9781422286029

World War I

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On August 3, Germany claimed that French forces had bombed the German city of Nuremberg. That was a lie, but it served as the pretext for Germany’s declaration of war on France. Britain was pulled into the burgeoning conflict when Germany invaded Belgium. An 1839 treaty obligated Britain to guarantee Belgium’s neu- trality . On August 4, as the Kaiser’s troops poured across the Belgian border, the British declared war on Germany. Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia on August 6. Six days later, France and Great Britain declared war on Austria-Hungary. The lines were now drawn. Germany and Austria-Hungary (known as the Central Powers) faced off against the Allies (France, Russia, and Britain). World War I—dubbed the Great War by the generation that fought it—had begun.

Text-dependent questions 1. Name the countries that formed the Triple Alliance. Name the countries that formed the Triple Entente. 2. What happened in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914? 3. Which German action pulled the British into the war? Research project Choose one of the following countries: Austria-Hungary, Ger- many, Serbia, Russia, France, or Britain. Using the Internet or a library, research what the country’s political and military leaders said and did in the month after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. What, if anything, might they have done differently to avert the war? Present your findings in an essay, making sure to cite evidence to support your conclusions.