World War One - Part One - Build-up to war

Question 1

What were the five most influential European powers before World War One?

Answer 1

Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Austria-Hungary.

Question 2

What was the largest empire in the world before World War One?

Answer 2

Britain.

Question 3

Why was Britain the largest colonial empire?

Answer 3

Britain was the first country to industrialise and it had one of the highest living standards in the world, it also had the largest navy and made it easy to colonise far away lands with their superior technology.

Question 4

Who ruled early 20th century Britain?

Answer 4

After Queen Victoria’s death, George V was monarch but had little political power, as parliament was in charge of lawmaking and running of the country.

Question 5

What was the population and military size of Britain?

Answer 5

It had a population of 41 million in Great Britain (not including empire), 710,000 army troops, 122 Battleships, 110 fighter and bomber planes, 6 airships and 64 submarines.

Question 6

What was the size of Britain’s empire?

Answer 6

Being the largest colonial power, Britain controlled 1/4 of the world’s land area, 400 million people (1/4 of global population) over 56 colonies.

Question 7

What were some issues for early 20th century Britain?

Answer 7

There was a major class division- 3% of the population were upper class, 25% middle class and 72% working class, Britain was very elitist. Their economy was also being overtaken by Germany and the USA.

Question 8

How powerful was France before World War One?

Answer 8

In the early 19th century under Napoleon I and others, France was a major player in Europe and colonially, but due to its loss in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War, France declined in status, losing Alsace-Lorraine to the emerging power, Germany and forcing their emperor Napoleon III to abdicate. It was also very agricultural, 40% of their population being farmers.

Question 9

Who ruled over France before World War One.

Answer 9

France had no monarch and was a Republic. France’s military generals had a lot of political power. There was a deep hatred for Germany.

Question 10

What was France’s population and military size?

Answer 10

France had a population of 41 million (excluding colonies), 1.25 million personnel in the army, 46 battleships, 132 fighter and bomber planes.

Question 11

How large was France’s colonial empire?

Answer 11

France had 29 colonies, mainly in Africa and Indochina, being the second largest empire behind Britain.

Question 12

What issues existed for France?

Answer 12

France’s industrial might had declined and had lost influence compared with Germany and Britain, falling in production of goods and having a stagnant economy.

Question 13

Who ruled over Russia before World War One?

Answer 13

Tsar Nicholas II, a monarch descending from the Romanov family, he took power in 1894 after his father’s death. He was a cousin of George V, King of England and Wilhelm II, Kaiser of Germany. Royal families inter-married to retain power in their family. The Russian royal family claimed leadership over the Orthodox Church, one of the two apostolic branches of Christianity.

Question 14

How large was Russia’s population and military size?

Answer 14

Russia had a population of 160 million people, having no colonies, it had a standing army of 1,200,000 personnel, 26 battleships, 29 submarines, 360 bomber and fighter planes, 16 airships, producing 36 million tonnes of coal per year and producing 4 million tonnes of steel per year.

Question 15

What problems faced early 20th century Russia?

Answer 15

Whilst elites were very wealthy, most people were serfs, farming for food with little to no money and being permanently indebted to a land owner. Living conditions were bad and hours were long. Trade unions were illegal and thus it was difficult to improve conditions. There had previously been a small revolution in 1905 but this was put down. It was a sign of things to come.

Question 16

How big was Russia’s colonial empire?

Answer 16

Whilst Russia technically didn’t have its own colonial empire, it wanted to control Persia, Manchuria (North-Eastern China) and Ottoman possessions in the Caucasus like Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Its sheer size meant it didn’t need to have colonies to be a large country unlike Britain, France, Germany or Italy.

Question 17

Who ruled Austria-Hungary and how was Austria-Hungary ruled?

Answer 17

Franz Jozef was emperor of Austria-Hungary, but the Austrian and Hungarian subdivisions of the crown had separate parliament and lawmaking structures, whilst foreign policy was decided together. Due to Austria-Hungary’s many ethnic groups, many areas held significant autonomy. Franz Josef was popular but many people he put in positions of power were not. There were many demonstrations and riots and terrorists groups were rampant in areas of the country not dominated by Germans or Hungarians.

