Causes of World War I
Part 1
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Entangling Alliances
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! After Napoleon’
Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, there was a balance of power in Europe
! France was defeated by Germany in 1870-71 (Germany got Alsace-Lorraine); ended balance of
power because Germany was united
! Germany was now:
!
!
!
!
First in military, education, and scientific discovery
67 million people – 2nd to Russia
Produced much coal, iron, and steel
Were catching up to Britain
! Agricultural output doubled
! Industry production quadrupled
! Trade tripled
Entangling Alliances
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! Details of the alliances were kept secret and were only published in full after the wars,
so parliament wasn’
wasn’t consulted
! Diplomats were expected to have a private income sufficient to maintain themselves in
style if they were to serve abroad, so most diplomats were from the privileged classes
! Believed that the alliance system would maintain the balance of power
! Believed that the alliance system would prevent war – “a war of group against group
would be a measureless calamity”
calamity” – The Times (April 1914)
Entangling Alliances
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!In 1879, the Dual Alliance was formed between Germany and AustriaHungary
!Purpose - were to help each other in case of an attack
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Why Form the Dual Alliance (1879)?
! Germany’
Germany’s reasons
! Austria-Hungary was partly German empire
! Austria-Hungary could be more easily dominated
! Their territory could be used as a path to the Middle East
! Germany wanted to maintain a balance of power in their favor
! It would alarm the Russians into making better relations with Germany
! Austria’
Austria’s reasons
• It meant an additional guarantee of the empire’
empire’s stability
• The maintenance of Austria-Hungary as a Great Power depended on the alliance
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Consequences
!The maintenance of Austria-Hungary as a Great Power became a major
foreign policy goal for Germany because Austria was seen as Germany’
Germany’s
only reliable ally
!The incorporation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was seen as a way to strengthen
Austria-Hungary’
Austria-Hungary’s position as a Great Power, but it was a blow to Serbia’
Serbia’s
objective of making a Greater Serbia
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Triple Alliance (1882)
! Italy switched from a policy of internal improvement to nationalism/imperialism when
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they united in 1866
! They wanted:
! Trentino and Trieste - both held by Austria-Hungary after their war with Italy in 1866
! Nice and Savoy – had been ceded to France in return for French help
! Semi-autonomous Turkish territories of Tunisia and Tripolis (had Italians living in them)
! Corsica – French, but once a dependency of Genoa
! Purpose of Triple Alliance (1882) – to come to each other’
other’s aid if there is a war
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Why Form the Triple Alliance (1882)?
!It appeared to give Italy status as a Great Power
!It offered the prospect of support in an attempt to win some colonial
compensation for France’
France’s acquisition of Tunisia the year before
!Italy wanted to establish influence in the Balkans
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Dual Entente (1893)
! Bismarck closed the German money markets to Russian loans (for military and industrial
development) in 1885 in order to discourage their engaging in a war in the Balkans, so the French
replaced them
! France was very concerned about an attack from Germany again, so they took the opportunity to
form an alliance
! In 1893, the Dual Entente was formed between France and Russia
! Purpose - Both countries would partially mobilize in case of an attack by Germany or Austria-Hungary
(with the support of Germany)
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Why Form the Dual Entente (1893)?
! The British threatened Russian and French spheres of influences
! Because of the closing of the German money markets and there was a tariff war between Germany
and Russia
! There could be no reconciliation between France and Germany after Germany annexed AlsaceLorraine in the Franco-Prussian War
! France hoped to use the alliance to return Alsace and Lorraine and be in a position to establish
control of Morocco without German influence
! It was a way to counter the threat of Germany allied with Austria-Hungary – it would be a deterrent
to war
! France could maintain their preeminence in Europe and stand up to Germany
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Entente Cordiale (1904)
!Anglo-French Entente (Entente Cordiale) - 1904
! Purpose – Settle imperial disputes with France & Britain
! This was not a formal defense alliance
!Why the Anglo-French Entente (1904)?
