1916) and Greece (1917) joined due to developments on the Balkan front
Japan declared war on Germany (1914) due to its imperialist ambitions in Asia and the Pacific
Its goal was to seize German concessions in China and the Pacific islands that the German Empire had acquired from Spain in 1898
