Causes of World War I

Canadian soldiers in trench in World War I (NA C-6984)

Below: Canadian soldiers with picks and shovels ready to dig in before an attack (NA PA-000682)

"No man's land" in front of Canadian lines (NA PA-000786)

Below: Machine gun placement on Vimy Ridge (NA PA-001101)

In this module, the images from the National Archives (NA) are images whose copyright has expired and thus have no restrictions on their use. All images from other sources are used with permission.

Read the following material and then follow the link to the Activity Sheet to complete the appropriate exercises.

As human beings we often look for the reasons why events happen or what caused something to happen. We want to know what caused the fire in the dance hall that killed one hundred people. We want to know why because we are naturally curious, and because we wish to avoid a similar tragedy in the future. We also want to know why a young person ran away from home, why a friendship was broken, and why someone was expelled from school. On the other hand, it is also important to know why good things happen.

In history, we often look at the causes of big events. Today we will look at an event that led to the death of about 10 million human beings. This event is World War I - a war that lasted from 1914 to 1918.

Most of the fighting in this war took place in Europe, but countries from all over the world took part and therefore it is called a “world war.” For example, Canada, the United States, and Australia are not European countries but they all took part in the war. We will look at the reasons why later in our lesson.

There are many reasons for the start of World War I. We will examine some of the reasons.

Nationalism is a great love for your country. The word comes from the word “nation” which means the same as “country.” Many people in Europe showed extreme nationalism. If you believe that your country is the best, how do you show your belief? For some people it meant fighting in a war to see who was number one.

Alliances are agreements or “deals” between countries to back each other up in case of trouble. The word “alliance” comes from the word “ally” or friend. In today’s society, a young person may join a street gang for protection against people in another gang. Before the start of World War I, countries joined alliances for protection.

Go to http://users.tibus.com/the-great-war/states14.htm and examine the map of the countries of Europe in 1914. Write down the names of the four largest countries coloured in pink. These countries belonged to one alliance. Write down the names of the three largest countries coloured in dark blue. These countries belonged to another alliance, called the Triple Alliance.

An arms race is a competition between two or more countries to see who can produce the most “arms” or weapons. Before World War I, the country of the United Kingdom (also known as Britain) and the country of Germany were involved in an arms race.

The three factors mentioned above, nationalism, alliances, and the arms race, led to great tension between the countries of Europe prior to 1914. Many countries were ready for war, and in June 1914 something happened that set off the spark which would start the Great War.

On June 28, 1914, in the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia, a terrorist killed the man who was to be the next king of Austria-Hungary (this person is called the heir to the throne, and in this case his name was Franz Ferdinand). Franz was in a car with his wife Sophie when the terrorist jumped on the running board of the open car and fired a bullet into the neck of Franz and another bullet into the stomach of Sophie. Both were killed. The assassin, 18-year-old Gavrilo Princip, was arrested, tried, and later died of cancer in prison. For more details of the assassination see http://www.worldwar1.com/tlsara.htm

An act of terrorism is an act of violence usually performed for political reasons. Gavrilo Princip belonged to a terrorist group called the Black Hand. This group was based in the country of Serbia (see map) and they wanted to take Bosnia away from Austria-Hungary. In order to threaten Austria-Hungary, the Black Hand killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

Next, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia. An ultimatum is a statement of serious consequences if certain conditions are not met. For example, a teacher may say, “Be quiet, or get out of this class!” In 1914, Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum to Serbia was: “Hand over the Black Hand, or we attack!”

In the “showdown,” Serbia was backed by its friend Russia. Austria-Hungary was backed by its ally Germany. Serbia stood its ground. To back up Serbia, Russia moved troops to the borders of Germany. Germany told Russia to remove the troops from the border. Russia refused and then Germany declared war on Russia.

Germany knew that Russia was allied with France, and therefore Germany decided to attack France. The German attack went through the neutral country of Belgium. A neutral country is a country that is on neither side in an argument. When Germany went through the neutral country of Belgium, the United Kingdom or Britain entered the war against Germany.

In 1914, Canada was a colony belonging to Britain. A colony is a country that is controlled by another country. Therefore, Canada, like Australia – another British colony – quickly volunteered to help the “mother country” of England. At this time, a large percentage of Canadians had connections to England – by birth or family – and the decision to help England was a popular one.

Acts of terrorism are still present in today’s world. On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. The terrorists belonged to a group called Al Qaeda which was based in the country of Afghanistan. After the September 11 attack, the United States issued an ultimatum to Afghanistan: “Hand over the members of Al Qaeda, or we will attack!” When the government of Afghanistan refused to listen, the United States attacked Afghanistan in order to find and punish Al Qaeda.

Go to the Activity Sheet: Causes of World War I and answer the questions on the Causes of World War I.

Michael Jehn, Image # 2375, The September 11 Digital Archive (htt//911digitalarchive.org) Used with permission

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