The Origins of World War OneSome key concepts\

‘The lamps are going out all over Europe: we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime’

Causes of conflict- why do wars happen? How do wars change societies- social,

political and economic impact The importance of leadership

Was World War One inevitable?

The key fault lines in History

Sir Edward Grey- British Foreign Secretary

AFTER THIS THEREFORE BECAUSE OF THIS ‘A’ happened- ‘B’ happened

Therefore A caused B

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Austria- Hungary declared war on Serbia. World War One started.

‘Post hoc ergo propter hoc’

Causes of World War One

Franz Ferdinand assassinated 28th June 1914 Austrian ultimatum to Serbia 23rd July Serbia rejects the ultimatum- Austria

declares war 28th July Russia mobilizes against Austria 30th July Germany declares war on Russia 1st August Germany declares war on France 2nd August Germany invades France through Belgium Britain declares war on Germany 4th August Austria declares war on Russia 6th August

The highlights…

Militarism The Alliance system Imperialism Nationalism

The Causes of World War One?

‘The very things which are blamed for the war of 1914- secret diplomacy, the balance of power, the great continental armies- also gave Europe a period of unparalleled peace. It’s no good asking ‘What factors caused the outbreak of war?’ The question is rather ‘Why did the factors that had long preserved the peace of Europe fail to do so in 1914?’

A.J.P Taylor

Wars are much like road accidents. They have a general and a particular cause at the same time. Every road accident is caused in the last resort by the invention of the internal combustion engine.. But the police and the courts do not weigh profound causes. They seek a specific cause for each accident- driver error, excessive speed, drunkeness, faulty brakes, bad road surface. So it is with wars.’

A.J.P Taylor

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The July Crisis and the slide to war

The main longer term causes- how did they prevent war / contribute to war in 1914?

The views of historians on the outbreak of war (HISTORIOGRAPHY)

What we will cover…

M.A.I.N

Emphasize here how Nationalism contributed in different ways to the 1914 period- depended upon which country you were in.

A ‘Dangerous and irrational’ force Nationalism by 1914 had gone beyond the idea of a

common language / culture ‘New Nationalism’ Contributed to economic rivalry between nations Linked to the improvements in education Linked to mass politics of the era

Helped to solidify UK, France, Germany, Italy and Russia-and led to competition in terms of empire / military / economy

Nationalism- Argument / Counter Argument

Nationalism was a force for stability in mono ethnic countries- in polyglot empires (e.g. Austria Hungary) it was a force for instability with minority groups not being accommodated by the parent ruler.

Examples- Austria Hungary- the call for a ‘Greater Serbia’

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Nationalism-

Nationalism manifested itself in different ways- alone it would not create war

Nationalism created the need for countries to demonstrate their superiority- this led to the arms race and the search for Empire.

Nationalism was a cause of World War One because of what it led to.

But…

Countries regularly ignored such alliances- e.g.- France had not supported Russia when she protested about the annexation of Bosnia (1908)

Morocco Crises 1905 / 1911- Austria did not support Germany over its attempts to stop France in Africa

Germany had restrained Austria over Serbia during the Second Balkan War (1913)

Declaration of war was not made because of the alliance system- alliance system was how the war escalated

But…

Traditional View- Germany responsible- Article 231- ‘War Guilt’

Orthodox View- collective responsibility ‘shared guilt’

Revisionism 1: ‘The Fischer Controversy’- continuity of German history from 1870- 1914 led to war- fears of German encirclement-territorial expansion-

Revisionism 2: Ritter – Germany wanted to support Austria. German military planning caused war

Others- mobilisation plans / German preventative war /

Historians on World War One- the debate

‘Among the tectonic plates shaping the context of international politics, none loomed as dangerous and irrational as rampant, virulent, passion filled nationalism’ (Williamson)

Williamson emphasizes the importance of nationalism within Austria- Hungary- they felt the need to stop Serbian Nationalism

Nationalism a destabilizing force in parts of Europe

Views of Historians

James Joll emphasizes how the alliance system fell into disarray in 1914- alliance system actually destabilized Europe

Mobilization plans were based upon what countries thought their allies would do

George Kennan- ‘fateful Franco Russian alliance all but made WWI inevitable

German fears of encirclement by the Triple Alliance led them to form an aggressive war policy.

Historiography- the ‘powder keg’

Outbreak of War as a ‘celebration’ in 1914 Linked to the ideals of Social Darwinism in

the 1800s Militarism, armaments and war mobilisation

plans have all been put forward as a key factor in the outbreak of war- Europe was an ‘armed camp’ by 1914

Mass conscription and increased expenditure on arms made war more likely

Militarism- ‘war by timetable’

James Joll and co- cite militarism as the lynchpin that puts events beyond the control of the politcians- mass armies / mobilisation plans- e.g Schlieffen Plan

The ‘cult of the offensive’-taking a decisive advantage over your enemy

AJP Taylor- WWI caused ‘ almost entirely by rival plans for mobilisation by the European powers’

Relationship between decision to go to war- military planners- most influence in Russia / Germany / Austria

Views of Historians

Only 5% of GDP spent on Arms and defence- Germany (3.5 % of GDP- less than UK)

Does high expenditure on arms lead to a desire for war?

Britain who had the largest expenditure on arms seemed to want war the least in 1914

Stronger argument to suggest that the strategic balance of power was at stake during the July Crisis rather than a desire to demonstrate military might.

But…

Europe divided into two ‘camps’ Origins of these alliances go back to the

Franco- Prussian War 1871 1894 Alliance between France and Russia-

seemed to set Europe on the road to war The move from Bismarck’s Realpolitik to

Wilhelm’s Weltpolitik A single country’s entrance into a conflict

always brought with it the threat of support from the alliance partners

Alliances

Marxist view would emphasise that competition for territory caused WWI

All those involved in WWI saw empire as an important part of ‘Great power’ status

By refusing to be involved in WWI Great Power status would be threatened

New Imperialism of the 1800- global domination- all countries demanding a ‘place in the sun’

French ambitions in Morocco / Austria in Bosnia Raw materials, capital- intense competition

Imperialism

Immediate motives of the powers in 1914 were not directly imperialist.

The crisis was not one of Empire- it was European. Only Imperial ambitions were those of Austria- Hungary

Did not cause war- merely contributed to it- Imperialism was the mindset of European Nations in 1914- produced Militarism and Allliance systems

But…

LIMITED WAR v TOTAL WAR

‘Limited wars’ of the 18th / 19th century- largely the business of rulers and their armies

Armies small in size- manoeuvre to avoid battle rather than engaging in it

Societies largely untouched by war- trade continued TOTAL WAR- envelops the whole of society Total mobilization of the nation’s resources for victory (war

economy) Social, economic (cultural) and political structure affected /

undermined by involvement in war. Psychological trauma (‘The lost generation’) Wars had increased in intensity and impact in the 18th and 19th

century

World War One- Course- Key Terms- TOTAL WAR

STAGE 1- The battle for a quick victory 1914

The breakdown of the war of movement / manoeuvre

The race to the sea The development of the Western Front-

trench warfare Defeats for Russia- Tannenberg and

Masurian Lakes

Key Phases of the War

Attrition

Battle of the Somme Battle of Verdun

Phase 2- Deadlock- 1914-1917

Importance of US entry into the war The Russian Revolution

Phase 3- The Tide Turns-1917

Failure of the German offensive Failure of Germany’s allies Wilson’s Fourteen Points for Peace The armistice

Phase 4- 1918 the Final Collapse of Germany