World War I Chapter 1 War Breaks Out!

The Final Spark: Sarajevo

The final events that initiated World War I began on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary (a nation that once existed in southeastern Europe). Archduke Franz Ferdinand, otherwise known as the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was visiting Sarajevo with his wife Sophia. During their tour of the city, the royal couple was assassinated by the Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip. Princip was a member of the Serbian terrorist group known as the Black Hand. Though they were successful, Princip and several others were arrested by police. Unfortunately, no one knew that these events would catapult the world into the most destructive war in history.

Causes of World War I:

Nationalism-Definition: A deep sense of loyalty to one’s homeland and people.

• In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed a Serbian territory known as Bosnia (where Sarajevo was located)
• Many Serbians lived in Bosnia and hated being under Austro-Hungarian rule
• In retaliation, a group of Serbians (known as the Black Hand) assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand
• Austria-Hungary, on the other hand, did not want to lose Bosnia and reduce the size of its empire, resulting in major tension

Alliances created before World War I. Also focus on Austria-Hungary and Serbia

The Major Alliances of World War I. Italy would
later join the Triple Entente

 Alliances-Definition: A partnership between two or more nations that is formed in preparation for war.

• Europe was split into two major alliances
• France and Germany experienced conflicts with one another for decades, causing them to turn to potential allies for future assistance
• Triple Entente (also known as the “Allies”): An alliance consisting of France, Britain, and Russia (later joined by Italy)
• Triple Alliance (also known as the “Central Powers”): An alliance consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Italy would later switch sides)
• Alliances would cause wars between two countries to likely involve more

 Imperialism-Definition: The process of gaining and building new colonies in order to spread a nation’s empire.

•  The nation of France had countries in northwest Africa and east Asia
• Russia, the largest nation in the world, had a huge empire across Asia and Europe
• The United States had recently taken control of Hawaiian and Philippine Islands.
• Britain had the largest empire in the world, which included nations such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia and India.
• By the Germany had established itself there were no more valuable colonies. This lead to jealously and the potential for conflict.

This is a map of imperialism in the twentieth century. Notice how Germany has a minimal amount of colonies.

Militarism-Definition: The process of developing a nation’s military in order to establish itself as a dominant world power.

·        Militarism lead to an arms race in Europe, otherwise known as a mad dash to construct the strongest and most effective weapons of mass destruction

·        Countries believed that this was a logical way of securing peace

·        Germany, in competition with Britain, began to build a huge navy

·        Britain (due to being an island nation) started to fear for its safety, as it used its navy to maintain control of European waters

These are dreadnought ships. Britain and Germany rushed to construct these and build huge navies. 

War Begins!:

As a result of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary sent Serbia an ultimatum (a list of demands that must be met or war will break out). Serbia agreed that nationalistic hatred against Austria-Hungary must be destroyed and that the Black Hand members must be punished. However, Serbia did not allow Austro-Hungarian officials to enter its nation. This caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia on July 26, 1914. Germany, as the mediator of negotiations between these two nations, felt threatened by Serbia’s ally Russia (which was mobilizing its army in the case of war). On August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. On August 2, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia’s ally, France. Since it would take Russia a large amount of time to mobilize its troops due to its huge land mass, Germany immediately attacked France.

The Schlieffen Plan:

A diagram of the original Schlieffen Plan.

In the case of the sudden need to invade France during war time, Alfred von Schlieffen (Chief of the Imperial German General Staff) devised a plan to attack western Europe. The strategy involved concentrating the bulk of the German offensive in a strike through Belgium and the Netherlands. This would catch the French off guard due to their defenses being focused on the French-German border in the south. A small German force would allow the French defense to briefly enter Germany, allowing the main invading army to circle around and capture Paris. However, Alfred von Schlieffen died in 1913. Helmuth von Moltke took his place and drastically changed the strategy. He decided to place more German troops in the south so no German territory would be taken. Meanwhile, in the north, Moltke concentrated all of the offensive troops through Belgium, taking away some of the space needed to move the Germans quickly. The plan also did not account for the speed of Russian mobilization (which forced a decent amount of German troops to be moved to the east), the effectiveness of the French railway system (which the French army utilized in an efficient manner), and the Belgium army. The result was the German army being deflected and caught off guard by the French troops in the Battle of the Marne. The two armies raced to the coast in order to outflank each other, but were soon forced to lock themselves in place and fight through trench warfare.

Canada’s Contribution:

Colonel Sam Hughes, Minister
of Militia

Britain had created a pact with Belgium by promising to defend its neutrality in the case of war. When Germany invaded Belgium in 1914, Britain declared war on the invading nation. This forced Canada and other British colonies to declare war as well. Canada decided to completely support Britain in its war with the axis. After two days, Canada had already provided the Triple Entente with 25000 trained troops. The Minister of Militia, Colonel Sam Hughes, gathered 60000 militia (part time citizen soldiers) and began recruiting. Both men and women enlisted for a variety of reasons. Some were excited by the thought of adventure and overseas travel, while others feared an incoming economic depression. There was also a great sense of patriotism in joining the military and contributing to the war effort. Colonel Sam Hughes constructed a training camp in Valcartier, Quebec for the new recruits. This would only provide basic knowledge and skills, as more formal training would be provided on the Salisbury Plain in Britain. Many of the Canadian soldiers did not agree with the British officials and their ranking system. Yet, almost everyone was determined and motivated to join the fight for the British Empire. They would soon regret it.

Valcartier Camp, Quebec

All wars are civil wars because all men are brothers-Francois Fenelon

Homework for this chapter

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