Topic 1: Causes of the First World War

Triple Alliance

• When Kaiser Wilhelm came to power he overturned Germany and Russia being friendly with each other.
• 1879: He concentrated on the Dual Alliance between A-Hungary and Germany. 
• 1882: Italy joined them to form Triple Alliance

Triple Entente

• 1892: France and Russia made an alliance. 
• 1904: 'Entente Cordiale' between France and Britian (not a formal alliance but a promise to work together)
• 1907: 'Anglo-Russian Agreement' making Britain and Russia allies, thus forming the Triple Alliance
• Russia was also dangerously allied to Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania

Weltpolitik(world politics): the term used to describe Wilhelm II's foreign policy

• Wanted to give Germany 'a place in the sun' as it was a new country so felt undervalued
• He wanted to turn Germany into a huge trading nation. To do this he needed to create an African empire.
• To become an imperial power Germany would need a strong navy like Britain. Britain was alarmed by his ambition.
• Pan-German League: organisation in Germany looking forward to the creation of 'Mitteleuropa', a strong state encompassing all central Europe dominated by Germany and include all people of Germanic race
• His policies spread fear in other European countries especially in Britian, France and Russia.
• 1908: Daily Telegraph told by Wilhelm II Germans disliked Britain

• End of 19th century: Britain had the largest navy in the world and was very dependent on it
• 1898: Wilhelm ordered Admiral Tirpitz, the head of the German navy, to rapidly build up Germany's navy to rival Britain's. Britain saw this as a direct challenge to it's nation and empire.
• 1906: Germany became a threat after either side began building Dreadnoughts, warships capable of destroying the old ships which Britain mainly had. 
• 1909: Naval race reached it's peak. British government only planned to build 4 Dreadnoughts in 1909-10. Germany didn't limit how many they built so British people campaigned for more being built with the slogan 'we want eight and we won't wait!' The British government gave way and increased its spending on the British fleet.
• Total at end of race: Germany had 22, Britain had 34
• Tensions between Britain and Germany greatly increased and the French-British friendship strengthened.

1905

• France hoped to conqeur weak Morocco. In 1903 France based an army on Morroco's border.
• Feb. 1905: France demanded control over the Moroccan army and police. The Sultan refused.
• March 1905: Wilhelm visited Morocco and told the French agent (Count Cherisay) that he wanted free trade for Germany in Morocco, and that he supported the Sultan's claim to the throne and that France should as well
• He then gave a speech saying he promised to defend Morocco as a 'free and independent empire subject to no foreign control'
• Both sides openly threatened war
• France were scared of another war with Germany so were going to back down but Britain encouraged them to take a firm line
• 1906: Conference in Algericas where Britain and Russia supported France (Britain had a navy patrol stationed outside). 
• Germany forced to promise to stay out of Morocco.

• French Foreign Legion took over international security in Morocco
• 1910: France made a huge loan to Morocco and took control over customs and taxes
• 1910: German newspapers angered after France sent a gunboat to Agadir in southern Morocco
• March 1911: Rebellion near Fez in northern Morocco. France sent an army to defend Fez even though Germany warned that this broke the treaty of Algericas.
• June 1911: Germany announced they need to protect German citizens in southern Morocco (even though there were none)
• July 1911: Wilhelm sent the gunship 'Panther' to Agadir that 'rescued' ONE German citizen. Germany demanded compensation for France's actions.
• Nov 1911: Treaty Of Berlin- Germany forced to remove the gunship and accept minor compensation (a small piece of land in the Congo). Morocco became a French colony. 

