The causes, duration, and nature of the war made a fair settlement of the war doubtful. The Great War

The Evidence Central Powers Triple Alliance Dual Alliance Entente Cordiale Triple Entente Moroccan Crisis of 1905 Moroccan Crisis of 1911 Balkan Crises Archduke Franz Ferdinand The Black Hand blank check Schlieffen Plan David Lloyd George Georges Clemenceau Woodrow Wilson T. E. Lawrence Winston Churchill Helmuth von Moltke Paul von Hindenburg Vittorio Orlando Ferdinand Foch John Pershing Battle of the Marne Battle of Verdun Battle of the Somme Gallipoli Campaign Lusitania Zimmerman Telegram

Competition over colonial claims, particularly in Africa Austria - Hungary vs. Russian in the Balkans France & Britain coveted Ottoman Arab lands Britain took East and West Africa and France got Cameroon from Germany They divided the former Ottoman areas: France getting Syria and Lebanon Britain getting Palestine, Iraq, and Jordan Britain & France created the mandate system

Germany’s invasion of Belgium was sufficient for Britain and France to assign blame to Germany which meant massive reparations. The terrible lose of life and since most of the war was fought in France and Belgium, the French wanted revenge and a permanent weakening Germany. The length of the war and nature a total war meant that each nation launched propaganda campaigns to keep civilian spirits up and committed to the war effort. Such propaganda and censorship meant hatred between belligerents grew to such a degree that only a harsh peace would suffice to satisfy the hostile emotions of the populace.