Prelude to World War I
Competitive Nationalism Changing nature of nationalism –Not the liberal nationalism of 1848 –Not in support of free trade – Protectionism –Meant to silence socialism - reactionary –Imperial ambitions
Militarism Commitment to War ( jingoism ) War Plans - inflexible Expansion of German Navy
Diplomatic Factors Alliance Systems Imperialism
Franco-German Hostility Bismarck’s Alliance system – protect position on Continent – target? –Three Emperor’s League (Austria-Hungary, Russia) –Dual Alliance (Austria-Hungary) –Triple Alliance (Austria-Hungary & Italy) France’s Alliance System – Response… Entente Cordial (Britain & France) Siberian Railway (French investment – in Russia)
Tensions Heightened – Post Bismarck: German Ambitions Germany wins right to Berlin to Baghdad railway 1 st & 2 nd Moroccan crisis Kaiser advocated Moroccan independence Algeciras Conference (1906) German gunboats sent to morocco (1911) Alliances counter German hostility… –Anglo-Russian Entente (settle Middle Eastern issues) –Triple Entente (Britain, France & Russia)
Ottoman’s Eastern Question The Balkan “wild card”
Ottoman sultan watches as the emperor of Austria – Hungary annexes Bosnia- Herzegovina and the prince of Bulgaria is declared Czar The Eastern Question
1900
The Balkans: Ripe for the picking… Slavic Nationalism (Pan-Slavism) Russian and Austria-Hungarian Ambitions Internal Decay of Ottoman Empire (Young Turks) First Balkan Crisis 1908 (A-H annexation of Bosnia) Turkish-Italian War 1911 (Libya) First Balkan War 1912 (Serbs, Greeks & Bulgaria vs. Turks) Second Balkan War 1913 (Bulgaria vs. Former Allies in spoils of War)
The July Crisis The Blank Cheque
1871
1914