USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
Growing nationalism and militarism in Europe and the creation of secret alliances were:

(A) reasons for the rise of democracy

(B) ** causes of World War I

(C) requirement for economic development

(D) reasons for the collapse of communism

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -The main causes of World War 1 were alliances between countries, militarism, nationalism, imperialism, secret diplomacy, and internationalism. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Gavrilo Princip in Bosnia is widely accepted as the starting point for World War I.

Concept note-2: -M Militarism-this was where countries built up their armies. Each country tried to compete to build the biggest army. This created a lot of rivalry and tension and it made countries suspicious of each other. They wanted to test their armies and prove they were the best in a war.

Concept note-3: -Military over-confidence Nationalism was closely linked to militarism. It fostered delusions about the relative military strength of European nations. Many living in the Great Powers considered their nations to be militarily superior and better equipped to win a future war in Europe.

Concept note-4: -Alliances were a major reason the war became bigger. If there hadn’t been alliances, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand would have only cause a war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Because of alliances, Russia came to aid Serbia and that led Germany to declare war on Russia.

Concept note-5: -Nationalism was a factor in the outbreak of World War I as many nations, particularly the Great powers of-Britain, France and Germany, of the time had convinced themselves of the cultural, economic and military supremacy of their nation.