First World War - Causes (continued)

The Franco-Prussian War
- Prussian Victory
- Alsace and Lorraine

The threat of Russia
- Russia increasing in military strength
- The possibility of a preventative war

The Balkan Crisis and the decline of Turkey
- Turkish decline
- Nationalist uprisings
- Russia and Austria-Hungary's conflicting attempts to profit from Turkish decline

Serbian rivalry with Austria-Hungary
- 'pig war'
- Austria-Hungary annex Bosnia and Herzegovina
- German threat of force against Russia to accept Austria's annex policy
- Serbia up nationalist campaign

Growing Balkans unrest
- Balkan League
- Serbian strength
- Visit of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to Bosnia announced

The outbreak of the war (July/august 1914)
- Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
- Germany pledge Austria full military support in a Serbian invasion

The Austrian ultimatum
- Austria present Serbia with 10 demands
- Serbia accepts 9 of the ten demands
- Austria not willing to compromise, mobilise troops and declare war against Serbia

Attempts and mediation
- The role of Sir Edward Grey
- Germany's lack of co-operation
- Austria ignores attempts at peace and attacks Serbia

The Russian military response
- Partial mobilisation vs. general mobilisation debate in Russia
- Kaiser’s gives Tsar impression war could be prevented
- Partial mobilisation enacted instead of general mobilisation
- Austria declare a general mobilisation against Russia
- Russia switch to full mobilisation
- Germany declares war on Russia, France, and Belgium and send troops over the Belgium frontier

Britain enters the fray
- Britain's lack of involvement before summer 1914
- British ultimatum to Germany, Germany ignore it
- Britain declares war on Germany


TEACHING IDEA: Using some of the key events listed above (simplified) get the students to put them into three categories - 1) Long-term cause 2) Short-term cause 3) Trigger Cause