Road to World War One Arms Race Britain
Road to World War One
Arms Race • Britain and Germany trying to military ‘outmight’ the other and ‘out-colonize’ the other • 1906: Dreadnaught launched • Britain wanted Canada to help by funding the British navy
Militarism • The policy of building up military forces and weaponry and threatening armed aggression • Britain: “ruled the waves” • Germany: most powerful army in Europe • Needed to maintain “balance of power”
End of the Empire • Much of Eastern Europe was dominated by three weak and crumbling Empires: –Russia –Ottoman –Austria-Hungary
Russia • Czar Nicholas II – Russia on the verge of a revolution
Austria-Hungary • Emperor Franz Joseph • Archduke Franz Ferdinand – Heir to the throne
Ottoman Empire - “Sick Man of Europe”
Germany • Kaiser Wilhelm II – Before he died he wanted his “place in the sun” – "It is not by his will that he will unleash a war, but by his weakness. " • King Edward VII writing about his nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm II, in 1905.
Congress of Vienna (1815) • After the defeat of Napoleon, major powers worked together in alliance systems to prevent another nation’s hegemony
WWI Alliances • 1914: the great powers of Europe were divided into two alliances • Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy • Triple Entente: Great Britain, France, Russia – Formed because of German threat
Entente Cordiale • Series of mutual defense pacts signed between Britain, Russia and France • Germany knows she is condemned to a two front war
WWI Alliances
Balkan Nationalism • Struggle for control over Balkan peninsula after Turkey loses territories during Balkan wars (1812 -13) • A-H wants Serbia in her
Balkan Nationalism • Russia was anxious to curb A-H’s power, so she supported Serbia • 1908: A-H took advantage of Russia’s weakness (Russo. Japanese War 1904 -05) and annexed Slav territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina (bordering on Serbia)
The spark that ignited “the war to end all wars” • Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated while visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia on 28 June 1914 by the Black Hand (a Serbian nationalist secret society)
Assassination • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=BCTI aii. GB 4 o
Austria-Hungary Reacts • A-H blames Serbia • A-H now has a legitimate reason to take Serbia • However, Russia was obligated to defend Serbia • One thing leads to another…
ia b r e Chain Reaction war on S war on As s e e r r a a l l c c e e d d , s ia e b r m e a l S b s H d n a i e s f s • A e u d n R a e i n h s t o s , y ar n w a • Ru s rm ium e r e a l G c n e g H l o d e e r s y B a u n a & w a c s e e rm c e b r e n a y a l G r n c F a • e d s m r e e e d c a n G v ) a n r n a i o F d y r a • n a a w m C s r e g r n a Ge i l m d c u i u e l g l d c e n n i i ( B n ita y with i r a t y B i t i r l • B t a r t a t r e u o r t e p f n p o u s s y e r n s a a l e i c m n e r o d l e o s G e t n a o • C t r S a d w e t s i e n r U l cla • a e r t d u n e n pa y a l l J ia t • i n i s i y l a • It
The Irony of Alliances
To summarize: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=kfxr. TD-k. Pps
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