The Arms Race - Armies

• Not only did weaponry increase but so did the size of armies
• All Great Powers had conscription, apart from England
• In Germany the size of their army was increased to provide 5 million by 1914

  ▪ It increased more so after 1907, after the signing of the Triple Entente which led to an increased military influence on policy making
• Britain had also organised a small but strong British Expeditionary Force (BEF) for service on the continent and a Territorial Armed Force for home defence
• Tsar Nicholas II called a conference at the Hague in 1899 to consider disarmament but the GP’s couldn’t agree on anything. A second conference in 1907 similarly achieved little.
• International rivalry caused the arms race to feed on itself.
• The amassing of weapons, an increase in the size of armies and navies, an increase in military spending, and the development of elaborate military planning reflected the growing militarism.
• Nationalism and militarism frequently interlinked as intense patriotism led people to believe they required a strong military for defence and to win respect from other nations