Download Long Term Causes of World War I

Causes of World War I
The World Wars
Ms. Hamer
February 9-10, 2010
What were the Causes of World War I?
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Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
• Issues with the Balance of Power
Escalation
• The beginning of World War I is a case of
escalation– so many factors built up that some
of the countries felt that war was the only
option.
• There is great debate over how much emphasis
to place on each factor – decide that for
yourself
The Great Powers
• Europe at this time was made up of:
– a few countries that had a lot of power
– other countries that did not
– and some growing countries that wanted to be a
Great Power
Which countries do you think these were?
• In this system of control, if one country got
too much power, the other Great Powers would
band together to fight against it
Map of Europe - 1914
Great Britain
• In the World:
– World’s Largest Empire
• 20% of the world’s land
– Best Navy
– Industrial and Commercial Power
– Banking capital of the world
• In Europe:
– “Splendid Isolation”: Since England was doing so
well, it tended to stay out of the affairs of
continental Europe
• At Home:
– 45 million people
– Constitutional Monarchy
British Empire in 1900
• In the World:
• Empire – SE Asia and Africa
mostly
• In Europe:
– Was the ruling power in Europe in
the 1700’s
– Lost a big war to Germany in
1870-1871 and was on the
downward spiral since then
• Lost Alsace and Lorraine in this war
• At Home:
– 35 million people
– Republic with very diverse
political parties
– Was really worried about
Germany…
France
Russia
• In the World:
– Was having problems:
• 1905 – lost the Russo Japanese War
• 1905 – Revolution that almost destroyed the government
• In Europe:
– Idealism of Pan-Slavism: Russia wanted to help other
Slavic nations (like Serbia)
– Not nearly as developed technologically or politically as
Western Europe
• At Home:
– 164 million people
• Very diverse and not all happy to have had their country merged
into Russia (like the Poles)
– Autocratic System ruled by Tsar Nicholas II
Germany
• In the World:
– Kaiser Wilhelm II took over in 1888 and he wanted to
win respect through an aggressive foreign policy
• In Europe:
– Created in 1870-1871 through a war with France
• Unification was based around Prussian military principle
– Quickly became a Great Power and the strongest on the
continent; strong economy too
• At Home:
– 65 million people
– Kind of a constitutional monarchy
• Reichstag – Parliament
• Kaiser – King / Leader
– Politically split between the Marxist SPD (Social
Democratic Party) and the Nationalist Leagues
Germany 1871-1918
• In Europe:
Austria - Hungary
– Old empire, lost a lot to the
newly forming Germany in
1866, then befriended it…
– A-H worried about the
Balkans and worked to keep
their control there and to keep
Russian control out
• At Home:
– Empire ruled by Emperor
Franz Josef
– Major concerns: dissatisfied
ethnic groups, shaky empire,
and lagging behind in
industrial production
– Population: 53 million
Austria-Hungary 1910
Other Players
(Not Great Powers)
Ottoman Empire
• In the World:
– Was a MAJOR empire, but was on its last legs by
the 1900’s
• Lost a lot of territory in the Balkans
• No real industrial development
• Was being preyed on by the European powers
• At Home:
– 1908 – Young Turk movement came about to
revive the empire
– Around 15 million people (estimated)
– Would become Turkey
Ottoman
Empire
1798-1923
Purple: Lost by 1886
Pink: Lost by 1914
Italy
• In Europe:
– Wanted to be a Great
Power, but had internal
instability
– Had complaints against
France (over colonial
issues) and AustriaHungary (over land A-H
had taken)
• At Home:
– Also a newly formed
country – 1860
– 36 million people
Serbia
• In Europe:
– Had gained
independence from the
Ottoman Empire
– Wanted to unite the
Slavs under a Balkan
league
• This worried AustriaHungary
– Supported by Russia
• At Home:
– Kingdom
– 4.5 million
Japan
• In the World:
– Wanted to be an imperialist
power
• Won the Sino-Japanese war
in 1895
• Won the Russo-Japanese
war in 1904
• Annexed Korea in 1910
(had liberated Korea from
China in the 1895 war)
• At Home:
– Newly industrialized
country under the Meiji
Restoration of the last
quarter of the 1800’s
– 52 million?
