7:The German Question and the Great War Flashcards
the 3 foundations of German Power
demographic
industrial
military
how was the German demographic a foundation of its power?
-German population rose from 49.2m in 1890 to 67m in 1914
-French went from 38.3m to 40m in the same period
how was Germany industry a foundation of its power?
-Germany’s share of world manufacturing output rose from 8.5% in 1880 to 14.8% in 1913
how was Germany’s military a foundation of its power?
-The German army was 2’398’000 strong by 1914 and its general staff the model for other nations
what was the explanation behind Weltpolitik?
-colonies were regarded as a badge of prestige, Britain and France has huge empires
-Germany felt it had a right for “place in the sun” as well as the economic benefit
what was the benefit of weltpolitik domestically?
- radical nationalist societies: Pan-German League and Navy League
-nationalism and imperialism were used by elites to distract germans from domestic issues and class division
what did Weltpolitik mean for international affairs?
-a destabilising factor
-concerns other European nations
-what it achieves is limited
Weltpolitik in 1898
-Germany seized Kiaochow, sparking the scramble for china
-Kaiser visited the Middle East, British sceptical when he visited Jerusalem
Weltpolitik in 1905:
Morocco crisis worsened German relations with France and Britain
Weltpolitik in 1911
second Morocco (Agar) crisis further intensified Anglo-French suspicions about German ambitions
German actions that exacerbated the Anglo-German Antagonism
-German support for anti-British forces in South Africa
-German ambitions in the Middle East: Berlin-Baghdad railway
-1898:Germany began a major naval expansion programme
-1908: anti-British interview by Wilhelm II
Anglo-german Naval rivalry
1898:Germany began a major programme of naval expansion
Britain see Germany as a potential strategic threat
Arms race based on the construction of ‘Dreadnought’ battleships
Germany’s alliances
1882: Germany,A-H,Italy formed the Triple Alliance
1890: after Bismarck was ousted, Germany ended its treaty with Russia
other alliances in Europe
1894: Franco-Russian alliance
1904: Anglo-French Entente
1907:Anglo-Russian Entente
Diplomatic mission in Jan 1912
-a mission to Germany by Lord Haldane (British Minister of War) failed