History - WW1

• Triple Entente

  Members : Great Britain, Russia, France

  Formed : 1907

  Aims : France to regain land, help each other, contain Germany
• Triple Alliance

  Members : Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary

  Formed : 1882

  Aims : Stop Germanys encirclement, stop Russia helping Serbs
• Kaiser Wilhelm II

  • Became Kaiser in 1888 at 27yrs old.
  • Huge nationalist (wanted Germany to be recognised as the greatest power).

  Strengths:

  • Ambitious, enthusiastic, appointed military people to the most important position in government.

  Weaknesses:

  • Disabled (brain damage since birth, withering arm), was unpredictable.

  Aims:

  • Weltpolitik = the belief in making Germany a global power.
  • He wanted a large and powerful navy for Germany to help build an empire.
• Moroccan Crisis 1905

  • Germany was interested in Morocco to build and expand their overseas empire.
  • Morocco was French territory.
  • During the conference of 1906 Kaiser Wilhelm said he supported the independence of Morocco.
  • Kaiser left humiliated.
  • Kaiser alarmed that Britain and France were backing each other.
• Moroccan crisis 1911

  • France took over Morocco.
  • They tried to offer Germany compensation.
  • Germany responded by sending gunboats.
• The Balkan Crisis

  • In 1908 there was a rebellion in Turkey.
  • Austria-Hungary took advantage of Turkeys weakened state to officially take Bosnia (part of the Ottoman empire).
  • This angered the nearby Serbians who asked Russia for help.
  • Germany agreed to support Austria-Hungary.
  • Russia did not want war so backed down.
• The Naval race

  • Initially, Britain had the largest navy in the world.
  • The kaiser wished to catch up which led to him passing a series of Navy laws which increased the size of the German navy.
  • In response, Britain created the dreadnoughts - the most powerful battleships ever built.
• Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

  • He is the Archduke of Austria-Hungary which had recently taken over Bosnia which angered many Serbs.
  • He planned to visit Sarajevo with his wife which was seen as an insult to the Serbs on the 28th June 1914.
  • The black hand gang planned an assassination on him.
  • He was shot by Gavrilo Princip outside a café killing both him and his wife Sophie.