World War I Lecture outline 1/12/2010 I. Why is it called a world war? II. Balance of power III. Total war, mass death and genocide IV. Aftermath: how WWI changed the world I. Why is it called a world war? 1) The great powers saw the war as a fight for global dominance. 2) Competition for colonies, territory and resources, was an integral motive for war. 3) Colonial subjects from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Pacific provided a large number of front-line soldiers. 4) Outside of Europe, a limited number of places in Southern Africa, East Asia and especially the Middle East were important areas of conflict. 5) The United States took part in a war outside of the Americas for the first time. II. Balance of power 1) In 1914, Britain dominated most of the world and its oceans. But newly industrialized countries like Germany challenged that dominance. 2) A system of alliances between European powers was meant to guarantee that no single nation upset the existing balance of power. However the colonial and military
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