! France had an alliance w/Russia, while Britain had an alliance with Japan (because
of their interests in the far east) - if Russia and Japan attacked each other, it would
mean a general war
! Both were also concerned over Germany and their fleet
! France couldn’
couldn’t maintain both a fleet equal to Britain and an army equal to
Germany
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Entangling Alliances
!Consequences
! Britain felt that if they didn’
didn’t maintain a close relationship with France, they might
turn to Germany (at the expense of the British Empire)
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! Britain made a naval agreement with France (British navy would concentrate on the
English Channel; French navy would concentrate on the Mediterranean)
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Anglo-Russian Entente (1907)
(Triple Entente is now formed)
! Anglo-Russian Entente - 1907
! Purpose – Settle imperial differences in the Middle East
! Why the Anglo-Russian Entente (1907)?
! German naval building was seen as a threat to Britain’
Britain’s imperial interests
! Britain feared Germany hegemony (dominance) on the European continent
! It settled old differences between them and borders between their two empires in Persia,
Afghanistan, and Tibet
! The Russian defeat by Japan made the Russian government anxious to improve relations with
Britain
! Britain and France could strengthen the fledgling parliamentary system in Russia
! Gave the Russians hopes of British support for their aspirations in the Balkans
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False Beliefs
!Bethmann Hollweg,
Hollweg, Chancellor of Germany, believed that if Russia started
the war, then Britain would not intervene
!Franz Conrad, the Chief of Staff of Austria-Hungary, believed that Russian
support for Serbia might turn out to be bluff
!Russian officials believed that if they supported Serbia, Germany wouldn’
wouldn’t
intervene
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Militarism/Nationalism
!Caused by:
! Imperialism – race to get colonies to build your empire and get resources
! Belief in social darwinism – your race is the best
! The Influence of Sea Power in History (1905) Thayer Mahan – no nation can
maintain its great power status without naval power
! Industrialism – countries could produce weapons fast and that are more deadly
(arms races)
! A desire by many nations to maintain a position of preeminence or balance of
power
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Militarism/Nationalism - Germany
! The Prussians formed the dominant element in the army and they had a tradition of
strong military values
! This affected the whole of German society after unification
! In addition, Germany still had individual states (Landers), that possessed important
powers over day-to-day life of their citizens, so foreign policy was seen as a way to
unify the country
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Militarism/Nationalism - Germany
!Weltpolitik
! The policy sought Germany's “place in the sun”
sun” that was fitting to its rising
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industrial strength, primarily by the creation of a colonial empire to rival those of
other powers
! The most dramatic element in the policy was the construction of the High Seas
Fleet, a navy which would rival, or even exceed, the UK’
UK’s Royal Navy in strength
! This policy was sought by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz.
Tirpitz. He convinced the Reichstag
that without the navy, German decline was certain
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Militarism/Nationalism - Germany
! Arguments for the fleet:
! Because of Britain’
Britain’s many worldwide commitments, a battleship fleet only 2/3 the size would
bring victory
! Fleet would act as a deterrent, ensuring Britain’
Britain’s neutrality in any future conflict
! Other countries would only respect and deal with Germany fairly when Germany’
Germany’s navy was built
up that much
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What Were the Results of Weltpolitik?
Weltpolitik?
