Causes of WWI Flashcards
France vs. Germany
- WWI was essentially about the place of Germany in Europe
- France and Germany hated each other
Franco-Prussian War: When Germany became a unitrd country, France tried to stop it and lost - France had lost Alsace-Lorraine when Germany unified
- Germany was inn the middle of France and Russia (who both hated Germany) and were vulnerable if war occured
Note: Belgium will be important later to Germany’s downfall
Militarism
- Militarism: A building up of arms and armed forces
- Created insecurity, panic, tensions, and paranoia in Europe
- Associated with mobilization: nation appears to be going to war
- Primarily led by a new unified and militarized Germany
Naval Race (Great Britain vs. Germany):
- For most of the 19th cen. (1800s) Britain’s navy was more powerful than any other two nations combined
- 1898 - Germany expanded its navy
- 1900-1914: Germany tripled its spending on warships
Made Germany the 2nd largest naval power
Britain needed to increase either own naval spending
Arms Race (France vs. Germany):
- Both France and Germany highly increased military spending
- Hague Peace Conferences (1899 and 1907): Attempted to stop/slow down the spending/the arms race… but
Military spending continued to expand
Did outlaw inhuman weapons like dumdum bullets
Side Note: The Leaders of the 3 Great Powers of WWI: King George V Of Britian, Kaiser Wilhelm II Of Germany, Tzar Nicholas II Of Russia (They were first cousins)
Alliances
- Alliance: Union or association formed between nation-states to ensure security
The tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive
Could be politically, economically, or socially based
Were often formed in secret which highly increased tensions
WWI Alliances:
- Triple Entente: Russia, France, and Britain
- Triple Alliance: Austria-Hungry, Germany, Ottoman Empire
Italy started in the Triple Alliance and switched sides later in the war
Promised land that they never received
How do alliances cause war?:
“Domino Effect” or “Chain Reaction”
- When Serbia was attacked by Austria-Hungary, their ally Russia came to their aid
- Germany (allied with Austria-Hungary (AH)) declared war on Russia
- So France declared war on Germany to protect theit Russian allies
- When Germany entered Belgium, Britain joined Russia and France
Note: Germany/AH stretched thinly bc theyre fighting a war on both sides
Nationalism
Nationalism: A collective, shared feeling of loyalty and pride toward one’s nation or nation-state
- Many nations felt threatened by other nations
- In the case of WWI, we can blame Serbian nationalism. Austro-Hungarian nationalism, Germany nationalism, and, to a lesser extent, British nationalism
The “Balkan Powder Keg”:
- Nations often contained many nationalities
Sometimes borders separated nationalities leaving minorities in neighboring countries (remember, 300 nations became 30, then less than 30)
Ex. AH had annexed (means to add on as an extra or subordinate part, especially to a document) Bosnia and Herzegovina and many Serbs now lived in Austro-Hungarian territory
This Created a sovereign nation-state of Serbia - Ethnic Groups governed by Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires were seeking independence
Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Romanians, Bosnians, Ruthenians (Ukranians). Croats, Serbs…. - If Austrians accepted the demand of Serbian nationalism then it was likely other ethnic groups would hae asked for the same
Remember: Austria was very ethnically diverse
Imperialism
Imperialism: policy of extending your power often politically, economically, and socially, over another nation-state
- -Competition between European powers to possess the most territory around the world to secure resources and achieve prestige
- The Scramble for Africa created tension between many European powers
- Everyone wanted a “slice” of the African “cake”
- Italy and Germany wanted large Empires like Britain and France
- Also came into conflict because they wanted to annex the same territories
Russia, Austria, and Italy all wanted territories in the Balkan peninsula
