The Great War--Causes
By:
Suzanne Karpilovsky (IB Diploma 1996)
Maria Fogel (IB Diploma 1996)
Olivia Kobelt (Class of 1996)
Introduction
World War I was the result of leaders' aggression towards other countries which was
supported by the rising nationalism of the European nations. Economic and imperial
competition and fear of war prompted military alliances and an arms race, which further
escalated the tension contributing to the outbreak of war.
Nationalism
At the settlement of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the principle of nationalism was
ignored in favor of preserving the peace. Germany and Italy were left as divided states,
but strong nationalist movements and revolutions led to the unification of Italy in 1861
and that of Germany in 1871. Another result of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was that
France was left seething over the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany, and Revanche was a
major goal of the French. Nationalism posed a problem for Austria-Hungary and the Balkans,
areas comprised of many conflicting national groups. The ardent Panslavism of Serbia and
Russia's willingness to support its Slavic brother conflicted with Austria-Hungary's
Pan-Germanism.
Imperialism
Another factor which contributed to the increase in rivalry in Europe was imperialism.
Great Britain, Germany and France needed foreign markets after the increase in
manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. These countries competed for economic
expansion in Africa. Although Britain and France resolved their differences in Africa,
several crises foreshadowing the war involved the clash of Germany against Britain and
France in North Africa. In the Middle East, the crumbling Ottoman Empire was alluring to
Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia.
Bismarck and Alliances
World War I was caused in part by the two opposing alliances developed by Bismarckian
diplomacy after the Franco-Prussian War. In order to diplomatically isolate France,
Bismarck formed the Three
Emperor's League in 1872, an alliance between Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary.
When the French occupied Tunisia, Bismarck took advantage of Italian resentment towards
France and created the Triple
Alliance between Germany, Italy and Austria- Hungary in 1882. In exchange for Italy's
agreement to stay neutral if war broke out between Austria-Hungary and Russia, Germany and
Austria-Hungary would protect Italy from France. Russia and Austria-Hungary grew
suspicious of each other over conflicts in the Balkans in 1887, but Bismarck repaired the
damage to his alliances with a Reinsurance Treaty with Russia, allowing both powers to
stay neutral if the other was at war.
Collapse of Bismarckian Alliances
However, after Bismarck was fired by Kaiser William II in 1890, the traditional dislike of
Slavs kept Bismarck's successors from renewing the understanding with Russia. France took
advantage of this opportunity to get an ally, and the Franco- Russian Entente was
formed in 1891, which became a formal alliance in 1894. The Kruger telegram William II
sent to congratulate the leader of the Boers for defeating the British in 1896, his
instructions to the German soldiers to behave like Huns in China during the Boxer
Rebellion, and particularly the large- scale navy he was building all contributed to
British distrust of Germany.
As a result, Britain and France overlooked all major imperialistic conflict between them
and formed the Entente Cordiale in 1904. Russia formed an Entente with
Britain in 1907 after they had reached an understanding with Britain's ally Japan and
William II had further alienated Russia by supporting Austrian ambitions in the Balkans.
The Triple Entente, an informal coalition between Great Britain, France and Russia, now
countered the Triple Alliance. International tension was greatly increased by the division
of Europe into two armed camps.
Arms Race
The menace of the hostile division led to an arms race, another cause of World War I.
Acknowledging that Germany was the leader in military organization and efficiency, the
great powers of Europe copied the universal conscription, large reserves and detailed
planning of the Prussian system. Technological and organizational developments led to the
formation of general staffs with precise plans for mobilization and attack that often
could not be reversed once they were begun. The German von Schlieffen Plan to
attack France before Russia in the event of war with Russia was one such complicated plan
that drew more countries into war than necessary.
Armies and navies were greatly expanded. The standing armies of France and Germany doubled
in size between 1870 and 1914. Naval expansion was also extremely competitive,
particularly between Germany and Great Britain. By 1889, the British had established the
principle that in order to maintain naval superiority in the event of war they would have
to have a navy two and a half times as large as the second-largest navy. This motivated
the British to launch the Dreadnought, invented by Admiral Sir John Fisher, in 1906. The
Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had demonstrated how effective these battleships were. As
Britain increased their output of battleships, Germany correspondingly stepped up their
naval production, including the Dreadnought. Although efforts for worldwide disarmament
were made at the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907, international rivalry caused the arms
race to continue to feed on itself.
Crises in Africa
The friction of an armed and divided Europe escalated into several crises in Morocco and
the Balkans which nearly ended in war. In 1905, Germany announced its support of
independence for Morocco,
the African colony which Britain had given France in 1904. The British defended the
French, and war was avoided by a international conference in Algeciras in 1906 which
allowed France to make Morocco a French protectorate.
Bosnian Crisis of 1908
Another conflict was incited by the Austria-Hungarian annexation of the former Turkish
province of Bosnia in 1908.
The Greater Serbian movement had as an object the acquisition of Slavic Bosnia, so Serbia
threatened war on Austria-Hungary. Russia had pledged their support to Serbia, so they
began to mobilize, which caused Germany, allied with Austria-Hungary, to threaten war on
Russia. The beginning of World War I was postponed when Russia backed down, but relations
between Austria- Hungary and Serbia were greatly strained.
Morocco II
A second Moroccan crisis occurred in 1911 when Germany sent a warship to Agadir in protest
of French supremacy in Morocco, claiming the French had violated the agreement at
Algeciras. Britain again rose to France's defense and gave the Germans stern warnings.
Germany agreed to allow France a free hand in Morocco in exchange for part of the French
Congo. In the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, the Balkan States drove the Turks back to
Constantinople and fought among themselves over territory. Tensions between Serbia and
Austria-Hungary increased when Austria-Hungary forced Serbia to abandon some of its gains.
Assassination in Sarajevo
Europe had reached its breaking point when on June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand,
heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo,
Bosnia, by a Serbian nationalist belonging to an organization known as the Black Hand
(Narodna Obrana).
Immediately following the assassination Germany pledged its full support (blank check) to
Austria-Hungary, pressuring them to declare war on Serbia, while France strengthened its
backing of Russia. Convinced that the Serbian government had conspired against them,
Austria-Hungary issued Serbia an unacceptable ultimatum,
to which Serbia consented almost
entirely.
Falling Dominoes
Unsatisfied, Austria-Hungary declared
war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. On July 29, Russia ordered a partial mobilization only
against Austria-Hungary in support of Serbia, which escalated into a general mobilization.
The Germans threatened war on July 31 if the Russians did not demobilize. Upon being asked
by Germany what it would do in the event of a Russo-German War, France responded that it
would act in its own interests and mobilized. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia,
and two days later, on France. The German invasion of Belgium to attack France, which
violated Belgium's official neutrality, prompted Britain to declare war on Germany. World
War I had begun.