! It led to an Anglo-German naval race where each sought to outbuild the other in
dreadnoughts
! This naval building led to increased taxes and strained economies
! This kind of naval building turned out to be inappropriate for the war; the war at sea
was primarily a war of submarines
! Led to Britain’
Britain’s fear that they would lose the balance of power and their empire
! Britain began a naval building program in 1889
! Britain and other countries refused to end warship construction because it would affect
manufacturing and trade
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Militarism/Nationalism - Germany
! Schlieffen Plan –
! Developed when Russia had been defeated by Japan in 1904-05 and Russia was in their first
revolution
! Dependent on quick mobilization and defeat of France, then defeat of Russia
! They thought it would take Russia 40 days to mobilize
! Wanted to go through neutral Belgium
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Militarism/Nationalism – Austria
!Austrian Naval League (1905) – explained that Austria-Hungary ought to
follow the path taken by Germany
!By 1912, the largest budget in Austro-Hungarian history was approved
!New military laws guaranteed their armed forces an annual contingent of
181,000 men, with increases over the next 5 years
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Militarism/Nationalism - Austria
!Wanted to annex Bosnia-Herzegovina
!Plan B (Balkans) - Planned a campaign to crush Serbia quickly before
Russia could get involved
!Plan R (Russia) - Another plan developed later that would attack Serbia,
prevent Russian assistance to Serbia, deploy troops to Russia, and leave
northern A-H up to Germany to protect
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Militarism/Nationalism - Italy
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!The army was a symbol of Italy’
Italy’s unity and status as a Great Power
!Italy engaged in a military and naval arms race, primarily against AustriaHungary and France
!They were to have a superiority of 2:1.6 dreadnoughts over Austria
!Throughout the 1890s, Italian generals had planned for war with France,
but also with Austria-Hungary. Annual maneuvers began to be held in the
Alps
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Militarism/Nationalism - Russia
! Knew that if they had war, they would have to face war against Germany and AustriaHungary
! Believed they were the overseer of the Slavs in the Balkans
! Approved huge army and naval increases in 1913
! Plan 19 – The plan for a war against Germany and Austria-Hungary. If Germany
attacked France, Russia would send 9 army corps against Germany and 16 army corps
to attack Austria-Hungary. It was based on the assumption that Germany would be
too busy in the west to intervene effectively on the eastern front
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Militarism/Nationalism - France
! Wanted to regain Alsace-Lorraine and have colonies in Africa
! Extended compulsory military service from 2-3 years
! Increased naval expenditures
! Plan XVII – Developed by Ferdinand Foch following the Franco-Prussian War and
continued by Joseph Joffre.
Joffre. Hoped that once a German invasion through Alsace
occurred, an all-out attack on the diverted German forces (because they would be
engaged in the East by Russia) would achieve a quick win
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Consequences
!A move to increase armaments was never isolated, but was followed by
increase military expenditure in other states
!The arms race itself contributed to the feeling that war was inevitable
!Germany naval expansion provoked British naval expansion, and AustriaHungary was inspired by Germany’
Germany’s naval expansion to do the same
!Russian military expenditure provided the excuse for German army
increases and these in turn provoked the French 3-year law
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Domestic Issues - Germany
! Kaiser Wilhelm II
! Was emperor
! Was intelligent, but highly emotional and unpredictable
! Had a need to show himself equal of his British relatives
! Election of 1912
! Social Democrats, Progressives, and Center parties formed a coalition and demanded a
constitutional monarchy responsible to the Reichstag
! Conservatives, militarists, and Wilhelm became concerned and wanted to defeat democratic
socialism
! They developed an increasingly militarized court, anger, and fear/pessimism about the future
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Germany Wants War?
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! 1912 marks the end of the confident thinking of the Kaiser and his top staff
! Chief of Staff Ludwig Moltke believed that war was inevitable and contributed to the warlike
mood in Germany
! Their Austro-Hungarian ally was in dire straits, weakened by the dispute among the
nationalities composed in the empire
! Russia had recovered from their defeat against Japan and was launching a huge program of
military expansion and preparedness
! Russia’
Russia’s protégés in the Balkans were increasing in strength after their victory in the first
Balkan war
! After the elections of 1912, more Social Democrats were in the Reichstag than ever before
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Domestic Issues – Austria-Hungary
! Constitutional Settlement of 1867
! Linked Austria with Hungary
! Dualism was seen as a device for excluding the Slav majority from their rightful and
equal place in the empire
! By dividing the empire, the Magyars (Hungarians) and Germans (Austrians)
constituted the majority, each in their own half. The majority of the 21 million Slavs in
the empire as a whole was thus turned into minorities
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