Causes of World War I Part 1

Entangling Alliances After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, there was a balance of power in Europe France was defeated by Germany in 1870-71 (Germany got Alsace-Lorraine); ended balance of power because Germany was united Germany was now: First in military, education, and scientific discovery 67 million people – 2nd to Russia Produced much coal, iron, and steel Were catching up to Britain Agricultural output doubled Industry production quadrupled Trade tripled

Entangling Alliances Details of the alliances were kept secret and were only published in full after the wars, so parliament wasn’t consulted Diplomats were expected to have a private income sufficient to maintain themselves in style if they were to serve abroad, so most diplomats were from the privileged classes Believed that the alliance system would maintain the balance of power Believed that the alliance system would prevent war – “a war of group against group would be a measureless calamity” – The Times (April 1914)

Entangling Alliances In 1879, the Dual Alliance was formed between Germany and Austria-Hungary Purpose - were to help each other in case of an attack

Why Form the Dual Alliance (1879)? Germany’s reasons Austria-Hungary was partly German empire Austria-Hungary could be more easily dominated Their territory could be used as a path to the Middle East Germany wanted to maintain a balance of power in their favor It would alarm the Russians into making better relations with Germany Austria’s reasons It meant an additional guarantee of the empire’s stability The maintenance of Austria-Hungary as a Great Power depended on the alliance

Consequences The maintenance of Austria-Hungary as a Great Power became a major foreign policy goal for Germany because Austria was seen as Germany’s only reliable ally The incorporation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was seen as a way to strengthen Austria-Hungary’s position as a Great Power, but it was a blow to Serbia’s objective of making a Greater Serbia Map of Europe today

Triple Alliance (1882) Italy switched from a policy of internal improvement to nationalism/imperialism when they united in 1866 They wanted: Trentino and Trieste - both held by Austria-Hungary after their war with Italy in 1866 Nice and Savoy – had been ceded to France in return for French help Semi-autonomous Turkish territories of Tunisia and Tripolis (had Italians living in them) Corsica – French, but once a dependency of Genoa Purpose of Triple Alliance (1882) – to come to each other’s aid if there is a war

Why Form the Triple Alliance (1882)? It appeared to give Italy status as a Great Power It offered the prospect of support in an attempt to win some colonial compensation for France’s acquisition of Tunisia the year before Italy wanted to establish influence in the Balkans

Dual Entente (1893) Bismarck closed the German money markets to Russian loans (for military and industrial development) in 1885 in order to discourage their engaging in a war in the Balkans, so the French replaced them France was very concerned about an attack from Germany again, so they took the opportunity to form an alliance In 1893, the Dual Entente was formed between France and Russia Purpose - Both countries would partially mobilize in case of an attack by Germany or Austria-Hungary (with the support of Germany)

Why Form the Dual Entente (1893)? The British threatened Russian and French spheres of influences Because of the closing of the German money markets and there was a tariff war between Germany and Russia There could be no reconciliation between France and Germany after Germany annexed Alsace-Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian War France hoped to use the alliance to return Alsace and Lorraine and be in a position to establish control of Morocco without German influence It was a way to counter the threat of Germany allied with Austria-Hungary – it would be a deterrent to war France could maintain their preeminence in Europe and stand up to Germany

Entente Cordiale (1904) Anglo-French Entente (Entente Cordiale) - 1904 Purpose – Settle imperial disputes with France & Britain This was not a formal defense alliance Why the Anglo-French Entente (1904)? France had an alliance w/Russia, while Britain had an alliance with Japan (because of their interests in the far east) - if Russia and Japan attacked each other, it would mean a general war Both were also concerned over Germany and their fleet France couldn’t maintain both a fleet equal to Britain and an army equal to Germany

Entangling Alliances Consequences Britain felt that if they didn’t maintain a close relationship with France, they might turn to Germany (at the expense of the British Empire) Britain made a naval agreement with France (British navy would concentrate on the English Channel; French navy would concentrate on the Mediterranean)

Anglo-Russian Entente (1907) (Triple Entente is now formed) Purpose – Settle imperial differences in the Middle East Why the Anglo-Russian Entente (1907)? German naval building was seen as a threat to Britain’s imperial interests Britain feared Germany hegemony (dominance) on the European continent It settled old differences between them and borders between their two empires in Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet The Russian defeat by Japan made the Russian government anxious to improve relations with Britain Britain and France could strengthen the fledgling parliamentary system in Russia Gave the Russians hopes of British support for their aspirations in the Balkans

False Beliefs Bethmann Hollweg, Chancellor of Germany, believed that if Russia started the war, then Britain would not intervene Franz Conrad, the Chief of Staff of Austria-Hungary, believed that Russian support for Serbia might turn out to be bluff Russian officials believed that if they supported Serbia, Germany wouldn’t intervene

Militarism/Nationalism Caused by: Imperialism – race to get colonies to build your empire and get resources Belief in social darwinism – your race is the best The Influence of Sea Power in History (1905) Thayer Mahan – no nation can maintain its great power status without naval power Industrialism – countries could produce weapons fast and that are more deadly (arms races) A desire by many nations to maintain a position of preeminence or balance of power

