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Question 1

What happened in the Fashoda Incident, 1898?

Answer 1

Britain’s plans for building a ‘Cape to Cairo’ railway between Egypt and South Africa clashed with French colonial expansion in the Sudan.

British and French armies met in Fashoda, on the River Nile, but didn’t fight.

French backed down, knowing the Royal Navy would ensure an eventual British victory.

In the long-run, France realised it couldn’t afford to have Britain as an enemy and signed the Entente Cordiale in 1904.

Question 2

What were the terms of the Franco-Russian Alliance, 1894?

Answer 2

1. If Germany, or Italy supported by Germany, attacks France, Russia must attack Germany. If Germany, or Austria supported by Germany, attacks Russia, France must attack Germany.
2. If any of the Central Powers mobilise, France and Russia must mobilise fully and simultaneously.
3. France and Russia should aim to act quickly so Germany has to fight a war on two fronts.
4. French and Russian General Staffs should co-operate to achieve the above clauses.
5. France and Russia will not make peace separately.
6. The Convention will last as long as the Triple Alliance.
7. The alliance must be kept absolutely secret.

Question 3

Why was the Dual Alliance of 1879 formed?

Answer 3

1. If either power is attacked by Russia, the other must provide full military support.
2. If either power is attacked by a different power, the other should observe ‘benevolent neutrality’, (lending non-military support).
3. The alliance must be kept secret.
4. The agreement will last for five years and should be renewed every three years thereafter.
   However, to Bismarck’s disappointment, Austria didn’t pledge support if France attacked Germany.

Question 4

How did alliances affect international relations by 1900?

Answer 4

Whilst they were leaked, rival blocs didn’t know the exact terms, forcing army chiefs of staff to prepare for the worst case scenario.

Created tension between the Great Powers and represented the gradual abandonment of congresses to resolve disputes.

It could be argued that alliances discouraged war, since it would likely involve multiple adversaries.

Question 5

How did the Anglo-German naval race proceed in the late 1890s and 1900s?

Answer 5

1898 - 1st German Navy Law provided for construction of 7 new battleships.

1900 - 2nd German Navy Law enabled doubling of German navy.

1906 (February) - The Royal Navy launched HMS Dreadnought, rendering the German fleet obsolete.

1906 (May) - Germany laid down plans to widen and deepen the Kiel Canal to enable the construction of ‘dreadnoughts’.

By 1914, Britain had ‘won’ the naval race, building 29 dreadnoughts compared to Germany’s 17. However, the naval race was very expensive and only succeeded in damaging Anglo-German relations.

Question 6

What was the Anglo-Japanese Agreement, 1902?

Answer 6

The first alliance between a European and an Asian power. Britain and Japan shared fears of the encroaching French, German and Russian empires in the Far East, and their threats to their own colonies and trade routes. Britain and Japan pledged mutual support if either power was attacked by two in the Far East, and promised to observe neutrality if either was attacked by only one power.