Part one: Causes of the First World War 1890-1914 Flashcards
Who was Bismarck?
The German chancellor who untied German states and defeated France in war of 1871. Gained Alsace and Lorraine from france.
What is another word for chancellor?
Leader of the government
How did Bismarck put Germany in a strong position?
He made alliances with Austria Hungary in 1879 and Italy in 1882. Avoided encirclement by signing treaties with Russia (Bismarckian nightmare)
What were Bismarcks aims for Germany?
to isolate France as it was powerful and allied with large european powers that could encircle Germany.
build up German economy and power
avoid war
dont anger Britiain
What did Bismarck do in 1887 and what does it improve?
Bismarck signs Reinsurance treaty with Russia to improve relations over disagreement on the Balkans.
What was Germany’s main concern that led to forming alliance?
Germany feared encirclement and the growing military threat of Russia
What was Austria Hungary’s main concern that led to forming alliance?
Attack from Russia due to conflict with Serbia, support in case other powers attacked
What was Italy’s main concern that led to forming alliance?
defensive alliance against attacking powers and rivalries with France in North Africa
What was Britain’s main concern that led to forming alliance?
Germany’s growing strength and pursuit of ‘world power’, German naval buildup
What was Russia’s main concern that led to forming alliance?
Fear of Germany’s aggression and growing strength
When does Kaiser wilhelm II become Emperor?
1888
When and why does Bismarck resign?
1890
Him and the Kiaser disagreed on how Germany should be run and orior to this Bismarck had fought the parties of the german masses so he had no support.
What is the problem with the Kaiser being in control of Germanys foreign policy in 1890?
He wants to build up Germanys navy and empire to be greater than Britains and does not care for the threat of war
What does the Kaiser refuse to do in 1890? problems?
renew the Reinsurance treaty with Russia that prevented the Bismarckian nightmare of germanys encirclement.
France would no longer be isolated and Russia could attack with the support of Britian and France.
What does it mean by “Splendid isolation”?
Britain avoided alliances prior to 1902 to avoid being entangled in european problems. concentrated on empire and trade.
What are the Balkans?
a group of small nations in southern europe. controlled by turkey for centuries. austria wanted to dominate them.
Why is there rivalry between Russia and Austria Hungary?
Austria annexed Bosnia in 1908. Russia wants to protect Serbia from AH as they are slavs. wants to remove AH strongest ally Germany.
Why were relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia so bad?
Serbia held a strong sense of nationalism and expansion in light of its victory in the Balkan Wars and looked to challenge Austria-Hungary next. The Austrians too had annexed Bosnia which contained many Serbs and contributed to heightened tensions.
AH angry at Serbia for using terrorism to help force Bosnian independence.
What are Italys problems prior to 1914?
1861 relatively new country
weak country that is not trusted by her allies because she formerly declared war on AH so there was enemity
wants bigger empire and higher status
What are Bosnias problems prior to 1914?
wants to leave AH empire using terrorism. Looks to Serbia and Russia for help
what was formed in 1894 because of Germanys growing power?
secret alliance between France and Russia. France lent money to Russia to build up its industry. France wanted Alsace Lorraine back. Russia wanted to defend Serbs.
how was the triple alliance formed?
secret alliance of 1882 that offered defence against other countries
How was the Triple Entente formed?
- Franco-Russian alliance in 1894
- Entente Cordiale in 1904 (Britian and France)
- Triple Entente in 1907
why was the Entente Cordiale formed in 1904?
To settle imperialist rivalries between Britain and France in North Africa. Britain could purse their interests in Egypt whilst France could have westward of Algeria into Morocco.
what happened to Russia in 1905?
it was defeated in a war with Japan
what were the concerns of France prior to 1914?
- to protect itself against a rapidly growing Germany
- to regain Alsace and Lorraine after defeat from Germany in 1870
What were Russia’s problems prior to ww1?
it was the largest of the six powers but the most backward.
it was almost all agricultural with the exception of the few industries it had with the help (loans) from France
what happened in Russia after the 1905 Japan defeat?
there was a revolution against the ruler tsar Nicholas ii. he survived but Russia began to build its army after just in case because they could not afford to lose in any other conflict
How did Russia contribute to rearmament before 1914?
