Origins of the First World War

Wilhelm II and Weltpolitik

Weltpolitik (meaning world politics) was Wilhelm IIs aggressive, expansionist foreign policy. Germany (which became a nation only in !" ) did not have an empire in #frica. $owever Wilhelm wanted to change this. $e p%blicly demanded a place in the s%n for Germany ( &'() and gave an interview to the Daily Telegraph in which he called )nglish people mad ( &'!).

The System of Alliances

In !!*, Germany, #%stria+$%ngary and Italy had formed the Triple Alliance. ,ritain had tried to stay o%t of )%ropean affairs (splendid isolation), b%t the growing power of Germany forced ,ritain to ma-e a naval alliance with .apan ( &'*), the Entente Cordiale (a defensive alliance with /rance, &'0) and the Triple Entente (with /rance and 1%ssia in &'") 2he historian 3idney ,radshaw /ay ( &*!) tho%ght the system of alliances was the greatest single %nderlying ca%se of the War. It p%lled them into 4%arrels which were not their own, and in & 0 dragged them all, one after the other, into war.

The Moroccan Crises of 1905 and 1911

Tangier Crisis, 1905
In &'( Wilhelm visited 5orocco and promised to defend it against /rance (/rance had hoped to annex 5orocco). )nco%raged by ,ritain, /rance stood %p to Germany and at the #lgeciras 6onference ( &'7) Germany was forced to bac- down. Wilhelm was f%rio%s.

Agadir Crisis, 1911

In & , therefore, when the /rench too- advantage if a small rebellion to ta-e over 5orocco, Wilhelm sent The Panther g%nboat to #gadir in 5orocco, s%pposedly to protect German citi8ens in 5orocco. /or a second time, at the Treaty of London, /rance and ,ritain forced Germany to bac- down (in ret%rn for '',''' s4%are miles of the /rench 6ongo). $%miliated again, Wilhelm was determined not to be h%miliated again.

The Bosnian Crisis of 1908 1909

2here was tro%ble also in the ,al-ans, where 2%r-ey (the wea- man of )%rope) had lost control of the area. 2he ,al-an nations were nationalistic (panslavism) and aggressive. #%stria feared that growing panslavism wo%ld destablise #%stria+$%ngary, while 1%ssia hope to %se the tro%bles to gain naval access to the 5editerranean When there was a revol%tion in 2%r-ey in &'!, therefore, #%stria annexed ,osnia. 3erbia 9 expecting 1%ssian s%pport 9 mobilised its army, b%t when ,ritain, Germany and 2%r-ey all s%pported #%stria+$%ngary, 1%ssia was forced to bac- down. 2sar :icholas was h%miliated and 9 li-e Wilhelm in 5orocco 9 he was determined not to be h%miliated again.

The Arms !ace

#s )%rope became increasingly %nstable, there was a fo%r+fold increase in spending of the Great ;owers on armaments !"'+ & 0. Germany had the largest army (*.* million men) b%t 1%ssias army was the fastest+growing 9 which led German generals to advise war the sooner the better. 5eanwhile, 2irpit8 anno%nced the German Navy Law ( &'') a h%ge programme of warship+ b%ilding. 2his led ,ritain to engage in a naval arms race with Germany, b%ilding <readno%ght battleships (the crisis+point was &'&, when a p%blic campaign in ,ritain forced parliament to b%ild eight, not fo%r <readno%ghts 9 the crowds chanted We want eight and we wont wait). 2he #rms 1ace did not prevent war 9 it led to a belief that war was inevitable, and also the feeling that war might solve )%ropes diplomatic differences.

