Causes of WW1
IGCSE History – Grade 10
WW1 Facts
• 10 million killed or MIA - 22 million wounded
• 60% chance of being killed or wounded (91% if in
Austrian army)
• 260 killed every hour
• Half of the dead of Great War have no known grave.
• The Spanish Influenza of 1918 killed 51 million people
worldwide!
• During the summer and fall of 1914, France lost as
many men on the battlefield as the U.S. would lose in
all of the C20th.
Countries involved
Some famous solders
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Earnest Hemingway (wounded)
Winston Churchill (Admiral of GB navy)
Mohandas Ghandi (GB Recruitment Officer)
JRR Tolkein (wounded)
Wilfred Owen (died in last week of war)
Adolf Hitler (Corporal in Austrian army)
Only 3 WW1 veterans survive today
Causes of WW1
MAINS
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
Significant individuals
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Long-term Causes of WW1
Complete Big Brother of Europe (The
House of Cards)
1. Rise of Alliances
– 1879 Dual Alliance
– 1882 Triple Alliance
– 1894 France-Russia Convention
– 1902 Anglo-Japan Treaty
– 1904 Entente Cordiale
– 1907 Anglo-Russian Entente
– 1907 Triple Entente
1879 Dual Alliance
• Between Germany and Austria-Hungary
• Defensive alliance:
– Either to remain neutral if other attacked
– Either to aid military if other attacked by Russia
• This was Bismarck trying to solidify
Prussia/German position in Europe.
1882 Triple Alliance
• Between Germany, Austria & Italy
• Others would come to aid if one of the three
attacked by two countries
• Others would come to aid if Germany and/or
Italy attacked only by France
• In 1902 Italy made similar secret
pact with France.
1887 Reinsurance Treaty
• 1887 secret treaty between Russia & Germany
• Each would remain neutral if other goes to
war (unless Germany attacks France or Russia
attacks Austria).
• Germany refused to renew it in 1890
• This made Russia suspicious and made her
focus on alliance with France and GB.
• 1894 Franco-Russian Alliance
– Either provide military assistance to other in event
of war against any member of Triple Alliance
• 1902 Anglo-Japan treaty
– Saw end to GB’s ‘Splendid Isolation’.
– Japan to help GB with rise of Russia & Germany in
Asia
1904 Entente Cordiale
• Between GB and France
• Not a military pact
• However cleared up issues over Asian and African
territories
– Notably GB to get Egypt and France to
get Morocco.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany) was sure
there was a secret military pact
behind this. He was wrong.
1907 Triple Entente
• 1907 Anglo-Russian Entente
– Like Entente Cordiale this was not military
– Merely cleared relations between two countries, and
resolved disputed territories in central Asia
(Afghanistan, Iran & Tibet)
• Led to what became known as Triple Entente: GB,
France & Russia
• No military obligation (although KWII thought so),
but possible moral obligation to help in war.
Map of Europe after alliances
Complete worksheet on relations between European nations prior to
WW1
2. Rise of Germany
• 1888 – year of 3 Kaisers
• Wilhelm (William) I dies
• Frederick III (son) takes
over. Dies after 2 month
– throat cancer
• Kaiser Wilhelm II
(Grandson) takes over
Kaiser Wilhelm II
• Very different to Grandfather
– KWII was young, ambitious, hands-on, aggressive,
megalomaniac, quick-tempered.
• 1890 – sacks Bismarck & employs policy of
Weltpolitik (world policy)
1. Build German navy to exceed GB’s
2. Make Germany into imperial power
3. Make Germany important in foreign affairs
L’enfant Terrible
Naval plans
• GB had largest navy in world and ruled the
seas – essential for economics & empire
• GB and Germany entered into naval race –
especially for Drednoughts.
• Germany would never catch up:
– By 1914 Germany had 97
warships vs GB’s 189.
– One of the main factors
Germany lost WW1
Empire of Germany
• He also wanted his own empire – “A place in the
sun”.
• Realised virtually all countries worth having were
part of France or GB. Therefore he had to
dismantle Entente Cordiale – from there he could
then start to take imperial possessions from each
country
• By 1905 KWII believed Germany had been
encircled by Triple Entente
= First and second Moroccan crisis
Empires 1914
Africa 1900
Medium-term Causes of WW1
1. First Morocco Crisis (Tangier Crisis)
• Under Entente Cordiale Morocco given to
France
• March 1905 KWII sails to Morocco and gives
speech supporting Moroccan independence
• At Algeciras Conference GB & Russia gives
backing to France and Germany humiliatingly
backs-down
• Heightens mistrust between Entente Cordiale
members and German imperial ambitions.
2. Second Morocco Crisis (Adagir
Crisis)
• 1911 Moroccan Government asks French army
for help to squash a revolt – which is does
• Germany unexpectedly sends warship Panther to
Moroccan port Agadir
• Again GB and Russia again give France support
• Germany will allow France Morocco if Germany
gets Republic of Congo from France
• France agrees
• Germany looks like aggressor.
3. Rise of militarism
• Germany was
expanding military.