Russia introduced conscription and exponentially built up the size of its army throughout the 1900s, it was the fastest-growing army in Europe.
what caused the first Moroccan crisis in 1905?
Germany wanted to have its own “place in the sun” and showcase that it had importance in North Africa
what did the kaiser do in Morocco 1905?
He made a speech in Tangiers supporting The Sultan and Moroccan independence against France as it had plans to control Morocco. This was to provoke the Entente Cordiale.
what was held in 1906 to settle the disputes of the first Moroccan crisis?
an international conference in Algeciras
what happened at the Algeciras conference in 1906?
Britain and France closely supported each other against the kaiser who was left humiliated as his views were rejected.
what happened in the wake of the first Moroccan crisis?
the triple entente was formed in 1907 and the Kaiser saw a threatening policy of encirclement as a result. The entente powers now saw their alliance as security against German aggression.
what happened in 1911 to start the second moroccon crisis?
there was a small rebellion against the moroccan sultan and France helped the sultan defeat the rebels in the hopes of taking over
where did the Kaiser send a gunboat to to challenge France?
Agadir harbour
what did the Kaiser say the gunboat was sent for in 1911?
to protect the interests of German citizens of Morocco though there may have only been one
why was the sending of a gunboat to Agadir Harbour concerning for the British?
they were afraid that Germany was trying to establish a naval base that would threaten British trade routes
how did the second moroccan crisis end?
- British navy prepared to support France in war
- Germany had to back down and remove the gunship in Nov 1911
- Morocco became a french colony
- Germany was left humiliated again
What were the consequences of the second Moroccan crisis?
France took control of Morocco and Germany was given some land in central Africa as compensation.
Germany humiliated and unlikely to back down again from an international crisis.
Who was the only country to support Germany in the wake of the first Moroccan crisis and how did this set up for a later conference?
Austria-Hungary
Germany felt that it had to support AH as they had done the same
What was the Anglo-German naval arms race?
Germany strove to build a navy that challenged Britians though it was a landlocked country
Britain saw this as a threat and so built an advanced battleship -HMS Dreadnought- in 1906
Germany does the same in 1908
between 1906 - 1914 Germany had 17 to Britian’s 29
Why were the naval and arms race significant?
increased hostilities between the powers as it created suspicion and led to the growth of militarism across Europe. Throughout the arms race, there was a serious investment in military production. This meant that deadly weapons could be mass-produced on an unprecedented level.
Where is Bosnia?
Balkans (group of countries in eastern europe)
Who had controlled Bosnia prior to 1908 and why did they give up control?
The Ottoman (Turkish) Empire
They could not afford to keep their empire
“Sick man of Europe”
What happened in 1908 that led to an international crisis?
AH annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina which angered Serbia as they wanted to unite with Bosnia
How did Serbia react to the annexation of Bosnia and what did the other powers do about this?
they asked Russia for help and Russia called an international conference to discuss disputes
AH refuse to attend and are backed up by Germany and Germany instructs Russia to accept the annexation
Russia had to back down as it was no match for Germany
what did Serbia vow to do in response to AH refusing the international conference of 1908?
vows to take revenge and the return of Bosnia
What did the Bosnian Crisis result in for Russia and Germany?
Russia was humiliated and now unlikely to back down
Germany was fully committed to supporting AH in the Balkans
Russia became closer to the Triple Entente
What were the consequences of the Bosnian crisis?
increased Pan-Slavism movement (desire to unite all slavic people)
further embittered relations between Serbia and Austria-Hungary and Russia’s resentment at Germany having been deceived and humiliated by them
who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
the heir to Austro-Hungarian throne
why was the Archduke assassinated?
as an attempt to make sure he did not pacify the Serbians in Bosnia as this would strengthen his position but also undermine Serbia’s plans to unite all Slavs in a Greater Serbia
Why did the Black Hand Gang want to kill the Archduke?
he perceived as a threat to Serbian independence and was a representative of what they were fighting against
where and when did the assassination of the Archduke take place?
28th June 1914 in Sarajevo, Bosnia
What were the events of the assassination of the Archduke?