Assassination at Sara"e#o
In the ,al-ans, tension was growing between #%stria and 3erbia. In &'7 #%stria had banned imports of 3erbian por- (the ;ig War), and the #%strian army had as-ed for a s%rprise attac- on 3erbia more than *( times &'7+ 0= in & >, an invasion was planned, b%t did not ta-e place. 5eanwhile, after 3erbias s%ccess in the ,al-an Wars of & *+ >, its ;rime 5inister :i-ola ;asic said? now for the second ro%nd 9 against #%stria. The Black Hand (formed & ') was a 3erb terrorist gro%p & ', led by 6olonel <imitri@evic (#pis)= in & , it had tried to assassinate the #%strian )mperor /ran8 .osef. An *! .%ne & 0, #rchd%-e /ran8 /erdinand of #%stria went to 3ara@evo to review the troops there= Gavrilo ;rincip and ( st%dents were waiting to assassinate him as a protest against the #%strian annexation of ,osnia in &'!= the ,lac- $and provided them with weapons. 2he six assassins were lined %p along the #ppel B%ay. /o%r lost their nerve. :edel@-o 6abrinovic threw a bomb. $e missed= the #rchd%-e went %nh%rt to the town hall. It was decided to go home via a different ro%te. ,y mista-e, the driver t%rned into /ran8 .osef 3treet then stopped... in front of Gavrilo ;rincip, who shot /ran8 /erdinand and 3ophie.

The e#ents leadin$ to %ar

2he assassination started off a chain of events that p%lled )%rope into a world war ( .%ly #%stria welcomed an exc%se to invade 3erbia= the #%strians approached their ally Wilhelm and got a promise of s%pport (the Cblan- che4%eC). *> .%ly 2he #%stro+$%ngarian government sent 3erbia an %ltimat%m containing ten to%gh demands (which when re@ected, wo%ld give #%stria the exc%se to invade.) *( .%ly 2he 3erbs agreed to everything )D6);2 part of cla%se 7 + Eaiser Wilhelm tho%ght that this wo%ld stop the war. *! .%ly #%stria+$%ngary declared war anyway= the 3erbs as-ed their ally 1%ssia for help. >' .%ly 2sar :icholas had already abandoned 3erbia in &'!. #nd + he told the Eaiser in a telegram + it was a matter of right vers%s wrong. $e ordered a general mobilisation, b%t told Wilhelm it was :A2 a mobilisation against Germany. #%g%st 2he 1%ssian mobilisation, said Wilhelm, was li-e letting an enemy p%t a loaded g%n to yo%r head. Germany mobilised and declared war on 1%ssia. * #%g%st Germany as-ed permission to go thro%gh ,elgi%m b%t, when the ,elgians ref%sed, invaded ,elgi%m and next day (when /rance ref%sed to stay ne%tral) /rance 0 #%g%st ,ritain sent Germany an %ltimat%m + and when that was ref%sed, declared war Cfor a scrap of paper (the !>& 2reaty with ,elgi%m).

The Schlieffen &lan and its effect on the o't(rea) of %ar

2he 3chlieffen ;lan was Germanys war plan sho%ld war come. It was based on the (wrong) idea that 9 if it came to a war on two fronts against /rance and 1%ssia 9 Germany co%ld defeat /rance 4%ic-ly and then t%rn to deal with 1%ssia. It proposed that &' per cent of the Germany army wo%ld swing down thro%gh ,elgi%m to ta-e o%t /rance in a decisive, 4 !da" ca#paign. It co%ld be arg%ed that the 3chlieffen ;lan ca%sed the World War 9 it was a plan of #22#6E, and it did not allow for a sit%ation li-e that in & 0 9 where 1%ssia was mobilising (>' .%ly) b%t /rance was not going to war to help the 1%ssians. It went thro%gh ,elgi%m 9 bringing ,ritain into the war. 2he historian #.; 2aylor arg%ed that railway timetables ca%sed warF 2he 3chlieffen ;lan timings had ta-en & years to devise 9 so when, on #%g%st, Eaiser Wilhelm tried to pa%se the German mobilisation, his generals told him that ,''' trains were on the move, and war co%ld not now be changed.

!es*onsi(ility for the o't(rea) of %ar

$owever, historians have also blamed /rance, #%stria, 1%ssia, ,ritain and 3erbia for the war (loo- bac- and see how each had played a part in creating tension).