Topic 1 The Origins of the First World War Flashcards

1
Q

What was the Triple Alliance?

A
  • Defensive Alliance
  • Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
  • Promised to fight if any attacked by any other 2 powers
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2
Q

Who formed the Triple Alliance and why

A
  • German Chancellor Bismarck

- Realised France would want revenge after losing the Franco-Prussian War

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3
Q

When was the Franco-Prussian War?

A

1870-71

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4
Q

When was the Dual Alliance signed and who with?

A

1879 - Germany and Austria-Hungary

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5
Q

When was the Triple Alliance signed?

A

1882 - Italy joined

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6
Q

Why was the Triple Alliance signed?

A
  • Signed after France’s defeat in Franco-Prussian War
  • Alsace-Lorraine provinces taken from France
  • Bismarck made alliances to separate France from Russia, isolate France
  • Italy and Germany newly formed countries, considered unimportant
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7
Q

What were the effects of the Triple Alliance on Europe?

A
  • Increased tensions with France (isolated)
  • Many countries felt threatened
  • Tensions rose
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8
Q

What was Splendid Isolation?

A
  • The deliberate policy for Britain to stay out of European affairs as long as no single power gained complete control
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9
Q

What did Splendid Isolation depend on?

A
  • Biggest navy in the world to protect and communicate with Britain’s empire
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10
Q

When was the Boer Wars?

A

1899

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11
Q

What was the Boer War?

A
  • Britain fighting against Boers (Dutch farmers) in South Africa
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12
Q

What was Europe’s reaction to the Boer War?

A
  • Many European countries sympathised with the Boers
  • Kaiser made views publically
  • However, no European action
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13
Q

Why was Splendid Isolation a policy for Britain?

A
  • Biggest oversea empire

- Protected by biggest Navy

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14
Q

When was the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and why did it allow Splendid Isolation?

A

1902

  • No need for an ally in Europe
  • Ally in Far East against Russia
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15
Q

Why did Britain begin to emerge from Splendid Isolation?

A
  • Colonial problems with France and Russia (Franco-Russian Alliance)
  • 1899 Boer War
  • 1898 and 1902 German build up of navy although having no empire and strongest land army
  • 1900-1902 Germany declined naval expansion limiting agreement
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16
Q

What was the ‘three power standard’?

A

1902 idea to have British Navy bigger than next 3 largest fleets combined

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17
Q

Why was there a ‘three power standard’?

A
  • Reaction to Germany’s build up of navy in 1898
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18
Q

When was the ‘three power standard’ completed?

A

1904

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19
Q

What was the Triple Entente?

A

A set of an alliance and two agreements between France, Britain and Russia:

  • Franco-Russian Alliance
  • Entente Cordiale
  • Anglo-Russian Agreement
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20
Q

What was the Franco-Russian Alliance?

A
  • Defensive alliance
  • France and Russia
  • To fight if either attacked by Germany or Austria-Hungary
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21
Q

Why was the Franco-Russian Alliance an unlikely alliance?

A

Different rules of country:

  • Autocratic Tsar of Russia
  • People’s Republic of France
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22
Q

When was the Franco-Russian Alliance signed?

A

1894

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23
Q

How long did it take to negotiate the Franco-Russian Alliance and why?

A
  • 2 years to negotiate a treaty

- Reluctant allies

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24
Q

Why did France sign the Franco-Russian Alliance?

A
  • Lost provinces Alsace-Lorraine, payed 5 billion Francs (£200 million) in reparations at Treaty of Frankfurt to Prussia
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25
Q

When was the Treaty of Frankfurt?

A

1871

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26
Q

Why did Russia sign the Franco-Russian Alliance?

A
  • Preferred to ally with Germany, Kaiser wasn’t interested

- Alliance strengthened after France loaned money for development in railway in Russia

27
Q

What was the effect of the Franco-Russian Alliance on Europe?

A
  • Surrounded Triple Alliance
  • Germany two frontiers to fight
  • Increased tension, balance of power shift
  • France can attack
28
Q

What was the Entente Cordiale?

A
  • Friendly agreement
  • France and Britain
  • To solve problems with their Empires
29
Q

When was the Entente Cordiale signed?

A

1904

30
Q

What were the terms of the Entente Cordiale?

A
  • France to allow Britain to reform in Egypt

- Britain promised not to oppose French action in Morocco

31
Q

Why was the Entente Cordiale signed?

A
  • Britain worried about German Navy
  • Germany didn’t want to ally with France nor Britain
  • Sorted out colonial problems
32
Q

What was the effect of the Entente Cordiale on Europe?

A
  • Encouraged French expansion in Morocco
  • Anglo-French relations closer after 1904
  • Kaiser Wilhelm || was suspicious, determined to break it
  • Looked like Britain had abandoned Splendid Isolation and joined France
33
Q

What was the Anglo-Russian Agreement?

A
  • Agreement, not a military alliance
  • Britain and Russia
  • To solve several oversea problems such as with Persia and Tibet
34
Q

When was the Anglo-Russian Agreement signed?