After Agadir, so did
others
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Germany
France
Russia
Britain
1900
1914
0.4m
0.5m
0.6m
0.2m
2.2m
1.25m
1.3m
0.7m
4. Rise of Nationalism – Balkans Crisis
Balkans
• Up to 1877 Balkans was part of Ottoman Empire
• Following various wars = Treaty of Berlin 1878:
– Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria & Romania given
independence
– Bosnia-Herzegovina under influence of AustriaHungary
• Crisis showed potential for problems. It combined
nationalism of the countries themselves with
imperialist plans of Russia and Austria-Hungary
Serbia
• Hated Austria for being given B-H. Wanted B-H
and all Slavs and Croats as part of Greater
Serbia (Yugoslavia)
• Austria never allow this as it would dismantle
empire – In 1908 A-H annexed B-H. This
concerned Serbia as they felt they were next.
• 1903 Killed King and replaced with very proRussia leader
– 1903 Serbia-Russian Military Alliance
Ethnic Groups in Balkans
• First Balkan War (1912)
• 1912 Serbia led Balkan League (Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece &
Montenegro)
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aim was to kick Turkey out of Balkans. Serbia also wanted Albania (to
give it a port – essential for eco growth)
– Following victory A-H pressure ensures Serbia not
given port
• Second Balkan War (1913)
– Bulgaria attacks Serbia. Serbia easily wins (with help)
– Again A-H pressure ensures Serbia does not get a port
Short-term Causes of WW1
1. Final events
• Against advice, 28th June
1914 Archduke Franz
Ferdinand (heir to A-H
throne) visits Sarajevo,
capital of Bosnia.
• Shot and killed (along with
wife) by Gavrilo Princip –
Serbian Nationalist.
• Ferdinand’s car registration
was 11 11 18 – date of end
of WW1
Read text of Murder at Sarajevo
2. Ultimatum
• A-H claims Serbian Government behind
assassination
– In fact not the case at all (was ‘Black Hand’)
• Germany offers A-H help whatever happens
(known as ‘blank cheque’)
• 23 July 1914 A-H gives Serbia ultimatum with
10 demands and 2 days to respond.
3. War declaration
• Serbia agrees to ultimatum, except a few
minor issues.
• Not good enough for A-H
• 28 July 1914 –
Austria-Hungary
declares war on
Serbia
4. International response
• 29 July
Russia declares war on G
» Due to Serbia-Russian Alliance
• 1 Aug
Germany declares war on Russia
» Due to Triple Alliance
• 3 Aug
Germany declares war on France
» Part of Schlieffen Plan – fatally goes through Belgium
• 4 Aug
GB declares war on Germany
» Due to 1837 Treaty of London which protects Belgium
• 24 Aug
Japan declares war on Germany
» Due to Anglo-Japan Alliance
• 4 Aug
Italy declares war on Germany
» Ignores Triple Alliance as they feel war is offensive not defensive
Countries at war
The Schlieffen Plan
• Germany’s military plan
to defeat France and
Russia.
• “Knock out blow”
aimed at France first.
• Defeat France in six
weeks as that’s how
long it would take
Russia to get ready.
• Avoid French defences
by invasion of Belgium.
• Germans thought
Britain would not
intervene.
Significant Individuals
• A family Affair?
– King George V (GB), Kaiser Wilhlem II (Ger) & Tsar
Nicholas II (Rus) all first cousins
• All had Queen Victoria as Grandmother
Kaiser Wilhelm II
• Built up German army and
navy
• Aggressive foreign policy
• Intelligent but rash
• Determined to make
Germany a top nation.
• Distrusted by other powers
“Germany must have its
place in the sun”
“The world belongs to
the strong.”
Tsar Nicolas II
• Not intelligent – incapable of
running such a large country
• Humiliated in Japan-Russia
war
• In some ways welcomed war
to restore Russian pride.
• Facing increasing political
pressure at home
“Not fit to run a village
post office.” (Leon
Trorsky)
George V
• Only came to throne 1911
• Introverted, all about duty
• Tried to act as peace-maker
in run-up to war
• Changed royal family
surname from Saxe-CoburgGotha to Windsor
“the Old Country must
wake up if she intends to
maintain her old
position of preeminence.”
Count Berchtold
• Austrian Prime
Minister.
• During the July
Crisis, decided on a
very tough
ultimatum for Serbia
“Were the Serbs to
agree to all the
demands, this would
not be to my liking”
Bethmann Hollweg
• German Prime Minister
• Gave very strong support
to Austria during the July
crisis while Kaiser was
cruising on his yacht
“The Austrian demands are
moderate. Any
interference by Britain,
France and Russia would
be followed by incalculable
consequences”
Gottlieb von Jagow
• German Foreign
Minister
• Felt that the Serbia
problem would be
localised – i.e. not lead
to international war.
• Mistrusted by the Triple
Entente
“The war was caused by
these damned sytems
of alliances.”
Activities
• 1. Who was to blame?
– Divide paper into two – points for responsibilty
lies with and doesn’t like with different countries:
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GB
Fr
Ger
Aus
Ser
Russ
Newspaper report
• Different countries reporting on death of
assassination:
– GB
– Ger
– Aus
– Serbia
– Russia