Causes of World War Project
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Causes of Great Britain’s involvement in World War I
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Alliances that divided Europe into competing camps
Britain allies with France in the informal Entente Cordiale and Anglo-Russian
Entente (See France below)
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Nationalistic feelings
British nationalism is focused on maintaining/expanding the British Empire. A common
expression was that the Empire was what put the “Great” in Great Britain, and that
without it, she would be at best a second class country.
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Diplomatic failures
Britain fails to make its alliance with France public. Result: Germany does not take
Britain into account when it draws up war plans, because it calculates that Britain will
remain neutral.
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Imperialism
Britain is not interested in expanding the Empire, but in keeping what it already has.
Anyone that even remotely threatens the Empire (i.e. Germany) becomes dangerous.
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Competition over colonies
See above.
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Militarism
The country least influenced by militarism. GB will do whatever it takes to protect the
Empire, but relies on diplomacy instead of fighting. The Navy and Army are subordinate
to civilian leadership and do not set national policy.
Causes of France’s involvement in World War I
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Alliances that divided Europe into competing camps
France seeks to isolate Germany. Forms alliance with first Russia and then Great Britain.
Primary Documents: Franco-Russian Military
Convention, 18 August 1892
Updated - Sunday, 11 November, 2001
Not published until 1918, the Franco-Russian Military Convention of 18 august 1892
drew France and Russia closer together, and together with Britain, ultimately formed
the Triple Entente.
The Franco-Russian Military Convention was signed two years after the GermanRussian Reinsurance Treaty had been allowed by Russia to lapse. Increasingly
Russia's future alliance lay with France and Britain, in opposition to Germany,
Austria-Hungary and Italy (who ultimately formed the Central Powers).
In short, should France or Russia be attacked by one of the Triple Alliance signatories
- or even should a Triple Alliance power mobilize against either, the other power
would provide military assistance.
First World War.com - Primary Documents - Franco-Russian Military Convention, 18
August 1892
Primary Documents: Entente Cordiale, 8 April 1904
Updated - Sunday, 4 November, 2001
The Entente Cordiale, an agreement between Britain and France, resolved a number
of longstanding colonial disputes, and established a diplomatic understanding
between the two countries, which however stopped short of binding either to any
military undertaking in support of the other.
First World War.com - Primary Documents - Entente Cordiale, 8 April 1904
Primary Documents: Anglo-Russian Entente, 1907
Updated - Sunday, 4 November, 2001
With the Anglo-Russian Entente of 1907, following the Anglo-French Entente Cordiale
of 1904, the so-called Triple Entente of Britain, France and Russia was established.
The Triple Entente stood in opposition to the Triple Alliance (otherwise referred to as
the Central Powers) of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
First World War.com - Primary Documents - Anglo-Russian Entente, 1907
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Nationalistic feelings
Germany seen as the great enemy of France and the French people.
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Diplomatic failures
France fails to make its alliance with Great Britain public. (See Great Britain). France’s
efforts to surround Germany with enemies worsen relations with Germany. France’s
alliance with Russia makes France a partner (whether she wants it or not) in any conflict
that Russia gets involved with.
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Imperialism
France, like Britain, is more interested in holding on to the empire it already has, rather
than trying to enlarge it. Germany is increasingly seen as a threat to France’s overseas
empire.
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Competition over colonies
See above
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Militarism
French army is seen as the main defender of France, however it does not make French
national policy, but, as in Great Britain, follows the orders of the civilian government.
Causes Russia ‘s involvement in World War I
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Alliances that divided Europe into competing camps
Russia turns to France for financial support in rebuilding its military after the defeat in
the Russo Japanese War of 1905. France also becomes the greatest investor in the
Russian economy. Russia is also interested in gaining an ally against what it sees as
Austro-Hungarian meddling in the Balkans. (For Russia’s alliances, see France)
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Nationalistic feelings
The Russian government plays on Russian nationalism to take the public’s mind off of
Russia’s social and economic problems. Russia promotes the concept of “Pan-Slavism,”
which is supposed to be a union of all Slavic peoples and nations under the leadership of
Russia. This causes her to make unwise commitments to support Serbia, without
requiring that Serbia consult Russia before taking moves that might involve her in
conflicts.