A

1907 after Moroccan Crisis

35
Q

Why was the Anglo-Russian Agreement signed?

A
  • France used influence to bring them together
36
Q

What was the effect of the Anglo-Russian Agreement on Europe?

A
  • Increased tension

- Germany felt threatened, ‘Einkreisungspolitik’

37
Q

Why did the Anglo-Russian Agreement increase tensions?

A
  • The terms of the agreement were secret
38
Q

Why was the Triple Entente called a ‘Einkreisungspolitik’?

A
  • Germany believed the Triple Entente was a policy of encirclement against Germany (‘Einkreisungspolitik’)
39
Q

What does ‘Einkreisungspolitik’ mean?

A
  • Policy of encirclement
40
Q

What does ‘Weltpolitik’ mean?

A
  • World policy
41
Q

What is ‘Weltpolitik’?

A
  • A phrase used to describe Kaiser Wihelm 11 desire to be a major player in world affairs
42
Q

Why does Kaiser Wilhelm 11 want ‘weltpolitik’?

A
  • Wanted to make Germany the greatest nation in the world

- Wanted Germany to be respected and great

43
Q

What is meant by a ‘place in the sun’?

A
  • Kaiser Wilhelm’s determination to expand the German Empire

- Jealous of the wealth, power and prestige of Britain

44
Q

What was Kaiser Wilhelm’s attitude to Britain?

A
  • Jealous of prestige, wealth, power and prestige of the British Empire
45
Q

When did Germany start building up it’s Navy?

A

1898

46
Q

What happened in 1906?

A
  • Britain launched its first dreadnought
47
Q

What was the importance of dreadnoughts?

A
  • Dreadnoughts were faster and had longer-ranged guns than the older ships
  • Power of navies now depended on the amount of dreadnoughts each country had
48
Q

What was the significance of dreadnoughts to Britain?

A
  • Britain’s supremacy at sea was based on the older ships so it’s advantage had been reduced
49
Q

How many dreadnoughts did Britain and German have in 1909?

A

Britain - made 2, total 8

Germany - made 3, total 7

50
Q

How many dreadnoughts did Britain and Germany have in 1911?

A

Britain - made 5, total 16

Germany - made 3, total 11

51
Q

How many dreadnoughts did Britain and Germany have in 1914?

A

Britain - total 27

Germany - total 17

52
Q

When was the Moroccan Crisis?

A

1905-06

53
Q

What happened in 1905 to do with the Moroccan Crisis?

A

Kaiser Wilhelm visited Morocco to influence North Africa:

  • Rode on streets of Tangier with military band and Moroccan troops
  • Announced German support for independent Morocco open to peaceful competition for all nations
  • Called for an international conference
54
Q

What happened in 1906 to do with the Moroccan Crisis?

A

International Conference at Algeciras, Southern Spain:

  • Britain and Russia supported France
  • Only Austria-Hungary supported Germany
  • France given joint control over Moroccan police with Spain
  • Kaiser Wilhelm was humiliated
55
Q

Why did Kaiser Wilhelm do what he did in the Moroccan Crisis?

A
  • Dramatic gesture to prevent France from getting Morocco
  • Tested the strength of the Entente Cordiale
  • Wanted influence over North Africa
56
Q

How did the Moroccan Crisis affect the Entente Cordiale?

A
  • France more confident of Britain’s support
  • Britain took more interest in European affairs
  • Kaiser attempt to break the Agreement backfired, strengthened relations
  • Britain began secret military talks with France
57
Q

What was the effect of the Moroccan Crisis on the Triple Alliance?

A
  • Austria-Hungary backed Germany, stronger relations
58
Q

How did the Moroccan Crisis affect Anglo-German rivalry?

A
  • Intensified as the Kaiser blamed Britain for the defeat
59
Q

When was the Bosnian Crisis?

A

1908-09

60
Q

What happened in 1908 to do with the Bosnian Crisis?

A

Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia:

  • Revolution in Turkey
  • Bosnia, one of the small Slav states in the Balkans
  • Serbia appealed for Russia to support Greater Serbia
  • Russia supported Serbia so backed Serbia’s demands for an international conference
61
Q

What happened in the international conference in the Bosnian Crisis?

A

International conference:

  • Wilhelm annoyed with Austria-Hungary’s actions but still supported
  • Russia too weak to fight, backed down
  • Bosnia allowed to annex Austria-Hungary
62
Q

Why did Austria-Hungary annex Bosnia?

A
  • Austria-Hungary’s Empire was made up of several different races
  • Worried that the Slavs would unite under Serbia would cause the break up of the Empire, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia
63
Q

How did the Bosnian affect the Triple alliance?

A
  • Full support from Germany strengthened relations

- Italy did not like Austria-Hungary expansion into the Balkans, weakened relations

64
Q

How did the Bosnian Crisis affect the Triple Entente?

A
  • Russia’s humiliation led to closer relations with France and Britain
  • Russia made military improvements
  • Serbia determined to oppose Austria-Hungary, looked to Russia for full support