IB HL HISTORY TOPIC 13: Europe and the First World War (1871-1918) | Quizlet

Scramble for Africa

Sudden wave of conquests in Africa by European powers in the 1880s and 1890s. Britain obtained most of eastern Africa, France most of northwestern Africa. Other countries (Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Spain) acquired lesser amounts.

Berlin Conference (1884-1885)

Scramble to be based on "effective occupation" that was recognized by other powers & no single state could dominate Africa

First Opium War (1839-1842)

Started with the illegal opium trade between Britain and China. Britain wanted tea and other goods from China, but Britain didn't have any goods that China wanted, and Britain had to trade silver (very expensive!). BEIC began to smuggle opium from India into China, and China's population became addicted. Eventually, China stops trade and closes ports, Britain gets mad because they wanted tea, so they sent warships and destroyed unindustrialized China; Britain allowed to impose terms on China, mostly open ports.

Treaty of Nanjing (1842)

Treaty which ended the first Opium War and limited Chinese sovereignty because of the concessions to England - Hong Kong, money, low tariffs, open five ports to trade, and access for foreigners

Open Door Policy

A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.

Boxer Rebellion (1900)

A rebellion by the Chinese Boxers nationalists against foreigners.

Weltpolitik

"World politics". The policy of making Germany a major global power through an expanding navy and the acquisition of colonies, the dream of William II.

First Moroccan Crisis (1905)

France made a deal with Spain to partition Morocco, and with Britain to respect their rights in Egypt if they allowed them to have Morocco. The Kaiser went to Tangiers in 1905 to state that Morocco had German support again French expansion. This triggered a crisis that was one of the main reasons for Britain to strengthen ties with France (and later Russia). Britain resented Germany's tactics in Morocco and their naval building.

Second Moroccan Crisis (1911)

France puts down a rebellion in Morocco (1911) giving Germany an excuse to extort colonial territory to "protect German citizens"; ends with Germany getting small colony in Congo and France getting full colonial control of Morocco.

Agadir Crisis 1911

Caused by further developments in the situation of Morocco

French troops occupied Fez (the Moroccan capital) to put down a rebellion against the Sultan.

It looked as if the French were about to annex Morocco

The Germans wanted to pressure the French into giving them compensation (perhaps the French Congo)

They sent a gunboat, the Panther to the Moroccan port of Agadir.

The British didn't want Germans to acquire Agadir, which could be used as a naval based to threaten Britain's trade routes.

Lloyd George (Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer) used a speech to warn the Germans off, saying that Britain would not stand by and be taken advantage of.

The French stood firm and made no major confessions.

The German gunboat was removed.

The Germans agreed to recognize the French protectorate (right to 'protect' the country from foreign intervention) over Morocco in return for two strips of territory in the French Congo.

Seen as a triumph for the Entente powers

German public opinion became intensely anti-British, especially since the British were drawing ahead in the naval race.

At the end of 1911, they had built 8 of the new and more powerful Dreadnought type battleships, compared with Germany's four.

Franco-Prussian War (1870)

War between France and Prussia over a dispute of a relative of the Prussian king to the throne of Spain. France declared war on Prussia in 1870 following the Ems Dispatch, which Bismarck had edited to sound more provocative and angry. The south German states and Prussian defeated the French at Sedan in September, 1870 and continued until Paris capitulated in January 1871. France's defeat caused them to pay about 5 billion francs and lost provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to the new German state.

Russo-Turkish War 1877-1878

Russia had a goal to regain all the territory it lost during the Crimean War. The war ended by the Turks loss to the Russians.

Treaty of San Stefano (1878)

-Agreed to Bulgaria becoming a Russian vassal state, ensuring Russia "gain free passage for her naval forces through the Dardanelles and military predominance in the Balkans

Their first objective was intolerable for Britain", as with British influence over India and the Suez Canal, they did not want Russian forces nearby, explaining why they "had long opposed Russia's aggrandizement at the expense of the Ottoman Empire and particularly the Russian drive toward the Turkish Straits"

The second achievement was intolerable for Austria, who wanted to expand their influence across the Balkans and also perceived Russian presence as a threat.

