Session 2

• Kaiser Wilhelm II


  Germany's ruler, a grandson of Queen Victoria who had a difficult birth resulting in lasting damage to his left arm
• Wilhelm had a rather unloved upbringing and no concessions were made to take account of his physical disability
• Wilhelm became impressed with the size and grandeur of the Royal Navy and decided at a young age that Germany would one day possess such a navy
• Wilhelm was very ambitious for Germany's future when he became Kaiser aged 27 in 1888
• Theories on who was responsible for the outbreak of World War I

  • Many nations share responsibility (Niall Fergusson, Christopher Clark)
  • German aggression was mostly to blame (Fritz Fisher, Gary Sheffield)
• Wilhelm's unpredictable nature increased tension between the European powers
• Naval Arms Race


  Britain's Royal Navy had dominated the oceans for centuries, protecting vital trade routes. Upon becoming Kaiser, Wilhelm made it clear he intended to build a sizeable German navy, which greatly concerned Britain as they were uncertain why Germany would want a large navy.
• Britain heightened tensions by launching the new battleship HMS Dreadnought in 1906, which could fire shells over a five-mile distance and travel at 21 knots. By 1914 Britain had built 29 of these battleships, while Germany had built 17.
• European Rearmament

  • Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
  • Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia
• Germany

  • Conscription resulted in a large army, though not the largest. It was very well-trained and well-equipped. Their war plan hinged on the success of the Schlieffen Plan.
• Britain


  • Military discussions had been ongoing with France for years before 1914. Britain disliked conscription and instead relied on a well-trained and well-equipped force of 150,000 men known as the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).
• Austria-Hungary


  • Much like Germany, Austria-Hungary had a large army. However, they were relying on Germany to help hold back Russia, which meant they needed the Schlieffen Plan to succeed.
• France


  • Being a dominant continental power, France had a large and well-equipped army. Under Plan 17 France planned to cross the French-German border and advance deep into Germany.
• Italy


  • A minor figure in the preparations for war and had no specific plans.
• Russia


  • Although poorly-equipped, the Russian army was enormous. The sheer size of Russia meant that mobilising the army would take time, but once mobilised it would be very difficult to stop.
• Outbreak of World War I

  1. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary is assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip of the Black Hand gang

  2. Austria-Hungary and Germany submit requests to Serbia and Russia to investigate

  3. Germany commits support to Austria-Hungary for whatever action they deem necessary

  4. Austria-Hungary presents harsh 10 Point Ultimatum to Serbia, which Serbia mostly accepts

  5. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

  6. Russia begins mobilising its army in support of Serbia

  7. Germany declares war on Russia

  8. Britain declares war on Germany due to violation of Belgian neutrality
• The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's strategy to first attack France and defeat them swiftly before turning their attention to Russia, who was expected to take a long time to mobilise.
• Germany violated the Treaty of London by invading Belgium, which guaranteed the neutrality of Belgium. Britain demanded Germany withdraw or face war, and Germany refused, leading Britain to declare war on 4 August 1914.