Download Austria-Hungary

Long Term
Causes of WWI
Europe 1900s
Bismarck’s web of alliances
 After
1870 – Kaiser Wilhelm and chancellor
Bismarck didn’t pursue aggressive foreign
policy.
 Bismarck created a web of alliances to:


Protect Germany from attack and
Consolidate its position in Europe.
 The
Dreikaiserbund – 3 Emperors’ Leage
(1873)


Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary.
Vague terms but kept France isolated.
 The





Dual Alliance (1879)
Austria-Hungary and Russia were in conflict
due to events in the Balkans.
The Dreikaiserbund collapsed.
Bismarck made treaty with the Austrians.
Treaty was primarily defensive to avoid
clash between powers.
Germany and Austria-Hungary agreed to
help each other if attacked by Russia or
neutral if other European countries
attacked either of them.
 The


Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
If any of them were attacked, the others
would assist them.
 The



Triple Alliance (1882)
Reinsurance Treaty (1887)
The Emperors’ Alliance failed due to
problems in the Balkans in 1885.
Germany and Russia allied to avoid any risk
of war on two fronts.
Germany had to stay friendly with Russia.
New Couse and Weltpolitik








1888 – Wilhelm II came to throne in Germany.
1889 - Bismarck replaced by Leo von Caprivi as
Chancellor.
The Reinsurance treaty was over and led to
Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894.
France and Russia agreed on helping each other
if attacked by Germany.
Also agreed on immediate mobilization if
members of the Triple Alliance mobilized.
Mutual support in imperial disputes - Anti-British
political clause.
France free of isolation and Germany could face
war in two fronts.
Weltpolitik – world policy which aimed to build an
overseas empire and a strong German navy.
Imperialism
 1880
– 1905 – colonial rivalries among
European countries created tension.
 At first the motives were economical –
cheap raw materials, new markets and
low-cost labor forces.
 Later due to Darwinian belief and
nationalistic competition.
 Germany desired their influence to be felt
outside of Europe.
The emergence of the
alliance system.








1897 – Secretary of State of the Navy, Admiral
von Tirpitz.
Germany should mount a naval challenge to
Britain.
Naval Law (1898) – provided the building of
17 ships over the next seven years.
Britain responded looking for alliances to
avoid conflicts in the Far East.
Britain made alliance with Japan (1902) and
came to an entente with France (1904).
1907 - Britain and Russia reached agreement
over their relationship with Persia, Tibet and
Afghanistan.
Triple Entente - Russia, France and Britain.
Europe divided in to alliance systems.
The naval race
 Germany’s
maritime challenge to Britain
started a naval arms race.
 1906 – Britain launched the HMS
Dreadnought.

Its speed, range and firepower were far
superior.
 The
Dreadnought made the rest of
battleships obsolete.
 Germany continued expanding its fleet.
 Newspapers and poplar fiction portrayed
Germany as new enemy against Britain.
Situation in the Balkans
 Turkey



Didn’t rule over the Balkans any more.
Serbs, Greeks and Bulgars had revolted and
set up their own nation.
Turkey struggled to hold on to its remaining
Balkan territories.
 Austria-Hungary



By 1900 they were losing their grip on their
multi-ethnic empire.
The most forceful were the Slavs – Serbs,
Croats and Slovenes who looked to Serbia
for support.
Serbia was seen as a threat by AustriaHungary.
 Russia



Russia was seen as the champion of the
Slav people.
Keeping the strait of Constantinople open
to Russian ships was strategically important.
Continued access to warm-water ports was
vital for Russia.
 Growing



tension in the Balkans after 1900
June 1903 – pro-Austrian King Alexander of
Serbia was murdered
Replaced by Russophile King Peter –
determined to reduce Austro-Hungarian
influence.
1905 – 1906 – Tariff war began and the
Serbs turned to France for arms and
finance.