Origins of WWI Flashcards
Describe the alliance networks in 1887 (Clark - 7 points)
- Britain ↓ France (Africa disputes)
- Britain ↓ Russia (Asia & Persia disputes)
- France ↓ Germany (1870 War)
Russia ↓ AH (over Balkans) - Italy ↓ Austria (over the Adriatic)
- Italy ↓ France (Africa)
- Russia ↑ Germany (Reinsurance Treaty following the decline of the Three Emperors’ League – designed to restrain AH)
- Secondary Alliance ↑ GBR/ITA/AH – To thwart French
Describe the alliance networks in 1890s (Clark - 3 points)
- Britain ↑ Germany - Early 1890s good for Anglo-German relations – Russia feared that Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty, 1890 signalled Britain’s entry to the Triple Alliance. French emphasised this.
- France ↑ Russia, through deepening economic ties . ipso facto Britain ↑ France, as tensions over Asian and Middle Eastern territories cooled.
- Britain ↑ Japan – Restrain Russia – power-sharing imperial arrangement.
Describe the alliance networks in 1907 (Clark - 2 points)
Triple Alliance (GER/ITA/AH) – Still functional Entente.
Cordiale (GBR/FRA/RUS) – Following British rapprochement with Russia.
Who were the combatants in the First Balkan War?
Ottoman Empire Vs. Balkan League (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia)
What caused the First Balkan War?
Caused by deposition of the Young Turks in 1912, which suggested primacy of military action against OE whilst weak
What were the primary motivations in the First Balkan War?
All desired the reduction of OE influence on Balkans, plus territorial gains. Bulgaria was involved to liberate Macedonia, with ambitions of annexation
What could be said of the style of warfare during the Balkan Wars?
First real forum of modern warfare
Who were the combatants of the Second Balkan War?
Bulgaria Vs. Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, Ottoman Empire (OE)
What were the outcomes of the Second Balkan War?
45,000 killed – Serbia (both wars), 7,500 – Greece, 3000 – Mont, 32,000 –Bulgaria, 100,000 – OE o 590 mil fr – Serb, 100 mil fr – Mont, 467 mil fr – Greece, 1.3 bil fr – Bulgaria o Serbia = biggest winner – driving concern in Vienna. Serbia disproportionately benefit through a double in land-mass, and a population increase from 2,912,000 to 4,444,000.
What were the longer term motivators of the Balkan conflicts?
1- Emulation of ITA/ GER nationalism
2- Baltic nations had irredentist motivations to restore territory from OE.
3- Ottoman Millet system to nation-state
4- Bulgaria – Revival of Bulgarian Empire / Greece – Revival of Byzantium / Monte-Serbia – Empire under Stephan Dushan
What conflicts occurred in the Balkans during the 19th Century?
Serbia + Monte ⚔OE 1876, revolts in Bulgaria against OE, Russian intervention in 1878 (Russo-Turkish War) resulted in enlarged Serbia+Monte, independent Bulgaria (Treaty of San Stefano) – reversed through the Congress of Berlin 1881
– Serbia recognised as state, but shrunk
Detail the Bosnian Crisis of 1908 (3 Points)
- July 1908 – Enver Pasha of Young Turks successfully takes Constantinople, has ambitious reform agenda – revival of Ottoman Empire, Ottoman identity and military (had been in decline over last century)
- Potential for revived OE concerned Russia and Austria-Hungary (AH), whom had ambitions on Eastern Europe (which a strong OE would prevent)
- Triggered pre-emptive action – AH seized Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH)
– dismayed Russians (AH – geostrategic enemy), frustrated Serbians, who saw BH as part of irredentist agenda
Detail the Algeciras Conference (2 Points)
- On Morocco, 1906
- Convened to regulate imperialist competition – outcome found German action in Morocco to be improper, weighed in French favour, further ostracised Germany on European stage
Detail the Agadir Crisis, 1911 (1 Point)
- Germany dispatched Panther warships to Morocco, a violation of the 1906 conference on Morocco, and a demonstration of disillusionment with the European Great Powers. After Agadir Crisis, Mommsen contends a cult of inevitability existed around war
Detail the causes of the Balkan League, 1912 (3 Points)
- Precipitated by AH movements on BH and revived OE – security threat encouraged mutual participation of Slavic nations. Aided by agitation within the OE for self-determination (Albania)
- Balkan League would check OE for all parties (Greece, Montenegro, Serbia and Bulgaria), Serbia had alliance against AH and Bulgaria was galvanised by interest in Macedonia
- Catalysed by Italo-Turkish War 1911-12.
Detail the Limon Affair, 1912 (1 Point)
- Limon Von Sanders stationed to defend the Turkish Straits against Russian opportunism – read as a ‘thunderclap’ in St. Petersburg.
Detail the July Crisis, 1914 (1 Point)
- AH issued ultimatum to Serbia, listing a series of demands upon Serbia responsive to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Most demands were accepted, but would not allow AH into conduct judicial review – seen to compromise sovereignty.
