WORLD WAR I - NOTES
THE ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR I
Key Words:-
Nationalism : A sense of National Identity
Patriotism : Unconditional love or devotion towards a country
Balkans : The name for some of the countries (Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro) of the Balkan peninsula in
south-eastern Europe in the early twentieth century.
NATIONALISM, WAR AND ADVENTURE
, 1. At the early stage, what encouraged the Europeans to participate in the war?
During the nineteenth century, many Eurpoeans had come to think of war as a heroic adventure, and this
was promoted through articles, posters, songs, and novels.
2. What predominantly increased the engagement in war?
Government promoted patriotism and nationalism to unify the people. Countries viewed engagement in war
as a nation’s maturity. Education attained a realisation of the past and current threats European nations
inflicted on their country. Furthermore, people took pride in all things military. Parents dressed their young
children in sailors’ suits and gave their sons toy soldiers to play with.
TENSIONS AND RIVALRIES
People saw war as the likely outcome of the rivalries among the great powers in the areas of:
• Competition to take advantage of trading opportunities
• Competition to control territory and resources in Africa that would give nations access to raw materials that
weren’t available in Europe
• The development of weapons and ships that nations could use to protect their interests
• The size and strength of armies and navies and the arms race (especially between Britain and Germany) that
resulted from this
• Individual power and status.
WAR PLANS AND THE ARMS RACE
1. How does one nation’s attempt to protect it’s interest led to fear it’s power?
In 1906, Britain launched the HMS Dreadnought, considered to be the most powerful ship afloat. German
engineers were soon copying this design, leading to further tension:
• Britain feared Germany’s navy and the possibility of such a navy cutting Britain off from the rest of its
empire.
• Germany argued that its navy was essential to protect its trade.
CONTESTABILITY : THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
- In 2002, Terence Zuber’s book Invented the Schlieffen Plan
- German War Planning began a huge debate among military historians about the Schlieffen Plan.
- Zuber based his work on documents that had become available from German archives only in the 1990s.
THE ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR I
Key Words:-
Nationalism : A sense of National Identity
Patriotism : Unconditional love or devotion towards a country
Balkans : The name for some of the countries (Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro) of the Balkan peninsula in
south-eastern Europe in the early twentieth century.
NATIONALISM, WAR AND ADVENTURE
, 1. At the early stage, what encouraged the Europeans to participate in the war?
During the nineteenth century, many Eurpoeans had come to think of war as a heroic adventure, and this
was promoted through articles, posters, songs, and novels.
2. What predominantly increased the engagement in war?
Government promoted patriotism and nationalism to unify the people. Countries viewed engagement in war
as a nation’s maturity. Education attained a realisation of the past and current threats European nations
inflicted on their country. Furthermore, people took pride in all things military. Parents dressed their young
children in sailors’ suits and gave their sons toy soldiers to play with.
TENSIONS AND RIVALRIES
People saw war as the likely outcome of the rivalries among the great powers in the areas of:
• Competition to take advantage of trading opportunities
• Competition to control territory and resources in Africa that would give nations access to raw materials that
weren’t available in Europe
• The development of weapons and ships that nations could use to protect their interests
• The size and strength of armies and navies and the arms race (especially between Britain and Germany) that
resulted from this
• Individual power and status.
WAR PLANS AND THE ARMS RACE
1. How does one nation’s attempt to protect it’s interest led to fear it’s power?
In 1906, Britain launched the HMS Dreadnought, considered to be the most powerful ship afloat. German
engineers were soon copying this design, leading to further tension:
• Britain feared Germany’s navy and the possibility of such a navy cutting Britain off from the rest of its
empire.
• Germany argued that its navy was essential to protect its trade.
CONTESTABILITY : THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
- In 2002, Terence Zuber’s book Invented the Schlieffen Plan
- German War Planning began a huge debate among military historians about the Schlieffen Plan.
- Zuber based his work on documents that had become available from German archives only in the 1990s.
