Basic Causes of World War I

 

1.  Imperialism is the building of an empire by direst conquest or controlling a weaker area without directly taking over its government.  By 1900 most of the world’s land belonged to some empire, usually European.  The Europeans thought that they had a duty to bring Christianity and civilization to natives.  An empire also meant more trade and investment profits for the mother country.  Unfortunately the European scramble for colonies led to jealous quarrels with each other and with local peoples.  By the Spanish – American War of 1898, the USA gained control over Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.  In the Boer War (1899 – 1902), the British Empire attacked Dutch farmers in South Africa because gold was discovered on their land.

 

2.  Economic competition existed between European powers for raw materials and new markets all over the world. Railways, steamships and canals (Suez and Panama) played a key role.

 

3. Nationalism developed at such a rate that perhaps pride and belief in one’s country became too strong.  It may also be a feeling of belonging together as a separate nation coupled with a strong desire for independent self-rule.  In pre-war Europe, the powerful wanted their state to be a bully while the weak used random violence to pressure for a national homeland.  No state was more threatened than the Austrian Empire which contained eleven different nations.

 

4. Militarism saw military commanders claiming that preparing for war was the only was to keep peace.  Nationalists and imperialists supported them.  The result was an arms race in which each power tried to build a bigger and deadlier war machine than its rivals.

 

5.  Alliances were sought among European powers as a means of security. In actuality, such alliances increased suspicion and fear.  Worse, a small was between two states become likely to pull in several others.

 

            Triple Alliance                                                Triple Entente (understanding)

 

            Germany                                                           France

            Italy                                                                   Russia

            Austria                                                              Britain

 

Please make certain that you know the following two terms:

            Dreadnought

            Schlieffen Plan

The Schlieffen Plan depended on three things which failed:

  1. quick defeat of France
  2. Britain would remain neutral
  3. Austria would easily defeat Serbia

 

 

Balkan Problem

 

Balkan is a Turkish word meaning ‘mountain”.  The Balkans are the poor mountainous parts of eastern Europe, south of the Danube and Sava Rivers.  International rivalry made the Balkans the “power keg of Europe”.

 

1.  Rivalry between alliances was made worse:

            a) Russia wanted to remove Turkish control of access to the Mediterranean.

            b) Germany wanted a Berlin to Baghdad railway through the Balkans to access   

                the oil fields of Persia.

            c) Austria-Hungary wanted to conquer rebellious Slavs to prevent the spread of

                revolution.

 

2.  1908 – The ‘Young Turk” revolution in Turkey caused chaos in the Balkans also:

            a) Bulgaria declared independence as a kingdom

            b) Austria-Hungary seized the Turkish provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

3.  Balkan Wars –

1912 – Four kings (Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece) formed Balkan League which defeated the Ottoman Empire.  Her Balkan lands were divided among the winners and a new country, Albania, was created.

1913 – Second Balkan War caused by Bulgaria’s ambition to get more land.  It was beaten and left wanting revenge against Serbia.