Long Term and Short Term Causes for WWI

Goal of Today

• Terms To Know– Militarism – Conscription– Triple Alliance– Triple Entente – Black Hand– Gavrilo Princip– Schlieffen Plan (know assumptions and the outcomes) – Excitement to go off and fight

Militarism • Militarism- the glorification of war and the military.

• Countries began to increase military spending and by 1870 all major powers except Great Britain instituted conscription- the compulsory call up of civilians for military service and training.

Militarism & Arms RaceMilitarism & Arms RaceTotal Defense Expenditures for the Great Powers [Ger., A-H, It., Fr., Total Defense Expenditures for the Great Powers [Ger., A-H, It., Fr.,

Br., Rus.] Br., Rus.] in millions of £s.in millions of £s.

1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1914

94 130 154 268 289 398

1910-1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures

France 10%

Britain 13%

Russia 39%

Germany 73%

• Germany was competing with the UK to build battleships called Dreadnoughts.– When the British invented this

type of battleship, Kaiser Wilhelm ordered the Germans to manufacturer it as well. This doubled the size of the German navy and challenged the British for supremacy.

• The British feared an attack on their Empire

Significant Individuals 1.• Kaiser Wilhelm II • Built up German army and navy• Aggressive foreign policy• Determined to make Germany a top nation.• Distrusted by other powers

“Germany must have its place in the sun”“The world belongs to the strong.”

• The Naval 'War Cabinet' of 1912• General von Moltke [head of the army] said: I believe

war is unavoidable; war the sooner the better. But we ought to do more to press to prepare the popularity of a war against Russia. The Kaiser supported this. Tirpitz [head of the navy] said that the navy would prefer to see the postponement of the great fight for one and a half years.

• From the Diary of Admiral Muller, 8 December 1912• Some historians say that this proves that Germany was

wanting war in 1912, although others say that it records a general discussion of no great significance

Alliances

• Alliances- agreements or promises to defend and help another country.

• Triple Alliance Triple Entente Germany BritainAustria-Hungry FranceItaly Russia

- By 1907 the great powers had aligned themselves. This meant that any minor conflict could result in a major conflict involving most of Europe.

ImperialismImperialism

ColonialRivalrie

s:

Africain

1914

ColonialRivalrie

s:

Africain

1914

Colonial Rivalries: Asia in 1914Colonial Rivalries: Asia in 1914

Nationalism • Nationalism- having pride in your country, willing to

defend it.

• Land of Hope and Glory, • mother of the free...• God who made thee mighty, • make thee mightier yet.• The words of Land of Hope and Glory, written by the

English composer Elgar and sung by British people at the Prom concerts every year.

• Germany, Germany above all,• over everything in the world,• When it steadfastly holds together,• offensively and defensively.• The words of the German national anthem, Deutschland

uber Alles.

• It made the races ruled by Austria-Hungary (such as the Serbs) want to be free to rule themselves. In the Balkans this was called ‘Panslavism’ because the people who wanted to be free were all Slav races. The most nationalistic of all were the Serbs – Serbia had became an independent country by the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878, but in 1900 many Serbs were still ruled by Turkey and Austria-Hungary, and Serbia was determined to rule over them all. This led to rebellions and terrorism which destabilized the Balkans.

Example of Nationalism: PanslavismExample of Nationalism: Panslavism

The Spark: The Assassination • 28 June 1914• Heir to Austrian throne Franz Ferdinand visits

Sarajevo.• Capital of Bosnia, recently grabbed by Austria.• Bosnia was a hotbed of Slav nationalism

The Black Hand..• The main objective of the

Black Hand was the creation, by means of violence, of a Greater Serbia.

• Its stated aim was: "To realize the national ideal, the unification of all Serbs. This organization prefers terrorist action to cultural activities; it will therefore remain secret."

• “Black Hand” terrorists attack the Arch Duke• When a bomb attempt failed in morning Gavrilo

Princip, a member of the “Black Hand”, shoots Archduke and wife in the afternoon.

