SOCIAL SCIENCE 3

Factors that Led to the War

MODULE 1.0 LESSON 1.1

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

 discuss the conditions and factors that led to the outbreak of the war;
 narrate the events that set the First World War in motion

Suggested Time: 1 min | Actual Time Spent: ____min(s)

Examine the editorial cartoon below. Who are the persons in the cartoon? What do they represent?

(https://sites.google.com/a/richland2.org/all-about-world-war-one/armistice-day/causes-of-world-war-1)

Suggested Time:6 min | Actual Time Spent: ____min(s)

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Europe was in a relatively peaceful condition by the turn of the 20 th century. European countries were
in a state of prosperity, progressive economy, and immense developments in science and technology.
People earned more opportunities to improve living standards through education and a more health-
conscious outlook and lifestyle. Little did they know that a global conflict was already brewing.

Despite the relative peace, some conditions and occurrences paved the way for conflicts to escalate into
something that involved many countries. These factors are summed up in the following mnemonics -
M.A.N.I.A.

M ILITARISM.
A policy of glorifying military power, promoting the build-up of military power, and keeping a
standing army always prepared for war
 When one country builds up its military strength by increasing the number of its army and
manufacturing weapons, other countries also do the same.
Example:
 The powerful countries of Europe allocated great amounts of money for armaments and in
maintaining large armies during peacetime. Britain, whose strength is its navy, likewise poured
money in building its military might.
Effect/s
 Military officials methodically created defense plans based on their capability to attack in time
of war.

A LLIANCES.
An agreement between two or more states for their mutual benefit
 One potent cause of tension was the division of Europe into two alliance systems.
Examples:
 Germany began making alliances to keep France isolated and deprive it from allies that will
help it regain the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from the Germans. Otto von Bismarck, the
German Chancellor, made an alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy in 1882, known as the
Triple Alliance. In 1887, he made an alliance with Russia, but was a weak one because Russia
and Austria were potential enemies.
 France, threatened by Germany’s increasing military power, sought an alliance of its own.
When the alliance between Russia and Germany ceased to exist, France allied with the former
in 1894. In 1904, France and Britain formed the Entente Cordiale which means “friendly
understanding.”
 In 1907, out of mutual fear of Germany, Britain and Russia entered in an agreement that formed
the Triple Entente. It was an alliance between France, Britain and Russia, which was more of a
treaty of friendship than a strong military alliance.
Effects
 A country becomes more aggressive to enter in a conflict if it has alliances.
 The occurrence of a “chain reaction” is one of the dangerous effects of the alliances formed
between countries. The involvement of the countries’ allies in the conflict is inevitable, thus
increasing its scale.

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 N ATIONALISM.
A feeling of devotion to and pride in one’s country; the belief that people should be loyal mainly
to their nation – that is, to the people with whom they share a culture and history – rather than
to a king or empire
 The rivalry among European nations was caused by competition for materials and markets and
territorial disputes, among others.
Examples:
 French nationalists wanted to regain Alsace and Lorraine from Germany, while German
nationalists wanted to expand their territory and power.
 Russian Pan-Slavists wanted Russia to rule over the Slavs of Eastern Europe.
Effect/s:
 Nationalism plays a unifying role within a country; conversely, it can trigger a feeling among
people that can cause intense competition between and among countries. This negative effect
of nationalism caused the rivalry among European nations by the turn of the 20 th century.

I MPERIALISM.
A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, economically, and
socially
 European countries competed for colonies in Asia and in Africa.
 The need for overseas colonies as sources of raw materials for the industries, and as markets
for manufactured goods, forced European countries to compete head to head with one another.
 These countries felt the need to expand their territories as well, hence their incessant quest for
more colonies.
Effect:
 This intense competition even caused them to go to the brink of war.

