Unit 1 - Flash cards

The Causes of World War One: Part A

                                                    

Key (Flash) Points

- write these on small pieces of card to keep on you - its an easy way of remembering things!

 

        The Great Powers were flexing their muscles in the early 1900s:

• Britain with its industry, Empire and navy began to fear the growth of Germany
• Germany, under Kaiser Wilhelm II, wanted a 'place in the sun' and feared Russia/France
• France wanted revenge, having been defeated by Germany (losing Alsace-Lorraine) in 1871
• Russia, ruled by Tsar Nicholas, had the largest army, and tried to protect Slav peoples
• Austria-Hungary had a large, mainly Slav empire, and wanted to crush Serbia
• Italy was a new country (1861) which wanted to become more powerful and important

 

> Britain, Germany and Russia were ruled by three cousins, but did not play 'Happy Families'...

Ambitions and fears led to secretive alliances and the build-up of armed forces:

• 1879 Dual Alliance (Germany/Austria-Hungary) > 1882 Triple Alliance (with Italy)
• The Triple Alliance was formed over 30 years before the outbreak of World War One
• 1894 Dual Alliance (France/Russia) + 1904 Entente Cordiale (Britain/France)
• When the British signed an alliance with Russia in 1907, the Triple Entente was formed
• So, the Triple Alliance (Ger/A-H/It) v the Triple Entente (GB/Fr/Rus)
• The alliances were meant to be defensive rather than aggressive
• However, a dispute between one member of each alliance could drag in the other members...
• All the Great Powers, except GB, had large armies of conscripts (not volunteers)
• Weapons and munititions were developed, produced and stockpiled (stored)
• New weapons, such as machine guns and howitzers (large guns), took weapons to a new level
• Countries raced to match and overtake each other weapons production: an Arms Race  

> Tensions grew and war became more likely as countries became more confident of success

 

 

A major part of the Arms Race was the Naval Race between Britain and Germany:

• The Navy protected trade and the British Empire and prevented invasion of Great Britain
• Germany had the world's best army, and the Kaiser wanted the best navy too
• The invention, by the British, of the Dreadnought battleship (1906) was a turning point
• Dreadnoughts (the first was called HMS...Dreadnought!) were large, fast and dangerous
• A race developed to see who could build the most, supported by most of the public
• "We've got four, we want more" & "We won't wait, we want eight" were popular demands
• 1909 - GB (8) v Germany (7)    1914 - GB (29) v Germany (17) - GB still 'ruled' the waves.
• Kaiser Wilhelm told the Daily Telegraph in 1908 that he "wanted to be friends with Britain"
• However, he did not help matters by claiming the English were "Mad as March hares"(!) and...
• "Germany must have a powerful fleet to protect her interests in even the most distant seas."  
• Was this 'friendly' interview a naval challenge the British Empire overseas?

> Overall, did the (Naval) Arms Race actually make war less likely, like the Cold War in the 1940s...?

 

The First Moroccan Crisis took place in 1905/06:

• Most of Africa was controlled by Britain and France - the Germans were envious
• France controlled most of NW Africa (e.g. Algeria), and wanted to add Morocco
• The German Kaiser visited Morocco (Tangiers) to support Morocco's independence
• He hoped to test the Entente Cordiale, but was amazed when GB backed France
• Britain also promised to defend French ports in the English Channel from German attacks
• The Algeciras (Spain) Conference in 1906 went the way of France
• Only Austria-Hungary supported the embarrassed Kaiser; Britain and France grew closer

> Events in Morocco increased tension; the Kaiser blamed Britain for his defeat...