Question 18

How large was Austria-Hungary’s population and military?

Answer 18

Austria-Hungary had a population of 50 million, 810,000 personnel in the army, 24 battleships, 6 submarines, 35 fighter and bomber planes and one airship. It produced 47 million tonnes of coal per year and 5 million tonnes of steel per year.

Question 19

What problems faced Austria-Hungary?

Answer 19

There were many different ethnic groups within Austria-Hungary from the main two Germans and Hungarians to Italians, Poles, Ukrainians, Romanians, Serbs, Bosniaks, Croats, Slovenes, Czechs and Slovaks. This meant there was tension towards their rulers and between each other. Many people supported separatist movements causing for the dissolution of the nation.

Question 20

How large was Austria-Hungary’s empire?

Answer 20

Austria-Hungary got nothing from the scramble for Africa and only received a 150 acre plot of land in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. It was once a major player in Europe but was now fast trailing the likes of Britain and Germany.

Question 21

Who was leader of Germany before World War One?

Answer 21

After the creation of the German Empire in 1871 following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War, the Kaiser was the leader of Germany. By 1888, Kaiser Wilhelm II was the leader of Germany and stayed Kaiser until his abdication at the end of World War One. He had most of the power in Germany but was very popular with his people and nationalist sentiment was strong in Germany at this time and he represented that movement in a way.

Question 22

How did Germany form as a nation state?

Answer 22

Before 1870, a unified German state had never existed, it was always a collection of smaller princely states due to the Holy Roman Empire. The biggest former state was Prussia, whose former leader became leader of the German Empire.

Question 23

How large was Germany’s population and military size?

Answer 23

Germany had a population of 65 million, a standing army of 2.2 million inhabitants, 85 battleships, 23 submarines, 246 fighter and bomber planes and 11 airships.

Question 24

How big was Germany’s colonial empire?

Answer 24

Germany had 10 colonies, two in the Gulf of Guinea, one in East Africa, One in South-West Africa, an outpost in China, outposts in the pacific and the Northern half of modern day Papua New Guinea.

Question 25

What alliance was created in 1879?

Answer 25

In 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary agreed to protect each other forming the Dual Alliance.

Question 26

What alliance was created in 1882?

Answer 26

Italy agrees to join the Dual Allaince, forming the Triple Allaince.

Question 27

What alliance was created in 1892?

Answer 27

France and Russia agreed to defend each other in a war against the Triple Alliance. France had lost a war to Prussia and Russia was scared of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Question 28

What alliance was created in 1904?

Answer 28

The Entente Cordial was forged between Britain and France.

Question 29

What alliance was created in 1907?

Answer 29

The Triple Entente was created between Britain France and Russia. They all agreed to defend each other.

Question 30

Which major power had the first claim to Morocco? Who backed up this claim?

Answer 30

France claimed they were going to colonise Morocco and the British agreed to back them as part of the Entente Cordial. Spain and Italy both agreed to the plan.

Question 31

Who visited Morocco’s lead in Tangier?

Answer 31

Kaiser Wilhelm II visited Tangier in 1905 to pledge his support for the Moroccan leader Sultan Abdelaziz. This was a direct challenge to France’s claim.

Question 32

Why did the Kaiser pledge support for Abdelaziz?

Answer 32

He wanted to test the French to see how far they could be pushed, whether they would declare war or not. He also wanted to test whether Britain would support France. Finally, he wanted to demonstrate Germany intended to be fully involved in world affairs.

Question 33

Where was the conference to solve the Moroccan crisis held?

Answer 33

It was held in the Spanish port city of Algeciras in the strait of Gibraltar.

Question 34

What happened during the Algeciras conference?

Answer 34

The Germans were humiliated, only Austria-Hungary supported Germany and although France wasn’t allowed to take full control of Morocco, they were allowed special trading rights and more influence within the country. They were also given joint control of the Moroccan police. More importantly Britain and France stood firm against Germany. Shortly after, Britain, France and Russia formed the Triple Entente.