A SSASSINATION.
(Immediate Cause of the War)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914
 Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the
Austro- Hungarian throne. Princip was a 19-year-old member of the Black Hand Movement, a
secret organization that aimed to rid Bosnia of Austrian rule.
 The Serbians hoped that the assassination of the archduke and his wife would lead to a Slavic
revolution.
Effect
 The Austrian authorities considered the assassination as a reason to attack Serbia.

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The Chain of Events

June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo
July 23, 1914 Austria sent Serbia an ultimatum of many demands that if Serbia did not accept, Austria
would declare war.
July 28, 1914 Austria declared war on Serbia
July 30, 1914 Russia ordered full mobilization of its forces.
August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on France, Russia’s ally
August 3, 1914 Germany invaded Belgium when the latter refused the former’s request for permission
to march through Belgian lands in order to attack France
August 4, 1914 Britain joined the war as a fulfillment of its vow to guarantee Belgian neutrality, and
as the ally of France and Russia.
August 6, 1914 Austria declared war on Russia

The Opposing Sides

Before and during the war, the alliance system divided most of Europe into two opposing camps. The
relations of nations were marred by the conflicting goals and principles of the nations involved.

The Allies The Central Powers

 September 5, 1914: Great Britain, France,  1914: Germany, Austria-Hungary
Russia  October 29, 1914: Ottoman Empire
 April 26, 1915: Italy  October 14, 1915: Bulgaria
 April 6, 1917: United States
Other nations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America eventually took sides and allied with either the
Allies or the Central Powers. Some countries were neutral during the war

The Two Fronts of the War

The major battles of World War I were fought in these two fronts.

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1. Western Front - the region in
northern France where long and
bloody stalemates were fought.
 Germany, caught up in two war
fronts, devised the Schlieffen
Plan which would first attack
and defeat France in the west and
then rush to the east to battle out
with Russia.
 Germany’s plan failed because
the Russians moved faster than
expected.

Map of the Western Front

https://cdn.britannica.com/72/64872-
050-5B07B53D/map-Western-Front-
World-War-I.jpg

2. Eastern Front - the battlefield

along the German and Russian
border
 Russians and Serbs fought
against Germans and Austro-
Hungarians.
 At the start of the war, Russia
made an attack on Austria and
Germany. Russian forces won
against the Austrians, but
towards the end of 1914, the
Austrians defeated the
Russians.
 Huge losses in the Russian
army coupled with domestic
problems weakened Russia. In
March 1918, Russia signed a
treaty with Germany, making
the latter victorious in Eastern
Europe.

Map of the Eastern Front

https://cdn.britannica.com/71/64871-050-8548CA22/Eastern-Front-troops-Germany-Austria-Hungary-Turkey-Russia.jpg

Trench Warfare
 A form of military operations in which opposing armed forces attack, counterattack, and defend
from trenches dug into the ground.
 The western front was marked by a vast network of trenches hundreds of miles across France.
 “No man’s land,” an unoccupied land located between two trench systems where opposing camps
feared to cross because of the danger of being attacked by the enemy.

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 Cross-section of the trench

https://miro.medium.com/max/1670/1*wtCwHL4dU2RRBwoT-juDZQ.jpeg

Trench warfare

https://cdn.britannica.com/44/65944-050-F18FEEA4/soldier-British-trench-Western-Front-World-War.jpg

The Involvement of Other Countries

Besides the two fronts, fighting also occurred in other places as more countries became involved.

1. Italy. Italy was on the side of the Allies after it entered into a secret agreement with France and
Britain. In the fall of 1917, German and Austrian forces broke through the Italian lines at Caporetto,
taking around 275,000 prisoners and forcing the retreat of the Italian army.
2. Japan. Japan, a British ally, took over the German spheres of influence on the Shantung Peninsula
in China and other islands in the Pacific.
3. The Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire prevented Allied aid from reaching Russian ports by
planting mines in the Dardanelles. In 1915, troops from Britain, France, New Zealand, and Australia
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 landed in Gallipoli as a way of reaching Constantinople and then gaining control of the Dardanelles.
The Allied forces eventually withdrew after heavy losses.
4. Africa. British and French troops took control of the German colonies of Togoland and Cameroon.

