World War I took place between 1914 and 1918. Although the conflict began in Europe, it ultimately involved nations as far away as the United States and Japan. At the time, the English-speaking world knew it as the “Great War”—the term “World War I”… — World War I took place between 1914 and 1918. Although the conflict began in Europe, it ultimately involved nations as far away as the United States and Japan. At the time, the English-speaking world knew it as the “Great War”—the term “World War I” was applied decades later. Historians still actively disagree over the fundamental causes of the war. The period leading up to the war was a complex tangle of diplomacy and political maneuvering—many countries debated over strategies and alliances until nearly the last minute—and the first few weeks of the conflict were similarly chaotic and confusing. However, historians agree nearly unanimously about the war’s consequences: World War I led almost directly to World War II and set the stage for many other important events in the twentieth century.

Causes of World War I

Militarism
Alliances that divided Europe into competing camps
Imperialism
- Competition over colonies
Nationalistic feelings (Serbia, Black Hand)
Diplomatic failures

Major events

Assassination of Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand
United States enters war
Russia leaves the war

Major leaders

Woodrow Wilson
Kaiser Wilhelm II

Outcomes and global effects

Colonies’ participation in the war, which increased demands for independence
End of the Russian Imperial, Ottoman, German, and Austro-Hungarian empires
Enormous cost of the war in lives, property, and social disruption

Treaty of Versailles

Forced Germany to accept guilt for war and loss of territory and pay reparations
Limited the German military
League of Nations

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M.A.I.N. CAUSES OF WWI

CLIP ONE: CAUSES of WWI (from CRASH COURSE)

CLIP THREE: WORLD WAR I (from CRASH COURSE)

CLIP FOUR: TRENCH WARFARE (from the clsasic film Paths of Glory)

CLIP FIVE: The U-BOATS

CLIP SIX: SINKING of the LUSITANIA (from REAL NEWS)

CLIP SEVEN: ZIMMERMAN TELEGRAM

CLIP EIGHT: RUSSIAN TROOPS MUTINY LEADING TO RUSSIA's EXIT FROM WWI(This scene shows Russian troops defecting from the Eastern Front and running into new recruits. Lenin would later state that the Russian soldiers voted for the Russian revolution "with their feet" by deserting from the war. We will get way more into the Russian Revolution in the next unit. But, for now, just recognize that the Russians left the war in 1918)

CLIP NINE: ARMISTICE DAY ... AKA VETERAN's DAY (from HISTORY CHANNEL)

CLIP TEN: The TREATY of VERSAILLES