The Foundations of the Great War

The Foundations of the Great War

It is the late 1800s, and

Europe is feeling

Groovy!

Positives

• Science

• Industry

• No revolution

• Improved standard of living

• International cooperation…mail, Olympics, LOTS of conferences

But simmering problems

• Unsettled feeling of modernity– Darwin– Physics– Freud – said that there had been three great humiliations in human

history: Galileo's discovery that we were not the center of the universe, Darwin's discovery that we were not the crown of creation, and his own discovery that we are not in control of our own minds

– Art

The Art

• Imperial competition

• Increased militarism

• Nationalism, especially pan-Slavism

• Take a look at the political vs. ethnic map of Europe!

War between Turkey and Russia

• Creates a situation in the Balkans that will come back to haunt all of Europe. Who controls..

Leads to anotherCongress of Berlin

So…

• Some of the “nations” there get independence, some are controlled by Austria

• It leaves the Balkans unsettled.

• And, as Bismarck said “some damned foolish thing in the Balkans will ignite the next war”

Also, there is an interesting family dynamic

CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OF QUEEN VICTORIA

Queen Victoria m. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha(1819-1901) (1819-1861)

Victoria m. Frederick III(1840-1900) of Prussia (1831-1888)

William II(Kaiser)(1859-1941)m. Augustaof Schleswig-Holstein

Charlotte(1860-1919)

Sophie(1870-1932)m. Constantineof Greece

Victoria(1866-1929)m. PrinceAldolphus

Henry(1862-1929)m. Ireneof Hesse

Margaret(1872-1954)

Albert Edward m. (Edward VII)(1841-1910)

Alexandraof Denmark(1844-1925)

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

Alice m.(1843-1878)

LouisGrand Dukeof Hesse

(Cont)

Albert Edward(Eddy)(1864-1892)

George m. Princess May(George V) of Teck(1865-1936) (1867-1953)

Louise m. Duke of Fife(1867 - 1931)

Victoria(1868-1935)

Maud, Queenof Norway(1869-1938)

Victoria m. Louis of(1863-1950) Battenburg (1854-1921)

Elizabeth m. Grand(1864-1918) Duke Serge of Russia

Mary(1874-1878)

Irene m. Henry of (1866-1953) Prussia

Ernest m. Victoria Melita of Edinburgh(divorced 1901)

Alix m. Tsar(Alicky) Nicholas(1872-1918) II of Russia

How do you maintain peace?Bismarck’s System

• There is no Concert of Europe. Germany dominates Europe after the Franco-Prussian War, so Bismarck’s System is the key to keeping peace.

• “It grew into an alignment system that was as much a check on the possibility of general war as the fertile brain of man can design.”

The Four Rules

• Never challenge England on the sea• Never quarrel with France in the

colonies• Never let Austria control the alliance

(horse and rider in any alliance)• Never let England and Russia ally

against Germany

System of Alliances

• 1873- Three Emperors’ League between R, A and G

• 1879- Dual Alliance between G and A

• 1881- Alliance of the Three Emperors between R, A, and G

• 1882- Triple Alliance between A, I and G

• 1887- Reinsurance Treaty between R and G

Then….

• A key error….

• Wilhelm II removes Bismarck

All the rules get broken

Germany drops the Reinsurance Treaty

• Germany had also supported Austria instead of Russia in the divvying up of Turkey!

• Leaves Russia looking for love

• Russia and France begin to negotiate and form an alliance in 1894

• Also, Russia’s potential power is increasing dramatically! They are finally industrializing.

Germans start naval arms race with England and refuses to ally with them

• The dreadnoughts. The Germans spent 1/3 of their budget on them

• And the Britain responds with Two Power Standard

• Boer War issues

• Pre and post-1900 attitudes toward Germany

• So, rule #1 is broken

England and France signed the Entente Cordiale in 1904

Schlieffen Plan drawn up

Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907There goes rule #4

Moroccan Crisis

Which violates Bismarck’s rule #2

Balkan Wars1908, 1912

“some damned foolish thing in the Balkans will ignite the next war”

Who will control the Balkans?

• Turkey has been pushed out

• Serbia is an independent country

• Austria controls Bosnia, which contains LOTS of Serbs

• Nationalism!– Serbs want to be united – Russians support Serbs because they are all slavic

“brothers”

The Blank Check from Germany to Austria

Rule #3 broken as well!

Bismarck said “Do not tie the trim Prussian frigate to a worm-eaten

Austrian galleon.”

The Black Hand Slaps the Archduke

Gavrilo Princip

Austrian Ultimatum

Serbia has 48 hours to apologize and ban all anti-Austrian propaganda and groups, and Austria demands a voice in Serbian

internal governance

Serbia hesitates

• Russia mobilizes

• Germany mobilizes

• Even the cousins can’t stop it once it begins

Austria and Serbia go to war

• Germany declares war against Russia 8-1-14

• Against France 8-3-14

• The speed of mobilization!

• Then Britain declares war on Germany once she violates Belgium neutrality via the Schlieffen Plan

And so The Great War begins