The United States
of America
• In the World:
– Had become imperialist in the late 1800’s
– Did not really figure into European politics
because of the vast distance between them
• At Home:
– Massive industrial production
• Produced more steel than either Britain or Germany by
1900
– No real military power, but it had potential in
population (100 million) and industrial capacity
Life in Europe under the “Balance
of Power”
The Balance of Power
• The Balance of Power began in 1648 in Europe
– Theoretically kept harmony in Europe
– If one power got too strong, the others would unite
against it
• Broke Down in 1854 with the beginning of the
Crimean War
– Much more competitive after this
– “The German Question” – what would the new
Germany’s role be?
Nationalism
• Had been used as idea of liberation, was now
used to legitimate governments of new
nation-states (Germany, Italy…)
• Picked up the Social Darwinist ideas of ‘rising’
and ‘declining’ races of people
Imperialism
• During all of this, European countries fought for
control of land overseas, by the 1800’s the focus
was on Africa and Asia
• England and France were rivals
• England and Russia distrusted each other in
Central Asia (England controlled India and
somewhat controlled China)
• Germany did not participate in the rash of landgrabbing that happened in the mid-1800’s
– Therefore Germany did not have as much as everyone
else
– Germany would end up being very bitter about this
Militarism
• The combination of imperialist competition
and instability in the balance of power led
many European countries to expand their
military, especially after Germany’s new
aggressive foreign policy began in 1890
• France, Germany, and Russia built up their
armies
– European armies in general doubled in size from
1890-1914
• Countries began to make extremely detailed
plans for military operations in possible future
wars
Popular Militarism in Germany
• The idea of war started to
blend with nationalism: war
was seen as a test of
national identity and
supremacy
• As militarism took hold in
Germany, there were
cultural changes:
– Brutalization of the middle
classes as they imitated the
Junker aristocracy
– Students prized dueling scars
Popular Militarism in Germany
• Lots of respect shown to
military officers
• Kaiser Wilhelm II was a fan
of uniforms, parades, and
aggressive foreign policy
• Many supported this
attitude, but not all Germans
felt this way
– Some felt that war was a way
out of a political crisis or
stalemate
What problems could militarism cause?
Misconception of the Modern Nature of
War
• Still though war was short, fast, and glorious
– Also thought it would still be focused on the
offensive and cavalry
• Should have known better after the Crimean
War (1850’s) and American Civil War (1860’s)
• Ideas about war becoming more civilized:
– Geneva Conventions of 1864 and 1906
– Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907
• Protecting civilians and POW’s
• No use of poison gas
What does this all Lead to?
• Expectation of and planning for the “next war”
in Europe
– War was glamorized in popular culture
– Extensive military planning
The Cult of the Offensive
• Born out of this fervor for war was the Cult of
the Offensive:
– Emphasis on attack instead of defense
– Leaders felt that their dedicated soldiers were so
nationalistic that they could beat a larger force
– Training focused on thebayonet drill and infantry
Alliances
• One of the most immediate causes of WWI
was a complicated entanglement of alliances
• Try to keep up here…
Alliances with Germany
• Germany wanted to be a power player in Europe
• 1873- Three Emperors’ League – Bismarck
wanted to join A-H, Germany, and Russia but he
failed
• 1879 – Dual Alliance – A-H and Germany
• 1882 – Triple Alliance when Italy joined
• 1887 – Germany signed secret Reinsurance Treaty
with Russia, but this was a “Bismarck only”
agreement and dissolved when he left in 1890
Alliances in Response to Germany
• Russia and France entered into a military
alliance in 1894
– Even though they fought each other in the Crimean
War (1853-1856)
• England joining Germany would make sense
here, but Germanydecided a new course of
world policy in 1897 (Weltpolitik) that
included construction of a large navy! (NO!!!)