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Diplomatic failures
Russia fails to control its diplomatic client, Serbia, and fails to achieve a stable working
relationship with Austria-Hungary in the Balkans.
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Imperialism
Very important to Russian pride. The Czarist government can claim that, while it is
economically backwards, its expansionism in Asia is what makes Russia a great power.
This is why her loss to Japan in 1905 over the northern Chinese province of Manchuria
is so crippling to the government. The government is shown to be both weak and corrupt,
and the people can’t forgive the weakness and humiliation.
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Competition over colonies
Russia also becomes involved in the Balkans as the self-declared protector of the Balkan
Slavic peoples, and to gain eventual control over the strategic water route from the Black
Sea-thru the Bosporus-thru the Dardanelles-to the Mediterranean. Unlike Manchuria,
Russia is not looking to colonize the area, but to control it. It wants to turn the Balkans
into an area that’s obedient to Russia’s plans. Russia’s policies bring her into conflict
with both Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
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Militarism
Russia has the largest army in Europe, and the Russian nobility is important in the army
and navy, and therefore in the government. The greatest danger is that Russia can’t afford
to be seen as backing down to any other country militarily, after its defeat in the Russo
Japanese War.
Causes of Germany’s involvement in World War I
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Alliances that divided Europe into competing camps
1890, Kaiser Wilhelm II doesn’t renew the “Reassurance Treaty” that Bismarck
negotiated with Russia. (Bismarck was furious with the Kaiser and let it be known
publicly that he thought Wilhelm was insane. He might have been right.) Bismarck had
seen the Treaty as assuring peace by making war with Russia impossibility.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/reinsurancetreaty.htm
Primary Documents: Triple Alliance, 20 May 1882
Negotiated and signed in May 1881, the Triple Alliance brought Italy into the alliance
previously agreed between Germany and Austria-Hungary (in 1879) as a counterweight
to France and Russia. The Triple Alliance involves Germany in the disputes and
conflicts of Austria-Hungary with its Slavic neighbors without gaining anything of equal
value in return..
First World War.com - Primary Documents - Triple Alliance, 20 May 1882
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Nationalistic feelings
A major consideration in German foreign policy. Nationalism was at the bottom of its
paranoia that the rest of the world was not giving it the respect that it deserved. It also
made it very difficult for any German government to compromise in disputes with other
nations for fear of appearing weak and working against national interests.
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Diplomatic failures
Germany under Wilhelm I:
1. Alienated a friend, Great Britain, by going ahead with an ill advised plan (the Kaiser’s)
to make the German navy the greatest in the world.
2. Over reliance on Austria-Hungary, to the determinant of good relations with Russia.
3. Failure to keep Austria-Hungary in check, and fatally assuring that Germany would
stand by her whatever she decided to do to punish Serbia after the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand: what is known as the , “Blank Check.”
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Imperialism
Bismarck thought it was a waste of money (it was: Germans colonies lost money) and
would involve Germany in colonial competitions that weren’t in her interests. Wilhelm I,
however, declared that Germany wanted “a place in the sun,” meaning that as the number
one industrial power in Europe, Germany should have a suitable number of colonies to go
with it. Since all possible third world countries had been already colonized, this meant
that someone was going to have to surrender theirs to Germany.
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Competition over colonies
See above.
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Militarism
Germany was the most militaristic society in Europe: German values : military values.
This was especially evident in German diplomacy where threats and bullying became the
hallmark of German negotiating techniques.
Kaiser Wilhelm confused the issue of civilian vs. military control of the government. In
all other western European countries, there was a tradition of the military following the
directions of their civilian superiors. In Germany, the military never admitted that any
civilian (with the obvious exception of Bismarck) could be their superior or give them
orders. This confusion of command allowed the military to effectively take over the
German government in the last few weeks before war was declared, which ensured that
the war was now unavoidable.