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Causes of World War One: Global & US
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Transcript

Causes of World War One: Global & US

Click the map to view the global causes

Click the poster to view the US causes

Global Causes: What caused a world war to begin in Europe?

Remember - IMANASS

Click each letter to learn more

Which countries were fighting at the start of the war? Click here to find out.

Timeline of Events: What lead the US to join WW1?

Neutrality to WAR

Aug, 1914

Declaration of Neutrality

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Sinking of the Lusitania

Sussex Pledge

Click the images to learn more about each topic! Be sure to go to the second page after Sussex Pledge!

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May, 1915

May, 1916

Early 1915 - May, 1916

April, 1917

Jan/Feb, 1917

Feb, 1917

Zimmerman Telegram

Resume Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Declaration of WAR

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Click the images to learn more about each topic! Be sure to go to go back if you need to!

Timeline of Events: What lead the US to join WW1?

Neutrality to WAR

Declaration of Neutrality

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"The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name during these days that are to try men's souls. We must be impartial in thought as well as in action, must put a curb upon our sentiments as well as upon every transaction that might be construed as a preference of one party to the struggle before another."

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impartial: treating elements equally curb: to restrain or hold back sentiments: your attitude or opinions towards an event

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

A German miltary policy to actively attack any potential enemy ship (passenger, cargo, or merchant) without warning. This policy caused the death of thousands.

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Click image above for video

German U-boat. Hover over for more information

German submarines were called U-boats. This is short for unterseeboot - under the sea boat.

The Lusitania was the name of a British passenger ship with Americans on board. The ship left a port in New York City heading for the UK. On May 7th, 1915 a German U-boat torpedoed the ship (unrestricted submarine warfare), which sank in just 18 minutes. 128 Americans died. American newspapers told the story of the incident, which started to cause American public to become more in favor of US participation in WW1, BUT, this was not the final straw.

Sinking of the Lusitania

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This is some of the last known footage of the Lustania, as it leaves a port in New York City

Click above for video

After the Lusitania and many other ships were sank due to German unrestricted submarine warfare, the US demanded Germany to change this policy. The US called on Germany to stop of this indiscriminate sinking of non-military ships during WW1. The Sussex Pledge, was made on May 4th 1916, it was a promise given by the German government, to the then neutral United States, not to sink any more passenger ships and that merchant ships would not be sunk until the presence of weapons had been established and efforts were made to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. On February 1, 1917 Germany broke the Sussex Pledge and resumed unrestricted submarine warfare and German U-Boats began to actively attack American ships in the North Atlantic.

Sussex Pledge

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Germany sent a telegram to Mexico requesting that they enter a military conflict with the US. In return, Germany promised to assist Mexico in war against the US after WW1 ended. Germany did this with the hopes that the US would be distracted with Mexico and wouldn't join the war effort in Europe. The telegram also stated that Germany intended to resume unrestricted submarine warfare (breaking the Sussex Pledge) in beginning in February, 1917. The telegram, however, was intercepted by the UK and they shared the information with the US in hopes that they would assist them in the war effort against Germany. The US saw this telegram as am immediate threat and soon after declared war on Germany

The Zimmerman Telegram

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"Join with Germany and you get a bit of United States"

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Declaration of War

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The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them.

On April 2nd, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. Congress voted and officially declared war on Germany.

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The entire world was trying to expand their power through imperialism. Multiple countries had many territories under its control and were arguing over who controlled what.

Extreme loyalty and pride for your home country. Differences between nations can lead to prejudice or thinking that one's country is better than the other - causing countries willing to go war over these differences.

Central Powers

Allied Powers

  • Germany
  • Austria-Hungary

  • France
  • Great Britain
  • Russia

Many countries had agreements and relationships with one another. These entangling alliances led to growing conflicts and pulled everyone into the war once it begun.

Franz Ferdinand was the Archduke of Austria-Hungary. He was on a tour in Bosnia - an Imperial territory of Austria-HungaryA Serbian nationalist terrorist group sent in people to kill the Archduke, because they disliked the imperial nature of Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary & their ally Germany declared war on Serbia, who was ALLIED with RussiaWhen Russia started preparing (mobilizing/militarizing), for war, Germany declared war on them too

This was the immediate/DIRECT cause of the war.

Militarism is when the government builds up and maintains a strong military. It is often used to aggressively expand national interests and look powerful

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