Unit 11

• The situation of the Great Powers in 1871:

  • Britain had no ties with other countries and focused on building her colonial empire, known as 'splendid isolation'
  • Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia were tied by the Three Emperors League
  • France had few friends after being defeated by Prussia in 1871
  • Italy was newly united and focused on strengthening her army and navy
  • The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) was in rapid decline, known as 'the sick man of Europe'
• How the European Alliance came into being:

  • In 1892, France and Russia agreed to help each other if attacked
  • Britain became worried during the Boer War and formed the Entente Cordiale with France in 1903
  • Britain later allied with Russia in 1907, forming the Triple Entente
  • European Great Powers were grouped into two opposing armed camps by 1907
• Europe's Alliances in 1914:

  • Dual Alliance (1879): Germany and Austria-Hungary
  • Triple Alliance (1882): Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
  • Franco-Russian Alliance (1892): France and Russia
  • Entente Cordiale (1904): France and Britain
  • Triple Entente (1907): France, Britain, Russia
• The Schlieffen Plan:

  • German General Alfred von Schlieffen's plan aimed to avoid a war on two fronts
  • German army to invade France through neutral Belgium, defeat France, then move to the eastern front against Russia
• The Anglo-German Naval Race:

  • Kaiser William II wanted Germany to challenge Britain's navy
  • Germany ordered the building of battleships and cruisers
  • Britain responded by building the Dreadnought battleship
• The Tangier Crisis, 1905:

  • Kaiser William opposed French actions in Morocco
  • Conference in Algericas calmed tensions, France gained rights in Morocco
• The Agadir Crisis, 1911:

  • Kaiser interfered in Moroccan affairs, leading to tensions with Britain
  • Kaiser ordered German warships to leave Agadir, avoiding war but intensifying naval race
• The Crisis over Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1908:

  • Austria-Hungary seized Bosnia-Herzegovina, leading to tensions with Serbia
  • Balkan Wars in 1912-1913 resulted in Turkey losing Balkan lands and the creation of Albania
• The Sarajevo Murders, 28th June 1914:

  • The Black Hand planned to unite Slav peoples in the Balkans into Yugoslavia
  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo
• The Countdown to War:

  • The Sarajevo murders led to tensions between Austria and Serbia, ultimately leading to another war in the Balkans
• The Sarajevo murders led directly to another war in the Balkans
• The Austrian Government sent an ultimatum to King Peter of Serbia, giving him 48 hours to agree to their demands
• King Peter agreed to all demands except allowing Austrian officials into Serbia, leading to Austria declaring war on Serbia
• Russia, being Slavs like the Serbs, prepared for war to help Serbia against Austria-Hungary
• Kaiser William sent an ultimatum to Tsar Nicholas to stop the Russian army's preparations for war
• Nicholas refused, leading to Germany declaring war on Russia
• France, as an ally of Russia, declared war on Germany and mobilized its army
• Germany declared war on France and invaded neutral Belgium
• Britain honored its promise to protect Belgium's neutrality and sent an ultimatum to Germany
• Britain declared war on Germany when no response came from Berlin
• The Great Powers of Europe were now at war with each other: the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) against the Entente or Allied Powers (Britain, France, and Russia)
• The Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 were also a contributing factor to the outbreak of the First World War
• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28th June 1914 was the incident that brought war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia
• France and Russia supported Serbia, while Germany supported Austria-Hungary in the conflict
• Germany invaded neutral Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan to defeat France, leading to Britain declaring war on Germany
• By 3rd August 1914, the five Great Powers had entered the war on two opposing blocs, with Italy and Turkey joining the war in 1915