Militarism/Nationalism - Germany The Prussians formed the dominant element in the army and they had a tradition of strong military values This affected the whole of German society after unification In addition, Germany still had individual states (Landers), that possessed important powers over day-to-day life of their citizens, so foreign policy was seen as a way to unify the country

Militarism/Nationalism - Germany Weltpolitik The policy sought Germany's “place in the sun” that was fitting to its rising industrial strength, primarily by the creation of a colonial empire to rival those of other powers The most dramatic element in the policy was the construction of the High Seas Fleet, a navy which would rival, or even exceed, the UK’s Royal Navy in strength This policy was sought by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. He convinced the Reichstag that without the navy, German decline was certain

Militarism/Nationalism - Germany Arguments for the fleet: Because of Britain’s many worldwide commitments, a battleship fleet only 2/3 the size would bring victory Fleet would act as a deterrent, ensuring Britain’s neutrality in any future conflict Other countries would only respect and deal with Germany fairly when Germany’s navy was built up that much

What Were the Results of Weltpolitik? It led to an Anglo-German naval race where each sought to outbuild the other in dreadnoughts This naval building led to increased taxes and strained economies This kind of naval building turned out to be inappropriate for the war; the war at sea was primarily a war of submarines Led to Britain’s fear that they would lose the balance of power and their empire Britain began a naval building program in 1889 Britain and other countries refused to end warship construction because it would affect manufacturing and trade

Militarism/Nationalism - Germany Schlieffen Plan – Developed when Russia had been defeated by Japan in 1904-05 and Russia was in their first revolution Dependent on quick mobilization and defeat of France, then defeat of Russia They thought it would take Russia 40 days to mobilize Wanted to go through neutral Belgium

Militarism/Nationalism – Austria Austrian Naval League (1905) – explained that Austria-Hungary ought to follow the path taken by Germany By 1912, the largest budget in Austro-Hungarian history was approved New military laws guaranteed their armed forces an annual contingent of 181,000 men, with increases over the next 5 years

Militarism/Nationalism - Austria Wanted to annex Bosnia-Herzegovina Plan B (Balkans) - Planned a campaign to crush Serbia quickly before Russia could get involved Plan R (Russia) - Another plan developed later that would attack Serbia, prevent Russian assistance to Serbia, deploy troops to Russia, and leave northern A-H up to Germany to protect

Militarism/Nationalism - Italy The army was a symbol of Italy’s unity and status as a Great Power Italy engaged in a military and naval arms race, primarily against Austria-Hungary and France They were to have a superiority of 2:1.6 dreadnoughts over Austria Throughout the 1890s, Italian generals had planned for war with France, but also with Austria-Hungary. Annual maneuvers began to be held in the Alps

Militarism/Nationalism - Russia Knew that if they had war, they would have to face war against Germany and Austria-Hungary Believed they were the overseer of the Slavs in the Balkans Approved huge army and naval increases in 1913 Plan 19 – The plan for a war against Germany and Austria-Hungary. If Germany attacked France, Russia would send 9 army corps against Germany and 16 army corps to attack Austria-Hungary. It was based on the assumption that Germany would be too busy in the west to intervene effectively on the eastern front

Militarism/Nationalism - France Wanted to regain Alsace-Lorraine and have colonies in Africa Extended compulsory military service from 2-3 years Increased naval expenditures Plan XVII – Developed by Ferdinand Foch following the Franco-Prussian War and continued by Joseph Joffre. Hoped that once a German invasion through Alsace occurred, an all-out attack on the diverted German forces (because they would be engaged in the East by Russia) would achieve a quick win

Consequences A move to increase armaments was never isolated, but was followed by increase military expenditure in other states The arms race itself contributed to the feeling that war was inevitable Germany naval expansion provoked British naval expansion, and Austria-Hungary was inspired by Germany’s naval expansion to do the same Russian military expenditure provided the excuse for German army increases and these in turn provoked the French 3-year law

Domestic Issues - Germany Kaiser Wilhelm II Was emperor Was intelligent, but highly emotional and unpredictable Had a need to show himself equal of his British relatives Election of 1912 Social Democrats, Progressives, and Center parties formed a coalition and demanded a constitutional monarchy responsible to the Reichstag Conservatives, militarists, and Wilhelm became concerned and wanted to defeat democratic socialism They developed an increasingly militarized court, anger, and fear/pessimism about the future

Germany Wants War? 1912 marks the end of the confident thinking of the Kaiser and his top staff Chief of Staff Ludwig Moltke believed that war was inevitable and contributed to the warlike mood in Germany Their Austro-Hungarian ally was in dire straits, weakened by the dispute among the nationalities composed in the empire Russia had recovered from their defeat against Japan and was launching a huge program of military expansion and preparedness Russia’s protégés in the Balkans were increasing in strength after their victory in the first Balkan war After the elections of 1912, more Social Democrats were in the Reichstag than ever before

Domestic Issues – Austria-Hungary Constitutional Settlement of 1867 Linked Austria with Hungary Dualism was seen as a device for excluding the Slav majority from their rightful and equal place in the empire By dividing the empire, the Magyars (Hungarians) and Germans (Austrians) constituted the majority, each in their own half. The majority of the 21 million Slavs in the empire as a whole was thus turned into minorities