World War I Begins

Chapter 19-1 (pg 578)
1. What are the four main causes of World War I? Give an example for each as to why it was a cause.
Militarism,alliance system,imperialism,and nationalism. Militarism was the development of armed forces and their use as a tool of diplomacy.


2. How did the June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand become the spark for WWI?
After Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, all of the other countries are trying to back each of their allies up and declaring war on one another.

3. What happened within the first few months of fighting?
Germany invaded Belgium.

4. Generally, why did the United States want to stay out of the war?
They felt that the war didn't threaten American lives or property.

5. Specifically, Why did the following groups of Americans tend to oppose U.S. participation in the war? Naturalized citizens; socialists; pacifists; parents.
Socialists criticized the war as a capitalists and imperialists struggle between Germany and England to control markets and colonies in China, Africa, and the Middle East. Pacifists believed that war was evil and that the U.S should set an example of peace to the world. Parents just didn't want their sons to experience the horrors of warfare. Naturalized citizens still had ties to the nations from which they had emigrated.

6. How did Germany respond to the British naval blockade of Germany’s ports? What was the U.S. response?
Germany responded with a counterblockade by submarines and any British or allied ship found in the waters around Britain would be sunk. The U.S. had a protest to Germany.

7. What forced the United States into the war?
Germany said that they would sink all ships in the British waters, hostile or neutral.