Question 35

What happened in the second Moroccan crisis?

Answer 35

In 1911 a rebellion broke out against the ruling Sultan of Morocco in Fez. The Sultan asked the government of France for help and they sent 20,000 soldiers to fight the rebels. Kaiser Wilhelm accused the French of invading Morocco and sent the warship ‘Panther’ to the port of Agadir as a demonstration of German strength.

The British were worried about the arrival of the warship. Britain had and still has a naval base in Gibraltar in the Mediterranean, between Spain and Morocco and it looked like Germany might be trying to challenge their influence in the area.

Question 36

How was the second Moroccan crisis resolved?

Answer 36

A series of meetings between German, French and British politicians were held and eventually a peace was found. Britain and France again stood firm against Germany, and the Kaiser decided to back down and order the warship to leave Agadir. Other countries, like Italy, opposed the Germans.
After a tense few weeks, the nations agreed that France would gain control of Morocco and in return Germany would get part of French Congo.

Question 37

What were the consequences of the Second Moroccan Crisis?

Answer 37

-Germany was humiliated and was unlikely to back down again in a similar situation.
-Many Germans fully supported the Kaiser and his actions. When he talked of war, they would seemingly support him in this too.
-Britain was now convinced Germany was a threat to European peace. It is no coincidence that Britain began to build more and more battleships after this.
-Britain and France grew closer, reaching a secret agreement that French warships would patrol the Mediterranean whilst British warships would defend the north coast of France.
Italy had not supported Germany, weakening ties in the Triple Alliance. From now on Germany would rely on Austria-Hungary.

Question 38

Describe the situation in the Balkans in the early Twentieth Century.

Answer 38

The Balkans consists of many small nationalities, who feel very divided and different, culturally from their neighbours. For many years, the Ottoman Empire controlled these nations’ territory either as parts of the Empire or as Vassal states (puppet governments). By the early 20th century these nations started rebelling after it was clear the Ottomans were in decline. (They lost the Crimean War and the War of Greek Independence the century previously). Greece and Serbia had achieved independence and Bulgaria was semi-independence. The larger nations, Austria-Hungary and Russia had took advantage of the declining Ottomans. All nations wanted influence in the Balkans, under their terms. Italy had taken Ottoman Libya and the Aegean Sea in 1911 during the Italo-Turkish War. Several nations saw this as an opportunity to gain land in the Balkans and give full independence to Balkan Nations. Their combined forces were known as the Balkan League.

Question 39

What happened in the First Balkan Crisis between 1908-9?

Answer 39

In 1908 there was a rebellion in the Ottoman Empire. Austria-Hungary had unofficially run Bosnia, formerly an Ottoman province and sharing the religion of Islam with the Ottomans, whereas the Austro-Hungarian crown was Catholic. Austria-Hungary took advantage of the rebellion and declared it was annexing Bosnia. Nearby Serbia was angered by this as a fellow South Slav nation, dreaming of uniting Yugoslavia. Russia had strong cultural and religious links to Serbia and had supported them for ages. Russia brought Austria-Hungary’s actions into question in the international community.

Question 40

What was Germany’s reaction to the First Balkan Crisis?

Answer 40

Germany, despite their alliance, was unhappy that Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia. However, he promised to fully support Austria-Hungary. After all, he received their full support in Morocco. Russia faced a dilemma, support Serbia and Bosnia and take on both Austria-Hungary and Germany or back down?

Question 41

How did Russia respond to the First Balkan Crisis?

Answer 41

Russia backed down for now. It wasn’t prepared to risk war as it felt it wasn’t strong enough to take on the Germans. Despite having major sympathy for Serbia, it could do nothing, but it certainly increased anti-Central Powers sentiment in Russia.

Question 42

What were the consequences of the First Balkan Crisis?

Answer 42

-Most in Bosnia wanted to unite with Serbia and leave Austria-Hungary.
-Several secret societies were formed in Serbia and Bosnia - namely the Black Hand (foreshadowing).
-Russia had been forced to back down, they vowed not to let this happen again and started to build up their military.
-Austria-Hungary now felt it had the full support of Germany, which would affect their foreign policy in years to come.
-Italy was unhappy with Austria-Hungary‘s Balkan expansion and weakened Italy’s ties to Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Question 43

Describe the First Balkan War from October 1912 to May 1913.

