Unit 4 Lesson 3- Changes and Division in Britain and France
- What changes were made in Britain to make Parliament fairer?
Possible Response: More men were given the right to vote, which gave cities more representation. - What did the Second and Third Reform Acts do to improve British democracy?
Possible Response: They gave most working men and farmers the right to vote.
Unit 6 Lesson 1 World War I Begins--
- What were the two main alliances and which countries were in them?
Answer: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Central Powers. Britain, France, and Russia formed the Allied Powers.
- What event sparked World War I?
Answer: the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serbian
- What action by Germany brought Britain into the war?
Answer: Germany invaded the neutral country of Belgium in order to attack France.
The first major alliance had its origins in Bismarck's day. He knew that France longed to avenge its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. Sure that France would not attack Germany without help, Bismarck signed treaties with other powers. By 1882, Germany had formed the Triple Alliance with Italy and Austria-Hungary. Although Bismarck had previously signed an alliance with Russia, Kaiser William II did not preserve that alliance, leaving Russia free to seek other allies.
Germany and Austria-Hungary fought on the same side. They became known as the Central Powers. A rival bloc took shape in 1893, when France and Russia signed a secret treaty. France was eager to end its isolation and balance the growing power of Germany. In 1904, France and Britain signed an entente, a nonbinding agreement to follow common policies. Though not as formal as a treaty, the entente led to close military and diplomatic ties. Britain later signed a similar agreement with Russia, creating the Triple Entente. When war began, these powers became known as the Allies. Germany signed a treaty with the Ottoman empire. As early as 1867, Britain had signed a treaty to protect Belgium's right to remain neutral in any European conflict. Italy had a secret treaty with France not to attack it. And Russia had agreed to protect Serbia. Britain forged ties with Japan.
Economic rivalries helped sour the international atmosphere. Germany, the newest of the great powers, was growing into an economic and military powerhouse. Britain felt threatened by Germany's rapid growth. Germany, in turn, thought the other great powers did not give it enough respect. It also worried about future economic competition from Russia, which had a huge population and vast natural resources.
