Some key concepts
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‘The lamps are going out all over Europe: we shall not see them lit
again in our lifetime’
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AFTER THIS THEREFORE BECAUSE OF THIS
‘A’ happened- ‘B’ happened
Therefore A caused B
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.
Austria- Hungary declared war on Serbia.
World War One started.
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Franz Ferdinand assassinated 28th June 1914
Austrian ultimatum to Serbia 23rd July
Serbia rejects the ultimatum- Austria declares
war 28th July
Russia mobilizes against Austria 30th July
Germany declares war on Russia 1st August
Germany declares war on France 2nd August
Germany invades France through Belgium
Britain declares war on Germany 4th August
Austria declares war on Russia 6th August
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Militarism
The Alliance system
Imperialism
Nationalism
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‘The very things which are blamed for the war
of 1914- secret diplomacy, the balance of
power, the great continental armies- also
gave Europe a period of unparalleled peace.
It’s no good asking ‘What factors caused the
outbreak of war?’ The question is rather ‘Why
did the factors that had long preserved the
peace of Europe fail to do so in 1914?’
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Wars are much like road accidents. They have
a general and a particular cause at the same
time. Every road accident is caused in the last
resort by the invention of the internal
combustion engine.. But the police and the
courts do not weigh profound causes. They
seek a specific cause for each accidentdriver error, excessive speed, drunkeness,
faulty brakes, bad road surface. So it is with
wars.’
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The assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand
The July Crisis and the slide to war
The main longer term causes- how did they
prevent war / contribute to war in 1914?
The views of historians on the outbreak of
war (HISTORIOGRAPHY)
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Traditional View- Germany responsible- Article 231‘War Guilt’
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Orthodox View- collective responsibility ‘shared guilt’
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Revisionism 1: ‘The Fischer Controversy’- continuity
of German history from 1870- 1914 led to war- fears
of German encirclement-territorial expansion-
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Revisionism 2: Ritter – Germany wanted to support
Austria. German military planning caused war
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Others- mobilisation plans / German preventative
war /
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Emphasize here how Nationalism contributed in
different ways to the 1914 period- depended upon
which country you were in.
A ‘Dangerous and irrational’ force
Nationalism by 1914 had gone beyond the idea of a
common language / culture
‘New Nationalism’
Contributed to economic rivalry between nations
Linked to the improvements in education
Linked to mass politics of the era
Helped to solidify UK, France, Germany, Italy and
Russia-and led to competition in terms of empire /
military / economy
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Nationalism was a force for stability in mono
ethnic countries- in polyglot empires (e.g.
Austria Hungary) it was a force for instability
with minority groups not being
accommodated by the parent ruler.
Examples- Austria Hungary- the call for a
‘Greater Serbia’
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
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Nationalism manifested itself in different
ways- alone it would not create war
Nationalism created the need for countries to
demonstrate their superiority- this led to the
arms race and the search for Empire.
Nationalism was a cause of World War One
because of what it led to.
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‘Among the tectonic plates shaping the
context of international politics, none loomed
as dangerous and irrational as rampant,
virulent, passion filled nationalism’
(Williamson)
Williamson emphasizes the importance of
nationalism within Austria- Hungary- they
felt the need to stop Serbian Nationalism
Nationalism a destabilizing force in parts of
Europe
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Europe divided into two ‘camps’
Origins of these alliances go back to the
Franco- Prussian War 1871
1894 Alliance between France and Russiaseemed to set Europe on the road to war
The move from Bismarck’s Realpolitik to
Wilhelm’s Weltpolitik
A single country’s entrance into a conflict
always brought with it the threat of support
from the alliance partners
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Countries regularly ignored such alliances- e.g.France had not supported Russia when she
protested about the annexation of Bosnia (1908)
Morocco Crises 1905 / 1911- Austria did not
support Germany over its attempts to stop
France in Africa
Germany had restrained Austria over Serbia
during the Second Balkan War (1913)
Declaration of war was not made because of the
alliance system- alliance system was how the war
escalated
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James Joll emphasizes how the alliance
system fell into disarray in 1914- alliance
system actually destabilized Europe
Mobilization plans were based upon what
countries thought their allies would do
George Kennan- ‘fateful Franco Russian
alliance all but made WWI inevitable
German fears of encirclement by the Triple
Alliance led them to form an aggressive war
policy.
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Outbreak of War as a ‘celebration’ in 1914
Linked to the ideals of Social Darwinism in
the 1800s
Militarism, armaments and war mobilisation
plans have all been put forward as a key
factor in the outbreak of war- Europe was an
‘armed camp’ by 1914
Mass conscription and increased expenditure
on arms made war more likely
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Only 5% of GDP spent on Arms and defenceGermany (3.5 % of GDP- less than UK)
Does high expenditure on arms lead to a
desire for war?
Britain who had the largest expenditure on
arms seemed to want war the least in 1914
Stronger argument to suggest that the
strategic balance of power was at stake
during the July Crisis rather than a desire to
demonstrate military might.
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James Joll and co- cite militarism as the lynchpin
that puts events beyond the control of the
politcians- mass armies / mobilisation plans- e.g
Schlieffen Plan
The ‘cult of the offensive’-taking a decisive
advantage over your enemy
AJP Taylor- WWI caused ‘ almost entirely by rival
plans for mobilisation by the European powers’
Relationship between decision to go to warmilitary planners- most influence in Russia /
Germany / Austria
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Marxist view would emphasise that competition
for territory caused WWI
All those involved in WWI saw empire as an
important part of ‘Great power’ status
By refusing to be involved in WWI Great Power
status would be threatened
New Imperialism of the 1800- global
domination- all countries demanding a ‘place in
the sun’
French ambitions in Morocco / Austria in Bosnia
Raw materials, capital- intense competition
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Immediate motives of the powers in 1914 were
not directly imperialist.
The crisis was not one of Empire- it was
European. Only Imperial ambitions were those of
Austria- Hungary
Did not cause war- merely contributed to itImperialism was the mindset of European Nations
in 1914- produced Militarism and Allliance
systems
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LIMITED WAR v TOTAL WAR
‘Limited wars’ of the 18th / 19th century- largely the
business of rulers and their armies
Armies small in size- manoeuvre to avoid battle rather
than engaging in it
Societies largely untouched by war- trade continued
TOTAL WAR- envelops the whole of society
Total mobilization of the nation’s resources for victory
(war economy)
Social, economic (cultural) and political structure affected
/ undermined by involvement in war.
Psychological trauma (‘The lost generation’)
Wars had increased in intensity and impact in the 18th and
19th century
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STAGE 1- The battle for a quick victory 1914
The breakdown of the war of movement /
manoeuvre
The race to the sea
The development of the Western Fronttrench warfare
Defeats for Russia- Tannenberg and Masurian
Lakes
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Attrition
Battle of the Somme
Battle of Verdun
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Importance of US entry into the war
The Russian Revolution
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Failure of the German offensive
Failure of Germany’s allies
Wilson’s Fourteen Points for Peace
The armistice