Part 1: The Causes Of WW1 Flashcards
What were the strengths of Germany by 1914
. Germany had united from a collection of smaller states in 1870 in which, Prussia was the main dominance ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II
. Germany had a successful war with France where, they took Alsace Lorraine an important industrial are in France
. Germany had the second best industry in the world second only to the United States
. Germany had formed the triple alliance
. By 1892 Germany had become worried about being, “Encircled,” by Russia and France
What was the, “Triple Alliance”
. The triple alliance was a secret agreement with the countries: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy that would defend each other if attacked
. Austria-Hungary was a powerful empire consisting of many nationalities
. Some nationalities such as the Serbs wanted independence to make a “Pan Serbia” by uniting the Serbs to make a greater Serbia which could cause the downfall of the Hapsburg empire as other groups would want independence
. Serbia was supported by Russia as they saw themselves as the “Protector of the Slavs”
. Italy was not a major military power but had joined the alliance in hope of building an empire
What was the secret alliance between France and Russia
. Germany and Russia had signed the, “Reinsurance Treaty,” which meant Russia could not ally with France however, it expired in 1890 a decision which Bismarck called, “Criminally Stupid,” as France quickly allied with Russia meaning Germany was “Encircled”
. Russia and France were concerned by Germany growing their power and in response, they started building their industry and military
. France had wanted to regain Alsace Lorraine
. Russia was not a great industrial country and most of the jobs were in agriculture but, had a huge army
. France lent money to Russia to build its industry
. Russia was the, “Protector of the Slavs,” and wanted to free the Serbs from Austria Hungary causing tensions
what was the, “Triple Entente”
. France and Russia had been the biggest threat to Britain but, this started to change
. Germany had been seen as a threat as the Kaiser wanted to build up the army and navy
. Russia had been weakened by a war with Japan and France and Britain had ended their conflict over colonies
. Britain signed an agreement with France in 1904 and Russia in 1907 forming the Triple Entente
What happened in the, “1905 Moroccan Crisis”
. Germany had never had an empire and wanted, “Our place in the sun,” without, “Putting anyone in the shade,”
. The Kaiser had made a speech supporting the independence of Morocco
. This angered France who wanted to colonize Morocco
. A international conference to settle this dispute caused more tension as Germany felt ignored and was worried by the way France and Britain supported each other
. This crisis strengthened France and Britain’s relationships and caused the Triple Entente
What happened in the, “1911 Moroccan Crisis”
. The Sultan of Morroco had asked France for help
. Germany sent a, “Panther Gunboat”, to Morocco in response of France invading Morocco
. War was avoided but, Britain and France grew closer together to contain the German navy
What happened in the “1908 Balkan Crisis”
. The Young Turks overthrew the Sultan of the Ottoman empire (which was declining in power)
. This created alarm in Austria Hungary
. Austria Hungary annexed Bosnia and paid the Turks compensation
. This angered both Serbia and Russia
. Serbia wanted to recover the Serbs in Bosnia
. Serbia formed a terrorist group called the, “Black Hand Gang,” to fight Austria Hungary
. A consequence of this crisis was that the Black Hand Gang played a significant role in starting WW I
What happened in the First Balkan War 1912
. Despite the efforts of the Young Turks, the Ottoman Empire continued to break up
. Balkan states saw this as an opportunity to attack the Ottomans and the Balkan League declared war in 1912
. Austria - Hungary feared nationalism would rise again as the Ottoman Empire declined which could start the downfall of their empire
. The dispute was settled in a conference and a peace treaty was signed
What happened in the Second Balkan War 1913
. The Ottomans argued what was won at the war
. Bulgaria attacked its former allies as they were unhappy with the gains of the war
. Bulgaria was defeated by the combined forces of Serbia, Greece and Romania
. Serbia had gained access to the sea with the land they won however Austria insisted Serbia lose the land it had won increasing tensions between them
What was Britain’s policy of “Splendid Isolation”
. Britain had the largest empire and navy in the world
. “Splendid Isolation,” meant Britain would not make permanent alliances
. Germany was Britain’s main trading partner outside the empire
. Germany and Britain’s monarchs were blood related
. However Britain opposed any attempt Germany had to gain colonies or develop their navy
What were Germany’s policies
. Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted Germany to have a more important role in world affairs
. He wanted Germany to have an empire
. This would be achieved through a large navy, intimidation and diplomacy known as FlottenPolitik
. This policy was known as Weltpolitik
. This was argued whether Germany was being aggressive or defensive
what was the Anglo - German naval race
. Germany had a policy of Flottenpolitik which stated that Germany would become great by building up a navy
. Britain had a policy of having double the next countries navy
. Germany insisted that their navy was for protection but Britain saw this as a threat as Germany didn’t have any colonies
. In 1906 the Dreadnought was launched, the most powerful warship making others useless compared to it
. This led to a race between Britain and Germany in making dreadnoughts
. By 1904 Germany had 17 dreadnoughts whilst Britain had 29
What led to European Militarism and war plans
. As a result of the alliance system and tensions in Europe, many countries thought war was unavoidable
. All of the major powers increased the size of their armies
. By 1910, France, Britain, Russia and Germany all had armies of nearly one million men
. The powers also developed war plans in preparation
. The German, “Schlieffen Plan,” prepared for a fast strike on France through Belgium before turning their forces to Russia who they thought would take 6 weeks to mobilize troops
. The French, “Plan 17,” also planned for a quick war, by marching troops rapidly into the centre of Germany
. Britain also prepared by sending the British Expeditionary Force of 100,000 elite soldiers to France in case Germany attacked
What led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
. Franz Ferdinand was visiting Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, which was under Austrian Control
. The Serbian terrorist group the, “Black Hand Gang,” planned the assassination to free Bosnia from Austria and join with Serbia to make a, “Pan Serbia”
. The first attempt to throw a bomb at the royal car was unsuccessful however, this led to a change in the planned route and later in the day the driver got lost
. The car stopped just metres away from one of the assassins Gavrilo Princip, who shot the Archduke and his wife, both were killed
How did Austria deal with Serbia
Austria Hungary dealt harshly with Serbia after the assassination
. Serbia had increased in power after the second Balkan war and was the most powerful country in the region
. It also had the support of Russia who became aggressive after being forced to back down in 1909
. Austria was keen to reduce the power of Serbia
. Austria and Serbia had a, “Pig War,” where Austria banned the sale of Serbian Pork
. Austria also saw the Serbian culture as inferior and tried to force its culture on the nationalities in its empire