-The large Austro-Hungarian Empire contained many different nationalities, including millions of Slavs who wanted to break away
-Black Hand was set up in Serbia with the aim of freeing all Slav people
-Him and his wife travelled to Sarajevo to celebrate wedding anniversary
-failed bomb attempt then shot
who assassinated the Archduke and how?
Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand Gang (sponsored terrorists who were Bosnian serbs)
Shot the Archduke twice with a revolver
what did the assassination spark?
the July crisis
what was the July crisis?
assassination was done by inhabitants of the AH empire (Bosnian serbs)
AH had no justification to attack Serbia immediately after interrogation of the gang led them to believe that Serbia supplied them of money and weapons to carry out the assassination
AH sent a 10 point ultimatum to Serbia on the grounds that it had not kept the 1909 agreement to supress the BHG
How did Serbia react to AH 10 point ultimatum and what did it lead to?
only accepted 9 points so AH declared war on Serbia exaclty one month after the assassination
What was the one point Serbia didn’t accept of the 10 point ultimatum?
to allow Austrian police to help in an investigation of Serbia’s links to Franz Ferdinands assassination
what are key dates in the lead up to WW1?
28th July- AH declares war on Serbia
1st August- Germany declares war on Russia
3rd August- Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium
4th August- Britian declares war on Germany
6th August- AH declares war on Russia
23rd May 1915- Italy joins the war on the side of the Triple Entente
What was the Schlieffen plan?
A battle plan proposed in 1905 that Germany planned to use
main ideas of the plan was that Germany would invade France (Paris) first through neutral Belgium. 90% of the army would deliver a knockout blow to France and the remaining 10% would defend the eastern border from Russia.
what were Germanys assumptions proposing the Schlieffen plan?
- Belgium would not resist Germany
- France would be easily defeated in 6 weeks
- Britain would remain neutral
- Russia would take at least 6 weeks to mobilise
what were the strengths of the Schlieffen plan?
- avoided war on two fronts
- attack France by Suprise (behind)
- avoid fortress (well defended) towns on French border
what were the realities of the Schlieffen plan?
- German forces were met by the allies at the Battle of Marne which paused their advancement
- Russia mobilised in 10 days so Germany was forced to remove troops from Belgium to defend the eastern border
- Britian withdrew from splendid isolation and backed up the Belgians by the British expeditionary force quickly
Why did the Schlieffen plan fail?
The plan relied upon rapid movement. The resistance of the Belgians and the BEF prevented this. Russia mobilised its troops quicker than expected. Germany never defeated France and the Russians attacked from the east.
What was the BEF?
Britain founded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in 1906. This small force of highly trained soldiers was among the best in Europe.
Why did Britain join the war?
Germany’s violation of Belgian neutrality under 1839 Treaty of London and British fears of German domination in Europe
What was plan 17?
French military strategy that planned for the invasion of Germany before they could mobilise their reserve army.
What was the Battle of mons?
engagement between the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) (offensive by allied left wing) and the German army at Mons during the Battle of the Frontiers in the opening weeks of World War I. German victory forced the BEF into a retreat that was not checked until the First Battle of the Marne.
When did the Battle of Mons happen?
23rd August 1914
what were the consequences of the Battle of Mons?
Germany had a strategic victory
The British suffered some 1,600 casualties
Mons did prove to be decisive in the German failure of the attempt to manoeuvre around Paris (the Schlieffen Plan), because it bought the allies time.
What was the first battle of WW1?
Battle of Marne (5th-12th September)
What were the first three stages of the Battle of Marne?
- following the fail of the Schlieffen plan, the German commander Von Moltke had to pull 1M soldiers from France to Russia. The Germans were exhausted and overworked and struggled for food.
- France fought to keep their country and the allies managed to hold Germany back from the river Marne but not the country entirely
- beginning of a stalemate was approaching as neither side was making progress
what were the last three stages of the Battle of Marne?
- Trenches were built for protection leading to a bloodier war for both sides
- Germany generals realised they couldn’t go through enemy lines so attempted to go around their end. this was known as “the race to the sea”.
- Germany moved west towards the sea as the allies blocked wherever they thought Germany next to attack. this was done by rail.
where were the first trenches built?
towards the line of the river Aisne