What is the Epigone Complex?
- Thomas Rohkrämer - Wilhelmine Germans (1859-1866); too young to have participated in the wars of unification, wished to prove themselves. Example of this would be Moltke the Younger
What were the impacts of social darwinism
Fuelled German ambitions of expansion – superior race etc., also justified aloofness of Britain in affair
What was the macroeconomic picture during the period?
America-Germany-U.S. Triangle created manufacturing powerhouse
What was the dominant cultural trend of the period?
Mixture of optimism and pessimism / pessimism in the country, optimism/ pro-war sentiment in the small coterie
Tendency to see support in urban centres, resentment in rural.
would be a far stretch to determine that a “Nietschean destructive mindset” dominated Europe
What was the Serbian-Bulgarian Accord
- 1904
- Military Alliance
- Planned to exploit the Ottoman Empire
- Failed due to the strained relationship between the partners
Provide some context for Austria-Hungary
Tied strongly to Germany, with dysfunctional state. Dual monarchy
system, decrepit Parliament; feared encirclement, despised Russia. Poor relations with Slavs and Romanians. One perspective of war sees AH engaging in war as a failed project of social imperialism, and a mask for the insolvable internal discord in the nation. Others (Schroeder) do not see leadership crisis as decisive in war.
Provide some context for Germany
Economic supremacy into 1890s spurred movements to assert itself on the world stage, a deviation from the Bismarckian tradition of avoiding imperial and expansionist objectives in order to consolidate peace and focus on internal reform. This contributed to the policy of Weltpolitik, which in turn drove tensions between Germany and Britain (often tied to the naval arms race). Further, feared encirclement.
Provide some context for Serbia
Balkan nation, with significant tensions with AH. Significant irredentist objectives, state perforated by radical terrorist groups. Made significant gains in the Balkan wars (over double land mass), became intolerable threat to AH. Serbia experienced significant population increase alongside a farming output per capita decline by 27.5% (due to urbanisation), Suffered chronic issue of poor investment “Bleak, even by Balkan standards” – combination of xenophobia and poor business ethics in the area. Ran the risk of “growth without development”
Provide some context for Montenegro
Balkan nation. Close in affairs with Serbia, also had poor relations to AH
Provide some context for Greece
Involved in Balkan affair. Sought to reclaim territory as a romantic project to revive Byzantium.
Provide some context for Bulgaria
Balkan nation. Sought the revival of Bulgarian Empire, starting with the reclamation of land in Macedonia. Member of the Balkan League, then its victim – suffering invasion by six nations in the Second Balkan War.
Provide some context for Albania
Part of OE until 1912, at which point became independent. Serbian attempts on Albania were halted by AH.
Provide some context for Macedonia
Ethnic composition varied – Serbs, Greeks and Bulgarians all attempted to win over – rising tensions between Bulgaria and Serbia over.
Provide some context for the UK
Fluid relations across Europe. Not directly involved in Balkan affair,
however generally aimed to check Russian influence – conflict existed in Asia and Middle-East. Tensions with Germany earlier on, however a degree of rapprochement had occurred.
Provide some context for France
Developed strong ties to Russia during the period, financing substantial ventures taken by Russia and Serbia. French loans allowed Serbia to ride out the Pig War, which also gave Serbia an ‘alarming’ amount of autonomy from AH. Generally hated Germany, was not amazingly keen on the UK (quelle surprise).
Provide some context for Italy
Had a war with Turkey. That’s about it.
Provide some context for Russia
Major player in affair. Tensions with the Great Powers and in particular AH/ Germany were drivers of war. Desired access to the Turkish Straits, and attempted to affect the balance of power in Eastern Europe in order to weigh in the nation’s advantage.
Provide some context for the Ottoman Empire
A degrading nation which was temporarily invigorated by efforts by
the Young Turks from 1908-12. The revival under the Young Turks threatened a stronger, more belligerent military, which would be more assertive in Eastern Europe and against Russian motions to gain a warm-water port.
Provide some context for the European Concert of Great Powers
Organisation set up post-Napoleonic wars, with the
goal to establish cooperation in international affairs; chiefly, to ensure ius belli, to act as guarantors of treaties, to deploy coercive powers to maintain balance of power. Demonstrably effective in the Congress of Berlin, 1878, to arbitrate the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish conflict.
Who is Gavrilo Princip?
Serbian member of the Black Hand (or the Union or Death!) responsible for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Who is Theophile Decasse?
French foreign minister who began strengthening the Franco-Russian alliance from 1898 to combat the rise of German Weltpolitik.
Who is Friedrich Engels?
Marxist explanatory framework perceived the remit of global warfare to be the modern warfare variant exhibited – a conflict of mass-consumption – of material and lives.
Who is Moltke the Younger?
Engaged in a ‘preventative war’