Answer 43

In October 1912, the war began when the Ottomans were attacked. It was a quick and brutal war, lasting just 50 days, in which half a million soldiers fought. The Ottomans lost, and at a peace conference in London in May 1913, it agreed to withdraw from all European areas it had controlled. Albania gained independence from the Ottomans, who had long ruled and influenced them. The remaining land was distributed amongst the Balkan League.

Question 44

What were the consequences of the First Balkan War (1912-13)?

Answer 44

Balkan nations soon started to argue over which lands should be given to which nations at the Ottomans’ expense. The King of Bulgaria felt his country should have had more, and declared war on Serbia and Greece to achieve this.

Question 45

What happened in the Second Balkan War from June to August 1913?

Answer 45

The Ottomans joined Serbia and Greece against Bulgaria. Romania joined against Bulgaria too, hoping to gain Bulgarian land. The war was a disaster for Bulgaria, and by the end of another fast and brutal conflict, Bulgaria had lost all of its territorial gains from the First War.

Question 46

What were the consequences of the Balkan Wars? Who gained and lost the most?

Answer 46

Serbia gained the most from the two wars, and nearly doubled in size. It had now become, aside from the major powers like the Ottomans or Austria-Hungary, the most powerful Balkan nation.

-Serbia became even more determined to be the unifier of Yugoslavia, including territories in Austria-Hungary.

-Many living in Bosnia were determine to break free from Austria-Hungary and join Serbia.

-Austria-Hungary saw Serbia’s growth as a threat, as they had an experienced army and were allies of Russia. They saw Serbia as a mountain to climb or fall off of.

-Bulgaria came out of the Balkan wars weakened and vowed revenge against Serbia.

Question 47

How did Britain end up in ‘Splendid Isolation’ ?

Answer 47

Britain had spent the last three centuries accumulating the most vast empire in history. From the mid eighteenth century it had industrialised, and became the first industrialised country. Britain was the richest and most powerful nation on Earth, with the biggest navy, the most colonies and best trade links. The empire’s security depended upon the Royal Navy’s dominance to secure trade routes and colonies. In 1889, a law was passed which stated that Britain’s navy should be at least equal in size to the next two largest navies combined (France and Russia at this time), known as the Two-Power Standard. The government made around £1.2 billion in today’s money available to build new warships.

They felt, that they did not need to commit to alliances (around the turn of the twentieth century) due to the sheer size of their navy and thus empire and trade dominance globally, they also had all the goods they needed.

Question 48

How was Britain’s ‘Splendid Isolation’ challenged?

Answer 48

By the early 1900s, Europe had split into two camps, and an aggresively industrialising Germany posed a significant threat to British global hedgemony.

-The British and French had clashed over control of colonies in North Africa and nearly went to war in the late 1800s. However agreements were made over colonies, bringing the two closer together.

-From 1898, Germany began building up its navy. The Kaiser talked of making Germany a global power. His naval and colonial plans were a threat to British power.

-Germany and Austria-Hungary’s Dual Alliance and later, when Italy joined, the Triple Alliance threatened Britain’s global power.

-In Response, France and Russia joined together in the Franco-Russian alliance. The two camps meant Britain felt they were losing out on power in certain regions.

-Germany supported the Boers (descendants of Dutch settlers in South Africa), during the First and Second Boer Wars, angering the British.

Question 49

How did the British leave ‘Splendid Isolation’?

Answer 49

In 1903, King Edward VII, whilst on holiday in the Mediterranean, heard that the French president was also visiting the region. Edward sent four battleships as a mark of respect to salute the President, who was delighted with the gesture and invited Edward to Paris. The visit was a brilliant success and almost overnight the climate was set for greater co-operation between the nations. In 1904, the Entente Cordiale was signed between them. In 1907, the British signed a similar agreement with Russia. Now Britain was allied to other nations and officially left its isolationist period.