• Austrians blame Serbia for supporting terrorists

• Austrians, supported by Germany, send Serbia a tough ultimatum.

– In it Austria demands that all anti- Austrian propaganda was to be crushed.

– Austria Hungry would have the right to fire any Serbian official.

– Austria Hungry would run the investigation of the assassination.

• Serbia agrees to all but two terms of the ultimatum.--- Not good enough

• Russia mobilises her troops to support Serbia

• Germany demands that Russia stands her armies down.

• Germany declares war on Russia

“Demands must be put to Serbia that would be wholly impossible for them to accept …”

Count Berchtold the Austrian Prime Minister.

A Way To Remember The Reasons for WWI

M. MILITARISM A. ALLIANCESI. IMPERIALISMN. NATIONALISM A. ASSISINATION

Off to War

• This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.”-- All Quiet on the Western Front

Numbers of Troops at Start of War• Germany- 2 million• France- 1.3 million• Austria/ Hungry- 450,000• Russia- 1.4 million• Great Britain- 120,000 • None of the men nor their officers had any

experience in European warfare.

Von Schlieffen's plan • German plans for the war were based upon the

work of Germany Army Chief of Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen

• He was asked to plan a way of preventing a war on two fronts.   

• He believed that it was a priority to defeat France quickly, forcing them to surrender before Russia had a chance to mobilize her armed forces.

• Von Schlieffen planned to take advantage of the much slower mobilization capabilities of the Russian military.

• The plan called for pushing the bulk of the entire German army against France in a massive six-week campaign. Once France had been defeated, the German army would then quickly move to the Eastern front and face the Russians.

Assumptions of the Plan • Russia would take at

least 6 weeks to mobilize.

• France would be easily defeated in 6 weeks.

• Belgium would not resist any German attack.

• Britain would remain neutral.

The Reality • On 2nd August 1914, the German army invaded

Luxembourg and Belgium according to the Schlieffen Plan.

• The Germans were held up by the Belgium army, backed up by the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) which arrived extremely quickly.

• Russia mobilized in just 10 days and Germany was forced to withdraw troops from the Schlieffen Plan to defend her eastern border.

• Germany did not take the chance to take Paris, instead decided to attack east of the capital.  They were met by French at the battle of the Marne (5-11 Sept) which halted the German advance.

• King Albert I of Belgium denied permission

“Belgium is a country, not a road”

• Who are the two figures in the cartoon?’

• No Thoroughfare' means 'No Way Through'. What does the cartoonist mean by this?

• Compare the way the two figures are drawn.

• Which one has the support of the cartoonist?

• Is it possible to say whether this cartoon reflects public opinion in Britain at the time?

• Do you think the cartoon might have influenced public opinion or government policy?

What an Adventure…

• The Kaiser's war order is read on 1-Aug-1914

“””You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees!!” - Wilhelm

• Civilians join German soldiers on their first mile's march towards Paris.

• Heinrich Beutow- German Schoolboy“My memories of those of a child of course. I was in

a small German garrison town in 1914 and I remember very well the tremendous enthusiasm. Of course, we schoolboys were all indoctrinated with great patriotism when war broke out. My father was an active infantry officer and I shall never forget the day when they marched out to the trains. All the soldiers were decorated with flowers, there was no gun which did not show a flower. Even the horses I think were decorated. And of course all the people followed them. Bands playing, flags flying, a terrific sort of overwhelming conviction that Germany now would go into war and win it very quickly.”

“I suddenly realised that the ambition of my life

has been - since I was two - to go on a military

expedition against the Turks.“

Rupert Brooke, 1915

• German soldiers on the "Paris Express". The graffiti reads "on to Paris".

• Berlin students on their way to enlist.

A German Boy Pretends to Be a Soldier

A German Boy Pretends to Be a Soldier

• These care-free French troops would soon learn the realities of war in the industrial age.

• French soldiers, also joined by civilians, on their way to Berlin.

Soldiers Mobilized

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

France Germany Russia Britain

Millions

Was War the Adventure they thought it was?