The United States in the War

 1914: President Woodrow Wilson announced a policy of neutrality for the United States.
Americans, however, found it difficult to maintain such neutrality because:
- their sympathy was with France and Britain, which were democratic countries;
- they fear the reign of authoritarian government such as that of Germany and Austria;
- their Anti-German feeling grew when, in May 1915, a German U-boat sank the British ship
Lusitania where around a hundred Americans were among the casualties.
 January 1917: Arthur Zimmermann, German foreign secretary, sent a secret telegram code that
was trying to make an alliance with Mexico. In the message, he said that if the Germans
emerged victorious, Texas and parts of the American southwest will be returned to Mexico.
The British were able to decode the message, which angered the Americans.
 April 1917: The United States declared war on Germany.

Suggested Time: 10 min | Actual Time Spent: ____min(s)

The First World War was a conflict that has stirred the peace of nations and created a global divide.
With the foregoing discussion, share your thoughts on the following:

Do you think the First World War was avoidable? Why or why not? Provide specific arguments to
support your answer.
(Graded Assessment, 15 points)

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Scoring Rubric:

Criteria Excellent Satisfactory Poor

CONTENT 8 pts. 5-7 pts. 1-4 pts.
8 pts. Context is well- There is an evidence of a The context is not clear.
developed; Ideas are well- developed context but Ideas may have
supported and are there is a need to add questionable factuality.
accurate and relevant. more details for a strong Confusion of the reader is
support. a possible outcome.
ORGANIZATION
4 pts. 2-3 pts. 1 pt.
OF IDEAS
4 pts. There is an evidence of Ideas are organized. Coherence between ideas
clear, effective, graceful, However, minimal is not evident. The reader
coherent transition of inclusions of irrelevant may find difficulty in
ideas in the essay. The ideas are evident. They do understanding the
organization aids the not affect the essence of collective thought of the
reader to clearly and the essay. essay.
easily understand the
connections of the ideas
to each other.
3-SYNTAX 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pt.
3 pts. The structure and the use
Minimal distractions in Distractions in regard to
of words, punctuations,regard to syntax are syntax is very evident.
and capitalizations in the
present ie failure to Wrong use of words,
sentence/s are correct and
capitalize a letter, misuse punctuations, and
appropriate. or lack of punctuations in capitalizations hinder the
a sentence, and reader to understand the
inappropriate wording. thought/s.
But these distractions do
not affect the essence of
the essay.
Adopted from: Sir Erin Dela Cruz, Soc Sci Teacher, PSHS Main Campus

The First World War was an event caused by various factors such as tangled alliances, extreme
nationalist feeling of peoples, the race for resources, and the policy that glorified wars and military
strength. The western and eastern fronts were the major battlefields of the war, where the opposing
camps were locked in stalemate, but other battles were also fought in other parts of the world.

Suggested Time: 1 min | Actual Time Spent: ____min(s)

Suggested Time: 8 min | Actual Time Spent: ____min(s)

References:

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Beck, R. B., Black, L., Krieger, L. S., Naylor, P. C., & Shabaka, D. I. (2003). Modern World History
Patterns of Interaction. Evanston: McDougal Littell Inc.
Perry, M. (1989). A History of the World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

*Lay-out and Design of Learning Guide Credit: Nneka B. Evangelista, SS 5 Teacher, PSHS-
CALABARZON Campus

Prepared by: Christine V. Ordinario Reviewed by: Joemar C. Ramos

Position: Special Science Teacher Position: Special Science Teacher II
Campus: PSHS-Cagayan Valley Campus Campus: PSHS-Western Visayas Campus

PSHS Social Science 3: World History 2 | Page 9 of 9

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