Question 50

What was Kaiser Wilhelm II like?

Answer 50

-He was born in 1861, grandson of Germany’s first Kaiser (Wilhelm I). He was the grandson of Queen Victoria.

-He was very energetic with a strong, outgoing personality. He could be unpredictable and rude.

He became Kaiser in 1888, aged 29. He had spent most of his adult life in the Army and as Kaiser he was determined to maintain a powerful military. He took great interest in military tactics and had a passion for wearing military uniforms as he felt they associated him with German military power.

Question 51

What was ‘Weltpolitik’

Answer 51

The Kaiser felt Germany should be a global power. At this time many European nations had large overseas empires. The Kaiser decided Germany needed one of its own in order to become a world power. This was known as ‘Weltpolitik’ meaning ‘world policy’. So in the late 1800s Germany began to conquer land in Africa and Asia.

Question 52

How did the Kaiser want to Protect his empire?

Answer 52

He wanted a large navy of powerful battleships for several reasons:

-He thought it would boost German colonisation efforts abroad.

-He wanted the German Navy to rival Britain’s (he had previously lived in Britain and witnessed its might). The size of the army was increased too. Taxes were raised and money borrowed to pay for it - Germany remained in debt for a long time.

Question 53

What were the consequences of the Kaiser’s aims and actions?

Answer 53

They increased tension between European powers. The desire for more colonies alarmed countries already with empires of their own. They wondered whether the Kaiser would challenge them for their colonies, which could lead to war. The fact he had been building his military indicated this. This led to many other nations militarising too. Many nations began to draw out detailed defence (and attack) plans for war. European nations formed alliances as a result.

Question 54

What was the arms race on land?

Answer 54

-In 1870, Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Italy spent over £90 million on the military between them.

-By 1914, this spending quadrupled to almost £400 million.

-Germany increased by 73% (the most) compared to France’s 10% and Britain’s 13%.

-Russia’s spending also increased by more than 1/3 in response to their defeat against the Japanese in 1905.

-Except for Britain, every major power introduced or at least increased conscription.

Question 55

What military plans were drawn up by major powers?

Answer 55

For Britain - A highly trained army unit would travel to France at a short notice to help them during an invasion.

For France - French troops would march through Alsace-Lorraine, capturing these formerly French territories and then up the North European Plain towards Berlin known as Plan 17.

For Russia - Millions of Russian troops would attack Germany’s eastern border and Austria-Hungary known as Plan 19.

For Germany - it planned to attack France first, defeating them quickly and turn and fight the Russians in the east. This was known as the Schlieffen Plan.

For Austria-Hungary - Developed several war plans depending on which countries joined the war, known as Plan B or R.

Question 56

What was the Anglo-German Naval Race?

Answer 56

In the 1800s, Britain had built a huge navy to protect its trade routes and colonies around the world and by 1900, was the world’s greatest naval power. In 1901, the Kaiser announced he wanted an empire to rival Britain’s. He needed a large navy to achieve this, so began a huge shipbuilding campaign, financed through a series of Navy Laws.

In 1906, the British announced the creation of a more advanced ship - the dreadnought. It was so much faster, stronger and more powerful than any other that German ships were referred to as ‘funf minuten’ meaning five minutes referring to the thought time taken for a dreadnought to sink one of their ships.

Almost immediately, the Germans began work on their own version known as Rheinland. The British then again responded by improving their dreadnought. This competition became known as an ‘arms race’.

Question 57

What was the idea of ‘Greater Serbia’?

Answer 57

In the past two centuries, new nations like Italy and Germany were created during the era of Nationalist Revolution after 1848. Nationalism, the idea of countries being based around a single culture became very widespread in Europe. In Serbia this was very popular, wanting to unite all South Slavic nations under Serbian rule (this eventually happened under Yugoslavia). The south Slavic nations include Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria (however they are more separate). Many secret groups housed such ideas like ‘National Defense’ and ‘Young Bosnia’. The most extreme was the ‘Bladk Hand’. Army officers, lawyers, journalists, university professors and students were members, all willing to die for their cause.

