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(9/28) World War 1 Begins in Europe

Last updated about 5 years ago
10 questions

A Gathering Storm

What brought on this war, which would one day be called World War 1? Fierce rivalries had developed among European nations. Countries competed for military power and ownership of European lands. Strong feelings of nationalism existed. Nationalism is a love of one's country and the desire to have that country free from the control of others. Tensions (bad feelings) grew because many lands were under the control of other nations. And many countries had feelings of imperialism. They believed that the more territories they had, the more power they would have. This resulted in many larger countries taking over smaller countries. All of this led to alliances. An alliance is an agreement between nations to support each other in time of war. The two major alliances were the Allied Powers which included Great Britain, France, Russia, Serbia, and Belgium, and the Central Powers, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. The countries that did not enter the war were called neutral.
In 1914 Austria-Hungary was in control of land that Serbia believed it owned. On June 28, 1914, a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. (The word assassinate means to murder a political or important person. After the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

World War 1 began in Europe between the countries of Austria-Hungary and Serbia, but because of alliances, it soon grew into a global war of 32 nations. The fighting was fierce. Soldiers on each side dug a system of trenches, or ditches, that faced each other and cound extend hundreds of miles. Barbed-wire fences protected the front of each trench. A "no-man's land" - the area between trenches that neither side controlled - spread out between the opposing armies. Soldiers ate and slept in the trenches, which were often flooded or filled with rats. Trenches stayed damp, and many soldiers became ill. In the trenches, the sounds of war were constant.

Each side shot at the other's trenches or sent poison gases into them. Occasionally, troops on one side would go "over the top". They climbed out, crawled through the barbed wire, and raced across no-man's land to attack the enemy. Soldiers on both sides were becoming weary, and as casualties (deaths) climbed month after month, it seemed that the killing would never end!
Answer the questions below. If you do not remember the answer from your reading, please go back into the text above to find the answer. ALL answers are given in the text.
11

A love of one's country, and a desire to have that country fee from the control of other countries.

11

An agreement among countries to support each other in time of war.

11

Larger countries taking over smaller countries because they wanted more power

11

The murder of a political or important person

11

Which event triggered the fighting in World War 1?

11

World War 1 was fought between

11

Which major countries belonged to the Central Powers? Select all that apply.

12

Which major countries belonged to the Allied Powers? Select all that apply.

11

Soldiers fought from a system of ditches that faced each other and could extend for hundreds of miles. What were these ditches called?

0

List 4 things that made life in the trenches tough for soldiers.