Journal/Do Now List Reasons you would fight and die in a war!

WWI: Causes Aim: Why did Europe descend into World War I?

Causes of WWI Militarism Alliances Imperialism Nationalism

I. Imperialism (review) All the great powers were competing for colonies / territory. The British feared Germany in Africa. The Austrians feared Serbia / Russia in the Balkans

Colonial Rivalries: Africa in 1914

Colonial Rivalries: Asia in 1914

The British Empire in 1914

The Balkans in 1878

Economic & Imperial Rivalries

Essential Background This British postcard interprets Kaiser Wilhelm’s statement about wanting ‘a place in the sun’ – it shows him making everybody in the world bow down to him. IMPERIALISM led to an militarism … in 1900, Kaiser Wilhelm said that GERMANY wanted ‘a place in the sun’ – i.e., that Germany wanted an empire as big as Britain’s. This TERRIFIED the British.

II. Militarism Militarism: continual buildup of armies and navies. The hunger for empires lead to militarism and an arms race between the powerful European nations. Germany was competing with the Brits to build battleships. The British feared an attack on their Empire

Essential Background Arms Race and the First World War: e.g. the Daily Mail ran MANY stories (such as this one by William Le Queux) imagining German invasions. c.f. also John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps (about German spies). The Arms Race was as much about nations’ INSECURITY as about their NATIONALISM and EXPANSIONISM.

(GERMANY was especially militaristic.) Arms Race and the First World War: Attitude towards war But note that militarism is also a government's attitude of mind, seeing war as a valid means of foreign policy.   (GERMANY was especially militaristic.)

Armies - 1 Arms Race and the First World War: GERMANY, worried because it was in-between France and Russia, built up the largest land army. The German army was accepted as being the biggest and the best in the world.

Armies - 2 Arms Race and the First World War: This Russian postcard of 1914 shows Russia (symbolised by a woman) nailing the German eagle to a pillory after a war. But other countries built up their land armies too – in 1914, the fastest growing army was that of RUSSIA. This worried GERMANY a lot.

Armies - 3 Arms Race and the First World War: As well as their STANDING ARMIES, the nations introduced CONSCRIPTION, so they also had large numbers of trained RESERVES. All the nations except Britain had HUGE armies.

Navies - 1 Arms Race and the First World War: If GERMANY was to have an empire, it needed a navy, so in 1900 Admiral Tirpitz introduced the German Navy Law, which announced a huge program of building warships.

Navies - 2 Arms Race and the First World War: Both BRITAIN and GERMANY started building Dreadnoughts – the most advanced class of warship in the world. The Dreadnought essentially reduced everybody else’s number of warships to zero.

Navies - 3 Arms Race and the First World War: There was a race between Germany and Britain to build the most Dreadnoughts. The graph shows the number built each year.

Navies - 4 Arms Race and the First World War: Reginald McKenna, First Lord of the Admiralty 1908-11. In 1909 he told Parliament that the German navy was just about to become more powerful than the Royal Navy, and he instigated the press scare-campaign that forced Parliament to build more Dreadnoughts. The British government planned to build four Dreadnoughts in 1909, but the British public panicked, demanding: 'We want eight and we won't wait'.

Navies - 5 Arms Race and the First World War: In the end, Britain’s built many more Dreadnoughts than Germany.

Increase in Spending Arms Race and the First World War: There was a four-fold increase in defence spending of the great powers, 1870-1914.

III. Nationalism 1. Nationalism: (noun) patriotic feeling, principles, or efforts. an extreme form of this, esp. marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries. Strong nationalistic competition developed among France, Britain, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany.

Aggressive Nationalism

Essential Background Alliances and the First World War: France and Germany hated each other! When Germany became united country in 1870-1, France went to war to try to stop it … but got WHOPPED!

IV. Alliances The Alliance System: Several nations pledged to help each other if fighting broke out. (entangled alliances) Triple Alliance (central powers): Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy Triple Entente (allies): France, Russia, Great Britain

Germany in the Middle Alliances and the First World War: Germany’s BIG problem was that it was IN THE MIDDLE. That made it VULNERABLE if it came to a war.

Three Emperors’ League, 1881 Alliances and the First World War: Three Emperors’ League, 1881 In the 19th century, Germany’s brilliant Chancellor, Bismarck, solved this problem by keeping friends with RUSSIA and AUSTRIA-HUNGARY (the Dreikaiserbund).

Germany encircled Alliances and the First World War: But when Kaiser Wilhelm became Emperor, he dumped the Russian alliance. He kept the Triple Alliance, but this did NOT solve the problem of Germany’s encirclement.

Triple Alliance, 1882 Alliances and the First World War: Then Bismarck allied with Italy and Austria-Hungary (the TRIPLE ALLIANCE, 1882). Together with his friendship with Russia, this kept Germany safe.

Franco-Russian Alliance, 1892 Alliances and the First World War: Franco-Russian Alliance, 1892 Instead, in 1892, Russia made an alliance with FRANCE. Although it was only a DEFENSIVE alliance, it was Germany’s worst nightmare!

Triple Entente, 1907 Alliances and the First World War: In 1907 Russia joined Britain and France to make the Triple Entente. So by 1914 Europe had divided into two massive superpower blocs. People thought this BALANCE OF POWER would keep the peace.

The Balkans Alliances and the First World War: But Russia was also allied to Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. When trouble erupted in the Balkans in 1914, the nations found their alliances dragged them into war…

How the Alliances caused war Alliances and the First World War: How the Alliances caused war … like mountain climbers tied to the same rope. (i.e. it is arguable that THE SYSTEM OF ALLIANCES CAUSED WORLD WAR ONE.)

Webs of Alliances Alliances and the First World War: There were many more alliances.

The Alliance System Triple Entente: Triple Alliance:

Two Armed Camps! Allied Powers: Central Powers:

Europe in 1914

Activity Archduke catches a bullet…