HIST 2117: Modern Germany Spring 2013 Lecture Thirteen: Diplomatic Origins of World War I
William II as Strategist and Diplomat Caprivi Ministry Non-Renewal of the Reinsurance Treaty Increasing Ties Between Russia and France Kruger Telegram and Boer War
Navies William II as Advocate for Navy Mahan, Influence of Seapower on History 1890 Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz Navy League 1898 Naval Bills 1898 and 1900 Dreadnought 1906
Hardening of Alliances Bernhard von Bulow Ministry Russian Weakness – Russo-Japanese War Entente Cordiale 1904 First Moroccan Crisis 1905 Triple Entente 1907
Alliances Tested William II’s “Sabre Rattling” Conflicts between Diplomatic Strategy and Military Strategy The Schlieffen Plan Bosnian Crisis 1908 Second Moroccan Crisis 1911 Balkan Wars
Expectation of War Diplomatic Encirclement Fear of Long Term Decline Assumption that War Would Resemble Franco-Prussian War Mutual Dependency of Germany and Austria The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand 1914