Causes Of The First World War

Question 1

What are the causes of the First World War

Answer 1

1 economic and colonial rivalry
2 alliance system
3 extreme nationalism
4 armaments race

Question 2

Who proposed the formation of diplomatic alliance

Answer 2

German Chancellor: Otto von bismark

Question 3

What is the idea of diplomatic alliance

Answer 3

Isolation of France in international arena
Prevention from the occurrence of the ‘two-front war’ (France+Russia vs Germany)

Question 4

What are the four attempts to form an alliance by Germany

Answer 4

Emperors league (1873)
Dual alliance (1879)
Triple alliance (1882)
Reinsurance treaty (1887)

Question 5

What is the main idea of the three emperors league

Answer 5

Prevention of the 2-front war

Question 6

Did the formation of the three emperors league work (Germany ,Austria-Hungary, Russia

Answer 6

No

Question 7

What is the main idea of the dual alliance formation

Answer 7

Aim at checking the Russian ambitions in the balkans

Question 8

Did the dual alliance work

Answer 8

Yes

Question 9

Why did the triple alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) formation not work

Answer 9

Because of Italy’s defeat in the Tunisia incident, Italy is angry with France and joined Germany but Italy signed the mutual agreement with France in 1882 for recognising the mutual interests in North Africa

Question 10

What is the reinsurance treaty (Germany Russia)

Answer 10

To remain neutral if either side was attacked by 3rd party
Exception, not applicable for Germany vs France , Russian vs A-H

Question 11

Why did the reinsurance treaty not work

Answer 11

Kaiser William ll succeeded the throne >”world policy” replaced the alliance system

Question 12

What is the background of the formation of the triple entente

Answer 12

The world policy that Kaiser William proposed are threats to major European powers and the naval and colonial supremacy made Britain angry

Question 13

What are the attempts of the development of the formation

Answer 13

Franco-Russian alliance
Entente cordiale
Anglo-Russian
Triple entente

Question 14

Impact of economic conflicts on the outbreak of ww1

Answer 14

The conflicts strained the relations among the European powers but it did not directly lead to the outbreak of the WW1

Question 15

List four examples of colonial rivalry

Answer 15

Britain France
Britain Germany
France Italy
Japan. Russia

Question 16

What happened in the colonial dispute between Britain and France

Answer 16

In 1898, conflict between Britain and France broke out in Fashoda, Sudan in Africa. Since France’s naval power had been fallen behind Britain, France has been forced to retreat. In 1904, Britain and France signed the entente cordials. France agreed not to intervene into the Egyptian affairs, while Britain agreed not to intrude into the affairs in Morocco

Question 17

What are the different types of extreme nationalism

Answer 17

French revenge movement
Pan germanism
Pan slavism
Greater serbia movement
British foreign expansion
Italian irredentism

Question 18

What is the French revenge movement about

Answer 18

After the Franco-Prussian War, France desired to take revenge on Germany and reclaim Alsace-Lorraine. To counter the Triple Alliance, France formed the Triple Entente in 1907 with Russia and Britain that were both hostile towards Germany. France’s colonial expansion also escalated its disputes with Germany.

Question 19

What is pan germanism about

Answer 19

Germany proposed the idea of a place in the sun’. It advocated for building a Greater German Empire under the leadership of the German people. Germany’s ambition aroused hostility from other European powers and led to armaments race with Britain. In addition, Germany’s strong support for Austria-Hungary in the Balkans intensified the discontent of Russia and Serbia.

Question 20

What is pan slavism about

Answer 20

Russia proclaimed itself the leader of the Slavs. It desired to control the Slav-inhabited areas in Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Russia supported the nationalist Serbia was
motivated by Russia to promote the Greater-Serbia Movement. It impeded Austria-Hungary’s expansion in the Balkan Peninsula and sparked off conflicts.

Question 21

What is the British foreign expansion

Answer 21

Britain sought to expand its overseas markets and colonies. For example, it consolidated its interests in China and conquered Egypt. It also strove to maintain its own naval superiority and safeguarded the passage to India. It ensured its control over the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, the ambition and rise of Germany aroused Britain’s suspicion. Britain hoped to maintain the balance of power in the European continent and prevented Germany from building hegemony. Therefore, they engaged in fierce competition.

Question 22

What is Italian irredentism

Answer 22

After Italy was unified in 1870, some nationalists continued to call for uniting all the ethnic groups that spoke Italian, including Istria and Dalmatia that were ruled by Austria-Hungary. Therefore, it had territorial disputes with Austria-Hungary. Moreover, Italy hoped to rebuild the glory of the Roman Empire.
Therefore, it was eager to expand its colonies in North Africa.

Question 23

What is the impact on extreme nationalism

Answer 23

Influenced by extreme nationalis, the powers scrambled for colonies and expanded armaments.
They aimed to fight for national glory and build a great nation. Through forming alliances, the European powers refused to compromise in economic and diplomatic affairs in order to avoid being viewed as the weak. They advocated for resolving disputes by war, and this intensified the conflicts among them. France
and Germany were hostile towards each other. The conflicts between Britain and Germany also intensified their disagreement in Asia and Africa. Germany and Austria-Hungary also had conflicts with Russia and Serbia, leading to the instability in the Balkan Peninsula. The Greater-Serbia Movement led to the Sarajevo Assassination in 1914. Pan-Slavism and Pan-Germanism even turned regional conflicts
into a world war.

Question 24

What are the stages or armament race

Answer 24

Introducing conscription
Increasing military expenditure
Developing new armaments and combat strategies
Naval race between Britain and Germany