Tag Archives: nationalism
Causes of the First World War – The July Crisis
Beginning with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, this video explores the 6-week period known as the July Crisis. It explains the concept of Germany’s ‘Blank Cheque’ and how the alliance system caused the nations of Europe to become embroiled in what was now a ‘world’ war. Reference is made to the Schlieffen Plan and how this led to Britain’s declaration of war.
Gavrilo Princip’s sandwich myth and the causes of WW1
Since becoming a teacher, I’ve been disturbed by the number of people who claim that the First World War was caused by a sandwich. Having read a huge amount of sources about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, I’ve put together this video that presents a detailed look at the claim that Gavrilo Princip was able to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand and cause the First World War because he went to buy a sandwich from Schiller’s Delicatessen.
My video was inspired by Mike Dash’s excellent article at http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/09/gavrilo-princips-sandwich/ – it’s well worth ten minutes of your time to read it.
Why was there a Franco-Prussian War in 1870?
The Franco-Prussian War began with a declaration of war by the French emperor, Napoleon III.
The MAIN causes of the First World War (video)
This video is taken from BBC Bitesize revision, and it gives an excellent overview of the key long-term causes of the war.
Enlisting for the army in the First World War
A short video extract showing German and British attitudes to the outbreak of war, and how these influenced men to join the army.
