Imperialism.

Question 1

Explain Germany’s jealousy of other countries’ empires.

Answer 1

In 1900, the UK had the largest empire in the world, ruling over 400 million people spread across the UK, Africa and Asia, that brought the UK huge amounts of wealth and power. France also had a large empire, making them a powerful European rival for the UK. Germany was a relatively new country, formed in 1871.
They had ambitions to grow an empire to compete with France and the UK. Kaiser Wilhelm II made a famous speech in Hamburg in 1901, saying he wanted Germany to have ‘a place in the sun.’ He felt as though they had been cheated out of land in Africa.

Question 2

Explain the Moroccan Crisis in 1911 and its relevance.

Answer 2

Germany’s ambition concerned the UK and France, as they started to see them as a potential threat. Germany interfered in French attempts to colonise Morocco in 1911, sending a gunboat called The Panther to Agadir, on the Moroccan coast. Germany was eventually forced to back down, but they had shown their intent to challenge the UK and France. This made it more likely that war was going to be imminent, due to the increased aggression showed by nations.

Question 3

What happened in Morocco in 1905?

Answer 3

In 1905, when France attempted to assert its control over Morocco, the kaiser believed he could test the new Anglo-French friendship to breaking point. By insisting that any growth of French power in North Africa should involve Germany granting its permission (and hoping that concessions and colonies could be negotiated for Germany), the kaiser risked conflict with France. However, Britain supported France and it strengthened their alliance.

Question 4

Why was the Kaiser’s arrogance regarding imperialism instrumental?

Answer 4

One example of this is when the Kaiser said that he would like to deal directly with the Sultan, the free ruler of an independent country, as an equal; that he himself would be able to make his just claims valid, and that he expected that these claims would also be recognised by France. These claims show that he is willing to risk conflict, and that war will be imminent.

Question 5

Explain how the Scramble of Africa set the scene for war.

Answer 5

The European empires that invaded Africa saw colonization as a way to exploit forced labor, extract resources and become more powerful in relation to other European empires. Although colonialism in Africa wasn’t a direct cause of World War I, it helped create an environment in which European empires thought of themselves as rivals who could only succeed at the expense of other empires.

Question 6

Explain the imperialistic aspect of the Dreadnought Naval Race.

Answer 6

Great Britain was also concerned about Germany’s attempt to build a navy that might challenge its own. Although Germany was nowhere close to achieving this, the British couldn’t even tolerate the idea of a threat to their naval supremacy, because they had an empire to secure. And so that made them hypersensitive to any competition.