Question 58

What were the aims of the Black Hand?

Answer 58

They wanted to unify all Serbs. The organisation preferred terrorist action to cultural activities and was thus kept secret. The leader was a 26-year-old colonel named Dragutin Dimitrijevic (code-named Apis).

He soon built up a spy network of those loyal to the Black Hand and soon there were 2500 members. Several members worked as guards on the Serbian border with Bosnia, allowing terrorist attacks in Bosnia to occur.

In 1911, a member was sent to assassinate Emperor Franz-Josef. When this failed, a high ranking official’s assassination was planned, also failing.

Question 59

What was Austria-Hungary’s response to the Black Hand organisation?

Answer 59

Austria-Hungary was outraged by these acts of terror. They thought these activities may start a rebellion in Bosnia, and since Austria-Hungary was so multi-ethnic, it could lead to a collapse of the empire as a whole. They suspected that the Serbian government was conspiring with them. Emperor Franz-Josef was encouraged to crush Serbia.

Question 60

What happened when Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited Sarajevo?

Answer 60

Austria-Hungary announced its army would test weapons and carry out exercises in Bosnia next to the Serbian border, the Black Hand seeing this as threatening. Soon, Franz Josef’s nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand would visit the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo. It was scheduled for 28th June 1914, the Serbian National Day. Many Serbs saw this as a direct insult and threat and to the Black Hand, it signified that Austria-Hungary was threatening Serbia itself. They planned another act of terror by killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Question 61

How did Austria-Hungary respond to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

Answer 61

They thought the Serbian government was involved and wanted to teach them a lesson. Leading politicans and army leaders wanted to declare war on Serbia.

Question 62

What was the ultimatum that Austria-Hungary sent to Serbia?

Answer 62

They asked that Serbia take full responsibility for the assassination and terror groups involved. They wanted to get rid of ‘anti-Austrian’ groups, by entering the Austro-Hungarian army into Serbia.

Question 63

How did Serbia respond to the ultimatum?

Answer 63

The accepted all points of the ultimatum except for allowing the Austro-Hungarian army into Serbia as he felt it could challenge their territorial integrity.

Question 64

How did Austria-Hungary respond to Serbia’s rejection of the ultimatum?

Answer 64

They broke off all communications and prepared their army for war. On the 28th July they declared war on Serbia and began bombing Belgrade, starting a chain of events that dragged all of Europe into war.

Question 65

How did all of Europe end up at war?

Answer 65

-29th July - Russia, supporting the Serbian King, orders his army to mobilise to defend them.

-30th July - Germany’s alliance with A-H comes into force and diplomacy starts failing.

-1st August - Germany mobilises its army and declares war on Russia. The French also prepare for war.

-2nd August - Germany begins the Schlieffen Plan, trying to knock out France quickly and turning on Russia. They ask for passage through neutral Belgium, which is refused.
-3rd August - Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium. This brings Britain into the war as they uphold a treaty of neutrality that they signed with Belgium to ensure their existence in 1839. Britain sends a message to Germany to call off their invasion.

-4th August - The Germans do not respond to Britain’s message and German troops continue their invasion of Belgium and Britain declares war on Germany.

-5th August - France declares war on Germany

-6th August - Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.

Question 66

What was the Schlieffen Plan?

Answer 66

As Alfred Von Schlieffen didn’t want to fight a war on two fronts, he decided to try and invade and knock out France quickly, as Russia slowly mobilised and then turn and fight Russia. They would go through the Benelux and head South-West towards Paris, outflanking the French as they defended the German border. They hoped France would be defeated within 40 days, giving them time to turn and fight Russia.

Question 67

What were some problems with the Schlieffen Plan?

Answer 67

-It was assumed that Russia would take 6 weeks to mobilise but this could prove false.
-The plan relied on an invasion of the Benelux that wouldn’t draw in Britain as the Germans thought they wouldn’t since it was a 75 year old treaty but what if they did intervene?
-It actually guaranteed a war on two fronts as it was possible that France would stay out of the war. The plan ensured both nations would fight.