![]() The settlement at the end of the Franco-Prussian war left France angry at the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and keen to regain their lost territory. Strong nationalist elements led to the reunification of Italy in 1861 and Germany in 1871. Delegates from Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia (the winning allies) decided upon a new Europe that left both Germany and Italy as divided states. The Congress of Vienna, held after Napoleon’s exile to Elba, aimed to sort out problems in Europe. Nationalism means being a strong supporter of the rights and interests of one’s country. “Why WW1 Was the Graveyard of Empires (Russian, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian) “ The German, Von Schlieffen also drew up a plan of action that involved attacking France through Belgium if Russia made an attack on Germany. The map below shows how the plan was to work. The Germans soon followed suit introducing their own battleships. The British had introduced the ‘Dreadnought’, an effective battleship, in 1906. The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled between 18 and there was fierce competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas. The growing European divide had led to an arms race between the main countries. Militarism means that the army and military forces are given a high profile by the government. The number of lands ‘owned’ by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to acquire colonies late and only had small areas of Africa. With the rise of industrialism, countries needed new markets. By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa. Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule. Listen to the full “History Unplugged” podcast here! “Why WW1 Was the Graveyard of Empires (Russian, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian)” This was an agreement, but not a formal alliance, between France and Britain. This was an agreement between Britain and Russia This was made between Russia, France and Britain to counter the increasing threat from Germany. Russia formed an alliance with France to protect herself against Germany and Austria-Hungary Germany and Austria- Hungary made an alliance with Italy to stop Italy from taking sides with Russiaīritain, Russia and France agreed not to sign for peace separately. Germany and Austria-Hungary made an alliance to protect themselves from RussiaĪustria-Hungary made an alliance with Serbia to stop Russia gaining control of Serbia (the table below reads clockwise from the top left picture) 1879 These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies. The alliance systems were more for protection and defence whereas ideological standpoints encouraged governments to make the decisions to go to war.A number of alliances had been signed by countries between the years 18. The growing acceptance of conflict is more important than alliances as public opinion can sway a governments decision. The growing military strength and the arms race between Germany and Britain created strong resources that were ready to be used. Militarism and nationalism go hand in hand as having the best military links with being the strongest country. The desire to prove oneself as the superior country led to people supporting the idea of war, making it easier for governments to pursue conflict over peace. ![]() Sided with Germany's fear of isolation, many people associated strength with winning a war. The societal view across Europe focused on being seen as the best country. Ideologies such as nationalism and militarism were far more important as a cause of the First World War. The alliances had a defensive nature, this acted as a deterrent for war. These reasons encouraged the fighting countries to seek conflict rather than peaceful resolution when tensions were at their highest.Although alliances played an important factor in the cause of the First World War, it is not the most important. Creating a defensive atmosphere and the reassurance that one country would be supported by their alliance if they were to engage in conflict. The alliance system began creating tension between the two sides from an early stage. Not only did alliances enhance the size of the war but the system set the sides that would be fighting each other when war broke out. This therefore created a world war instead of a small conflict. Due to the nature of the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance, world superpowers were forced into the conflict over the assassination of Franz Ferdinand which could have been resolved between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Alliances can be seen as the main cause for the First World War, because the alliance system brought in a substantial number of countries from Europe into a Balkan conflict.
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