01 World war I: Causes and Alliances

Causes of the Conflict

1914 great economic prosperity due to second industrial Revolution

WWI, broke out in Europe

Several root causes behind this outbreak of war

An aggressive diplomacy

Imperialist ambition

The arms race

Nationalist rivalries

France and Germany maintained hostile

Germany at disadvantage relative to France and Great Britain

Powers wanted to seek alliances with other nations

Atmosphere of rivalry and imperialist ambitions, and diplomatic initiatives

During German unification, Prussian had defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War

great nationalist tensions in the Balkans

Different peoples fought to gain independence

Such as the kingdom of Serbia

Which was supported by Russia and, in turn, a rival of Austria-Hungary

Start of 20th century the second German Empire was Europe's main industrial and economic power

It claimed it own colonial powers

No forum or debate or international organisation was created to discuss conflicts between states

This was the `armed peace´

Weaponry

prepared for war rather than to avoid it, led to the rearmament of states

Technology and industrial progress

countries started the industrial manufacturing

The alliances

Great war, the most devastating military conflict that history had ever seen

Technological advances in the weapons industry contributed to this fact

First war in which aviation played an important role

First metal aeroplane by the German company Junkers in 1915

Other inventions of enormous destructive power

Geran zeppelins and airship

Tanks and armoured vehicles

Mustard gas

Machine guns

2 blocs of alliances were created

The Triple Entente

The Triple Alliance

Formed by: Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary

Formed by: Russia, France and Great Britain

Later Italy abandoned The alliance and Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined

Italy joined The Triple Entente because the rivalry with Austro-Hungary empire

Other countries participated in The Triple Entente

The United States

Romania

Montenegro

Greece

Serbia

Japan

Belgium

new, more deadly weapons, launching an aggressive arms race.