The Causes of WWI The Underlying Causes of

The Causes of WWI

The Underlying Causes of WWI 1. Nationalism: § Eastern Europe was dominated by the Austro. Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires § These empires were destabilized by nationalist movements within their borders (e. g. Pan-Slavism) 2. Alliance System: § Goal was to reduce threat of war in Europe, but it actually increased tensions between rival nations § Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy § Triple Entente: France, Great Britain and Russia

The Underlying Causes of WWI 3. Militarism: § Rapid expansion of armies and build up of weapons § A tense naval race between Germany and Great Britain 4. Imperialism: § Conflicts arose as nations competed for overseas territories in order to expand their empires, especially in Africa § Industrialization increased desire for colonies as a source of raw materials to supply their factories & as places to sell manufactured goods

The Official Cause of WWI The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: § On June 29, 1914 the Archduke and his wife were shot by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, in Sarajevo, Bosnia § The Archduke was the Crown Prince of Austria. Hungary and Bosnia was part of his empire § Serbian nationalists claimed Bosnia as part of Greater Serbia because the majority of the population was Serbian § The Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist group, targeted the Archduke for assassination

The Official Cause of WWI The Alliance System Comes Into Play: § Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia § Serbia’s ally Russia mobilized its troops § Austria-Hungary’s ally Germany mobilized its troops § Britain declared war after Germany invaded its ally, Belgium § Great Britain controlled Canada’s foreign policy, so Canada was automatically at war along with the rest of the British Empire

Canada’s Response to the War

Enlistment § Borden promised 25 000 men, but 30 000 enlist: § Promise of adventure § Believed war would be over by Christmas § Needed job § Many English Canadians felt it was their patriotic duty to defend Britain § Women accepted as nurses & ambulance drivers in Canadian Army Medical Corps § First Nations, African & Japanese soldiers weren’t accepted at first & were rarely promoted once they were

Training The Troops § Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia, set up a training camp in Valcartier, Quebec § Boot camp brought men from diverse parts of the country together for the first time & helped create a sense of national identity § Basic training was rushed & troops, known as the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), were sent to Britain ill-prepared for war § CEF usually fought as separate units within the British army, further contributing to a sense of national identity

War Profiteering § Sam Hughes was also in charge of supplying armaments for the war effort § Patronage to award contracts & many of these industrialists put profits before quality § Shell Committee oversaw the production of 1/3 of the shells for the British, but they often backfired § The standard-issue Ross rifle often jammed § Some soldiers were issued boots with cardboard soles that disintegrated in the rain

The War Measures Act § Granted the Canadian government the power to do whatever was necessary “for the security, defence, peace, order and welfare of Canada. ” § It gave the government unprecedented power to: § Control transportation, manufacturing and other aspects of the economy § Infringe on civil liberties (e. g. censor mail, arrests without warrants) § Recent immigrants (“enemy aliens”) from enemy nations were treated harshly under this act: § Over 500 000 had to carry special identity cards § Over 8500 were sent to internment camps