• Two empires ruled territory in the Balkans: A-Hungar and Turkey BUT were weak empires
• Slav people especially Serbians wanted to take adv. of this and create new independent Slav nations
• 1878: Treaty of Berlin- A-Hungary had the right to occupy and administer Bosnia
• Turkey was weak and corrupt, named 'the sick man of Europe'. 1908: Turkish revolution
• 1908: A-Hungary fully annexed Bosnia 
• Serbia protested, called up its army and demanded a ***** of land across Bosnia to have a port on the Adriatic Sea. Supported by the Triple Entente.
• Russia proposed a conference and A-Hungary came to a seperate agreement with Turkey and said the conference wasn't necessary. A-Hungary supported by Germany.
• Germany threatened war and Russia and Serbia had to back down. Serbia forced to issue statement agreeing with A-Hungary's annexation

• Alliances made the safety of military power seem more necessary. Politicians thought armed forces would act as a war deterrent.
• 1914 armed forces figures:
  • Germany: 2.2m soldiers, 97 warships
  • Russia: 1.2m soldiers, 30 warships
  • France: 1.1m soldiers, 62 warships
  • Britain: 700,000 soldiers, 185 warships
• Europe countries trained all their young men so they had plenty of reservists
  • Germany: 8.5m
  • Russia: 4.4m
  • France: 3.5m
• 1908 Dreadnought Crisis
• 1914: Germany's army was strongest but feared Russia as theirs was growing most

Aims of Austria/Serbia in the Balkans

• A.H annexed Bosnia, which Serbia wanted in order to form slav state 'Yugoslavia'
• A.H empire had 15 nationalities so if this nationalism caught on it'd fall apart
• Russia backed up Serbia and declared war on A.H but was threatened by Germany

Role of the Black Hand Gang

• Terrorist group formed in 1910 
• Wanted to unite all Serbs in the Balkans into a 'Greater Serbia'
• Led by Serb colonel codenamed 'Apis' who organised groups of assassins and bandits 
• Wanted to destabalise A.H empire and make public their opposition to its annexation of Bosnia

• Black Hand Gang (BHG) feared that if A.H heir to the throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand got Serbians greater freedoms, Serbs would be happy under A.H rule and 'Greater Serbia' support would weaken
• 28th June 1914: Ferdinand visited Sarajevo with his wife and the BHG made 2 assassination attempts. 1st was a bomb that was deflected. 2nd was BHG member Gavrilo Princip shooting him and his wife after their car stopped in front of him after a wrong turn. Both of them died.
• 23rd July: A.H issued ultimatum to Serbia to comply with 10 conditions or face war demanding that Serbia suppress all anti A.H activity. 
• They agreed to all except 6th as they couldn't allow A.H delegates to be involved in the assassination enquiry. They thought that outside influence would be a threat to Serb independence.

• 28th July 1914: After German 'blank cheque', A.H declared war on Serbia. Serbia asked Russia for help.
• German head of general staff von Schlieffen believed the way to cope was to defeat France before Russia was ready. However Russia was ready to fight quicker than they thought which ruined the Schlieffen plan.
• 1st Aug 1914: Germany supported A.H and declared war on Russia. Two days later they declared war on France.

• Made by German head of general staff von Schlieffen
• Plan was to first defeat France before Russia was ready for war. They estimated Russia would take 6 weeks.
• 1905: von Schlieffen finished drawing up plan to defeat France in 6 weeks. Right wing of forces would attack France through the Netherlands and Belgium, leaving a smaller force to hold off French attacks in Alsace-Lorraine. 
• 1914: plan changed by General Moltke, only attacking through Belgium and giving more force to those in Alsace-Lorraine at the right wing's expense.
• However Russia was ready quickly so Germany had to declare was in A.H's defence
• 3 Aug 1914: plan launched and Germany began attacking France through Belgium

• British foreign sec. Sir Edward Grey said Britian would remain neutral unless Germany attacked the north coast of France 
• 2nd Aug: Brit. Cabinet said they'd only go to war if Belgium's neutrality was violated
• 4th August: Britain declared war on Germany after they invaded Belgium 
• Britain entered war because:
  • 1839: Belgium's neutrality guaranteed so Germany's invasion broke national law
  • Coasts of Belgium and north France were close by so Germany could attack Britain from there
  • British wanted to prevent Germany from becoming too strong in Europe so Kaiser wouldn't be able to control it all
  • Vast majority of British people supported Belgium and favoured war