Colton Mccullah
Period 4
Seminar Question:
To what extent and in what ways did
nationalist tensions in the Balkans
between 1870 and 1914 contribute
to the outbreak of the First World
War?
Background History:
– In 1871, Bismarck had successfully established
Prussia-Germany as the strongest and most
powerful nation in Europe. As the dominant
nation, Germany had no desire to expand their
nation and only wished for peace.
– After France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War,
France was forced to pay an enormous sum of
money to cover the expense of the war, and give
up their territory of Alsace-Lorraine.
Striving For Peace
Bismarck’s Two Concerns:
Bismarck’s Plan to keep peace:
1.
• The Three Emperor’s
League of 1873 was an
alliance of Germany, Russia
and Austria made by
Bismarck in hope to keep
the three nations in good
relations.
2.
His first concern was to keep
France isolated and without
any military allies.
His second concern was that
Germany would be dragged
into a war between AustriaHungary and
Russia.(Austria-Hungary and
Russia had many conflicts
including their interests in
the Balkans.)
Change in Alliances
– In 1877 and ’78, Russia fought and won war against the
Ottoman Empire, in the Balkans. This disrupted the deal
made to leave the Balkans alone and thus infuriated
Austria. Bismarck tried to play peacemaker, but in 1878 in
the Congress of Berlin, he upset German nationalists
which forced Bismarck to break this three-way alliance,
and build a new military alliance with only Austria.
(Austrian-German Alliance lasted from 1879 until the end
of WW1 in 1918)
– Then in 1882, the Triple Alliance was formed…Italy had
tension with France witch led them to form an alliance
with both Germany and Austria. ( Triple Alliance was
from 1882 until 1915)
Continuation of the Alliances
• In 1881, Bismarck created a secret alliance with
Germany, Russia, and Austria which lasted until
1887 when Russia broke off this Alliance of the
Three Emperors due to new tensions in the Balkans.
• Bismarck’s defensive alliances proved to keep peace
with Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia for
nearly a whole generation.
• In 1890, Bismarck was dismissed and Emperor
William the Second took command.
WAR IN THE BALKINS:
1st Balkin War-1912
Balkan nationalism
was on the rise with
Serbia leading the
way. Serbia joined
Greece and Bulgaria in
order to successfully
attack the Ottoman
Empire.
2nd Balkin War-1913
The Serbs, along with
those of Greece and
Bulgaria, victoriously
defeated the Ottoman
Empire. But in a
dispute over the
earnings of the war
between Serbia and
Bulgaria, the 2nd war
had begun. Centuries
later, nationalism had
destroyed the
Ottoman Empire
entirely.
3rd Balkin War-1914
The Serbs assasinated
the heir to the AustroHungarian throne, and
his wife. This
provoked Austria to
punish Serbia once
and for all. After
trying to force Serbia
to cede control of its
state, the Austrian
forces declared war
on June 28, 1914.
World War 1
• On July 29, Russia declared general war on every
one and ordered full mobilization of its armies.
• After Belgium refused to let German armies pass
through its territory and advance on to fight
Russsia, Germany attacked and began an all out
invasion of France.
• Then, Great Britain joined in on France’s side
and declared war on Germany the very next day.
This marked the beginning of World War 1.
NATIONALISM AFFECTS WW1
• Nationalism was at the heart of the three
Balkan Wars, resulting in the first World War
in 1914.
• Nationalism also led to the Spiraling Arms
Race: which was a fight to prove naval
superiority between Germany and Britain
that poisoned the relations between the two
countries.