Causes of WWI - Militarism Flashcards
What does militarism mean?
- The love of war
- The increasing of one’s armed forces
Who was the dominant naval power in 1900?
Britain
What did Kaiser Wilhelm do in 1898?
Announce his intention to build a powerful German navy
Who felt threatened by Germany’s naval expansion?
Britain
Why was Britain so threatened by Germany’s naval expansion?
Britain wanted to remain the dominant naval force in the world.
It also didn’t understand why Germany needed a large navy in the North Sea.
Why did Germany claim it needed a navy?
To protect its growing shipping trade
What did Britain build in 1906?
The first Dreadnought
What was a Dreadnought?
A new type of battleship that was faster and more powerful than any ship that had gone before
What did Britain’s building of the Dreadnought trigger?
A naval arms race between Germany and Britain
When did Germany build its first Dreadnought?
1908 (two years after Britain’s first dreadnought)
How many Dreadnoughts had Britain built by 1914?
24
How many Dreadnoughts had Germany built by 1914?
17
What is an arms race?
When two nations compete to have the largest armed forces
What was glorified in Germany?
War
What evidence was there that the Kaiser loved war?
- He preferred being photographed in uniform
- He loved parades
- He was involved in Germany’s military planning
Who was General von Moltke?
The Chief of German General Staff
What did von Molkte say in 1912 about war?
That war was “unavoidable”
How large was the French army by 1914?
5 million
How large was the Russian army by 1914?
6 million
How large was the British army by 1914?
Only 250,000
How large was Germany’s army by 1914?
4.9 million
Why was Britain’s army so small?
It was a naval power - it didn’t need a large army
Whose army increased the most between 1900 and 1914?
Germany’s (0.5m to 4.9m)
What did historian James Joll say about the arms race?
That is “contributed to the sense that war was bound to come”
