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- 1Origins of the first world war. On 28th June 1914 a Serbian shot the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Within six weeks, war broke out. A number of significant events and developments in the years between 1900 and 1914 led to the outbreak of war in August 1914.Most important events leading to the outbreak of war:
*The alliance system
*Kaiser Wilhelm 11 and Weltpolitik
*The Moroccan Crisis- the first (Tangier)
*The second (Agadir) crisis
*The Anglo-German naval race
*The Build up of armies
*The Bosnian crisis
*The Balkan wars
*The assassination
*The 'blank cheque'
*The Schlieffen plan - 2The alliance system- the 'two armed camps' Between 1879 and 1907 the six Great Powers of Europe formed themselves into two alliances. The triple alliance- Germany, Austria and Italy, and the Triple Entente- France, Britain and Russia. The alliances were formed for protection in case one of the countries was attacked. They were highly significant because even though all the alliances were defensive, they made war much more likely. The details of the alliances were kept secret which raised suspicions with other countries and made them believe their enemies were planning to attack them. Also, the alliances would make a small dispute into a big war by becoming involved.Kaiser Wilhelm 11 and Weltpolitik (World Policy)
Weltpolitik was the foreign policy of the Kaiser after about 1897. Germany was a new country, so it did not have an empire. The aim was to gain Germany it's 'place in the sun' and turn it into a huge trading nation with the African Empire. For this, it would need a strong navy so started building it's High Seas Fleet.
It was very significant because in 1900, the British Empire covered one fifth of the globe. Germany's new aggressive foreign policy alarmed the British and made them look to France for support. - 3The First Moroccan (Tangier) Crisis In 1905 a major crisis occurred over Morocco. The French wanted to make Morocco part of their North African Empire. In 1905 Kaiser Wilhelm made a speech promising to help Morocco stay independent, which angered the French. He hoped to split the Anglo-French entente and secure compensation from the French in return for accepting the French occupation of Morocco. At the conference of Algeciras he had to accept that France would gain Morocco, after France was backed by Britain. A diplomatic defeat for the Kaiser. This was significant because it increased tension between the great powers (especially Britain and Germany), made the divisions between the alliances clearer and brought war a step nearer.The second (Agadir) crisis
By 1911 it was obvious that France would finally occupy Morocco. After French troops marched further into Morocco in April, the Kaiser sent a gunboat (The Panther) to the Moroccan port of Agadir to force compensation from France. Britain feared that he was trying to set up a naval base and supported France. The Kaiser was forced to scale down his demands, which humiliated him again and he blamed the British for this.
This was significant because it increased tension between Germany and Britain and France, made the division between the two alliances clearer, and brought war another step nearer. The Entente Cordiale was strengthened as their generals began to make plans about how they would fight together if war came with Germany. - 4The Anglo-German Naval race (1906- 1914) In 1909 Britain had the largest and strongest navy in the world. Germany had the strongest army but the Kaiser wanted a navy (the High Seas Fleet) to compete with that of Britain. This convinced Britain that Germany intended to dominate Europe, if not the world, so Britain and France drew closer together. The launching of the HMS Dreadnought in 1906 made all previous battleships obsolete, wiping out Britain's lead. Between 1906 and 1914, Britain built 29 and Germany built 17. Significant because it aroused passions in Britain and Germany, turning them into determined rivals and enemies. And made it even more likely that Britain and Germany would be on opposing sides if there was a war in Europe.The Build-up of Armies (1900-1914)
As the Great Powers built up their armies during this time, they created even more tension and mistrust. After 1871 all the Great Powers set up conscription.
This was significant because all the great powers increased their spending on weapons and arms, and like the naval race, it became unstoppable. No one wanted to be the first to stop and let other countries over take them. *The increase in the size of the armies didn't cause war but did make people think that war was likely soon.* - 5The Bosnian Crisis (1908-1909) In September 1908, Austria annexed the Turkish province of Bosnia-Herzegovina, making it part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Serbs reacted furiously because the province contained a lot of Serbians, so they called on Russia for support. In response Germany backed their ally Austria, and gave an ultimatum to Russia which forced a humiliating acceptance of the annexation from Serbia and Russia. This was significant because Serbia vowed revenge on Austria, and the Black Hand was formed soon after. And Russia looked to gain strength in order to avenge it's humiliation by Germany. It also encouraged Austria that it would be able to rely on German support in the future, making them more confident.The Balkan Wars (1912-13)
In 1912, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece formed the Balkan League in order to attack Turkey. In the first Balkan War in 1912 Turkey was defeated and the members of the League all seized territory. Serbia grew in strength and size as a result.
In 1913 Serbia, Montenegro, Rumania, and Greece fought Bulgaria in the Second Balkan war. Bulgaria was defeated and Serbia seized even more territory, although Serbia was forced by another Austrian ultimatum to abandon plans to occupy the Albanian coast.
This was significant because Austria was seriously worried by the developments, Serbia had almost doubled in size and population and was now a serious threat to the Austrians in the Balkans. Austria began looking for an excuse for war. Serbia looked to avenge it's humiliations over Bosnia and Albania - 6The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand The heir to the Austrian throne was shot during a visit to the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo on 28th June 1914. It was carried out by the Black Hand, a Serb terrorist organisation the Black Hand. (revenge for the annexation of Bosnia). This gave Austria the excuse it had been looking for to send an ultimatum to the Serbian government, which led to war between Austria&Serbia. Perhaps the most significant event, because both side's allies got involved in the dispute. Mobilisations, ultimatums, and declarations of war followed soon after.The 'Blank Cheque'
Following the assassination, Austria requested help from their ally Germany. They were worried Russia would intervene on Serbia's behalf, and needed support. On July 5th, Germany told them they would support them in any action they chose to take- even war. (promise since known as the 'blank cheque')
Highly significant because it removed any Austrian concerns about going to war with Serbia. They felt free to ignore the threat of Russian mobilisation and sent an incredibly harsh ultimatum to Serbia which, once rejected, led directly to war. - 7The Schlieffen Plan The Germans had a plan to win the war quickly. Because they would face a war on two fronts (France and Russia) which because of their inferior number of troops, they would probably lose. The plan, made by Count Alfred von Schlieffen involved invading Belgium in order to attack from the north (avoiding the strong French border fortress) giving them time to defeat France rapidly before facing Russia in the east (whose armies would mobilise much more slowly than the French). Highly significant because of Britain's guarantee of Belgian neutrality in the Treaty of London. A German invasion of Belgium would lead to Britain joining the war, and that's what happened in August 1914. Also because it was Germany's only plan and when it went wrong led to Germany attacking France even though it was Russia who was mobilising against Germany.*War*
The First World War began on 3rd August 1914 when the German army marched into Belgium on its way to France as part of the Schlieffen Plan, and consequently Britain declared war on Germany on 4th August. - 8—
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- Fichas sobre History, creado por heatherhps el 14/09/2015.
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