• So England looked elsewhere for allies, like
Japan (1902)
Germany is Scaring People
• England is pushed into
settling issues with France in
the 1904 Entente Cordiale
• This bond grows stronger
after 1905 and 1911 when
Germany is causing
imperialist issues with
Morocco
• 1907 England and Russia
settle differences
French Entente Cordiale
Postcard
The Dual Alliance System
• After 1907 it looked
like this in Europe:
• Triple Alliance
– Germany
– Austria-Hungary
– Italy
• Triple Entente
– France
– Russia
– Great Britain
The Balkan Wars
Trouble in the Balkans
• Ottomans were losing
power
• Independence movements
were growing in Serbia,
Bulgaria, and Romania
• A-H and Russia got
involved
– A-H didn’t want their
own Southern Slavs to
join the independence
movement (especially in
Serbia)
Purple: Ottoman Empire lost by 1886
Pink: Ottoman Empire lost by 1914
The Balkan Wars (1912-1913)
• The First Balkan
War (1912):
Serbia, Bulgaria,
Montenegro,
and Greece take
territory from
the Ottoman
Empire
The Balkan Wars (1912-1913)
• The Second Balkan
War (1913):
Bulgaria attacked its
former allies, Serbia
and Greece, to get
more land. Bulgaria
lost land of its own
instead
– dark colors are
areas Bulgaria lost
Why Do the Balkan Wars Matter?
• Because some Serbians felt very passionately
about Balkan independence, which was
heightened by the Balkan Crises
• So passionately in fact that they wanted to stop
A-H from preventing further
independence…like in the regions of Bosnia
and Herzegovina
The Shot
The Black Hand
• Original group founded in 1909, would become The
Black Hand in 1911
• Secret society committed to Pan-Slavism
• Used terrorist methods
• “Union or Death”
• Many members were in the Serbian military and
military intelligence
• Chose to assassinate the Archduke of Austria
Hungary, Franz Ferdinand
– was next in line for the crown
– was planning on reorganizing A-H and creating a Slavic
state within the Empire – this would weaken Serbia’s idea
of Slavic independence
The Assassination
• On June 28, 1914
Archduke Franz
Ferdinand and his
wife Sophie were
assassinated by
GavrilloPrincip, an
18 year old student
and member of the
Black Hand
Assassination Blunders
• There were 7 assassins in Sarajevo (Bosnia) where
Ferdinand and his wife were inspecting the military
• First 2 assassins failed to throw their bombs
• The 3rd threw his bomb but it bounced off the
convertible roof cover and blew up under another car
• FF went to his next scheduled stop, but then changed
his plans, going to the hospital to visit the wounded
from the first bomb
• Princip was further along the first route but couldn’t
act since FF’s motorcade sped by after the first bomb
• Princip went to a deli to get a sandwich, walked out,
saw FF’s car backing up after making a wrong turn,
ran up and shot FF and Sophie
How did this lead to WWI?
• Previous assassinations had not led to war, BUT
this time:
• A-H felt that this was an opportunity to have a
showdown with Serbia
• Germany told their ally A-H that Germany would
support them against Serbia even if it meant war
(on July 5)
• July 23, 1914 – A-H delivers a list of 10
ultimatums to Serbia that must be accepted within
48 hours
– July 25, 1914 Serbia accepts all but the one that would
infringe on its sovereignty
How did this lead to WWI?
• July 28, 1914 A-H declares war on Serbia
• Russia calls for a full mobilization to support
Serbia on July 30, 1914
• July 31, 1914 Germany sends Russia an
ultimatum to stop mobilizing within 12 hours!
WWI Begins
• July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
• August 1 Germany declares war on Russia
• August 2 Germany informs Belgium that
Germany will be using Belgium to invade France
• England told Germany that if Belgian neutrality
were violated, England would declare war
• August 3 Germany declares war on France
• August 4 Germany invades Belgium with the
Schlieffen Plan
• August 4 England declares war on Germany
• Italy stays out of it
Alliance System in 1914
Looking Back
What were the Causes of World War I?
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•
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Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
• Issues with the Balance of Power