Explaining the Causes of World
War I: MAIN
Setting the Stage
• Other than the fighting in Africa (which was largely
taken care of with the Berlin Conference) the
Europeans had been in relative peace for about 75
years
– There had been skirmishes since Napoleon but no major
conflicts
– In fact, peace conferences convened regularly from 18431907
– Many believed that the technological progress made war
a thing of the past
• Idea that people were so enlightened and intelligent now they
would never fight again
• Instead, the technological progress just made the inevitable
fighting more hell-ish
Rising Tensions in Europe:
Militarism
• How did the Europeans describe battle and war?
– Importance of the Spartans and the Grand Tour
• Militarism – process of glorifying military power and keeping an army
prepared for war
– Scared some people but made most feel more patriotic
• Importance of the army to prove your power
– Necessary to protect colonies as well
– Continuing to compete for overseas colonies lead to rivalries and mistrust
• Arms race
– In order to protect your colonies, you needed the best military
– This lead to an arms race where each country tried to created the best and
most in everything military
– By 1914, almost every country (Great Powers minus Britain) had a standing
army
• Importance of the ability to mobilize quickly
– Military leaders stressed the ability to move your troops into battle quickly
– Supported by the industrialism of transport
Rising Tensions in Europe:
Alliances
• Germany is worried about French aggression
– Bismarck (remember him) decided that France needed to be
isolated from any help
– Formed the Dual Alliance (1879):
• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
– 1881 – Triple Alliance created when Italy joins the Dual Alliance
– Then things change,
• Wilhelm II comes to power in Germany and forces Bismarck out of power
• Wilhelm allows the German treaty with Russia to lapse
– Russia signs a military pact with France
– This would put Germany in the middle of two powers if war started
• Wilhelm starts a massive naval building campaign
– Goal: rival British naval power
– Triple Entente created:
» Great Britain
» France
» Russia
I
Rising Tensions in Europe: mperialism
• Having colonies was the best way to prove your
power in 20th c Europe
• What do you need have have colonies?
– Strong military
– Stable government
– Industrialized country
• What do colonies give you?
– Strong sense of nationalism
– Raw materials
– Manpower
• The scramble for colonies around the world would
lead to increased military and nationalism as well as
pushing Europeans to the brink of war a few times
Rising Tensions in Europe:
Nationalism
• Nationalism – deep devotion to one’s country
– Can serve as a unifying force within the country
– Can also cause deep distrust and competition between
nations
• You always want your nation to be the best
• Great Powers
– France, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy, and
Russia
– Rivalries among these powers lead to increased tensions
and came from many sources:
•
•
•
•
Competition for materials and markets
Territorial disputes
Military readiness and strength
Identifying with other nationalist groups
– Ex: Slavs in Serbia identified with Slavs in Russia
Crisis in the Balkans: Powder Keg of
Europe
• Balkan region is in the Ottoman Empire
– With OE in decline, multiple ethnic groups (because of
nationalism) were trying to break away
– Countries that broke from OE
•
•
•
•
•
Greece
Montenegro
Serbia
Romania
Bulgaria
• Most of these countries wanted to expand their
borders but there was no free land to expand to,
meaning they would need to take it from their
neighbors
The Powder Keg of Europe: Case Study
• Serbians
– Serbians were a Slavic state and so it wanted ALL Slavs in
the Balkan region
– Russia (also Slavic) supported Serbia’s goal
– However, Austria-Hungary (north of Serbia) did not
because it would mean moving into their lands and
possibly starting rebellions in its empire
– 1908 – AH annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina (both Slavic
areas)
• This anger Serbia
• Tensions continued to rise as AH tightens its hold on these two
areas
• Vows:
– Serbia promised to take these two areas away from AH
– AH promised to meet any aggression by Serbia with force
Powder Keg’s Spark: The Shot in Sarajevo
• Setting:
– Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia
– 28 June 1914
• Actors:
– Franz Ferdinand – heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne
– Sophia – his wife and member of Bohemian royalty
– The Black Hand – Serbian nationalist group dedicated to ridding Bosnia of the
Austrians
– Gavrilo Princip – member of the Black Hand
• Event:
– Gavrilo Princip will assassinate both Franz Ferdinand and Sophia in their car in
Sarajevo
• Outcome:
– AH uses the murders as an excuse to punish Serbia
• Presented Serbia with an ultimatum that contained ridiculous demands (trying to push for war)
• Backed by Germany in this situation, BLANK CHECK
– Germany told Serbia it would back ANY play it made against Serbia, including war
– Serbia (with the backing of Russia) declines AH’s ultimatum
– AH declared war on Serbia
• Russia starts to mobilize its troops the same day
Discussion Question
What (if anything) could have been done to
keep World War I from happening?
This does not just need to be “no alliances or colonies”. Those existed so what
else could have been done?