Congress of Berlin (1878)

Resulted in the Treaty of Berlin. Great Britain was the main beneficiary of the Congress of Berlin. Supported by Austria-Hungary, Britain denied Russia the opportunity to become the sole arbiter of the affairs of the Ottoman Empire. The congress also prevented Russia from becoming the patron of Greater Bulgaria

Treaty of Berlin (1878)

Attested that:

Russia + Romania keep their territorial gains

Bulgaria was to be split into three parts (cutting down the size of the Russian satellite)

Austria gained Bosnia and Herzegovina

England was permitted to occupy Cyprus

Drei Kaiser Bund

Three Emperor's League. Dissolved twice over tensions in Balkans between Austria-Hungary and Russia

Reinsurance Treaty (1887)

Bismarck sought to remain on good terms with Russia despite the failure of the Three Emperors' League and the Russian perception that they had been treated harshly at the Congress of Berlin (1878); the last of the "Bismarckian system of alliances" as Bismarck was dismissed in 1890 by Kaiser Wilhelm II

Triple Entente (1907)

A military alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia in the years preceding World War I. NOT mutual defense

Triple Alliance

An alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in the years before WWI. Mutual defensee

Franco-Russian Alliance (1894)

France and Russia were fearful of Germany, so they signed an agreement pledging support for each other in a war.

Eduard E McCullough

"The failure to renew the Reinsurance Treaty convinced the Russians that Germany had joined their enemies"

Ruth Henig on Bismarck

"Bismarck's diplomatic strategies and tactics between 1871-1890 bequeathed serious long term problems for his advisors"

Garry Sheffield

"Wilhelm's unpredictable behaviour was to have a destabilizing effect on international Relations"

Bulgarian Crisis (1885)

A conflict between Serbia and Bulgaria, which demonstrated the instability of the Balkan peace settlement imposed by the Congress of Berlin. Both countries felt they should've been awarded more land by the settlement. Led to dissolution of DreiKaiserBund

Ruth Henig on France

"Nothing could extinguish France's resentment over her defeat in war"

Sidney Fay

"The greatest single underlying cause of the war was the system of secret alliances which developed after the Franco-Prussian War. It divided Europe into 2 hostile groups who grew increasingly suspicious of one another."

Balkan Wars (1912-1913)

From 1912-1913 Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, and Romania fought two wars in order to gain possession of European territories that the Ottoman Empire had. Hastens the Eastern Question and emphasizes how people in eastern Europe are willing to fight and die for independence

Balkan Inception

Outlined by Poincaré to Izovolsky as the possibility that a conflict in the Balkans can create a World War

Jay Winter

"What caused WWI was the conversion of Balkan War into Great War, which happened in Vienna, Berlin or both"

Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf

Austro-Hungarian general who repeatedly called for pre-emptive strikes against Serbia and tirelessly campaigned for modernization of forces.

Mandates

A nation governed by another nation on behalf of the League of Nations

Niall Ferguson

Claims England is most to blame for the outbreak of war because of its misinterpretations of German ambitions.

1900 Navy Bills

Reichstag bills which laid the foundation for a German Battle Fleet

Timothy L Smith

"All belligerents claimed to be acting defensively. In reality all were bent on exploiting the war to further imperial ends. "

Zimmerman Telegram

This was sent by Germans to encourage a Mexican attack against the United States. Intercepted by the US in 1917.

Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)

A German U-Boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania (which was actually carrying ammunition) despite the American civilian passengers onboard.

Sussex Pledge (1916)

A torpedo from a German submarine hit a french passenger liner, called the Sussex in march 1916. Wilson demanded the Germans refrain from attacking passenger ships. In this statement, Germany said they would temporarily stop these attacks but might have to resume in the future if the British continued to blockade German ports.

Brusilov Offensive (1916)

Germany's last push to move Russia back on the Eastern Front (WWI). AH brutally defeated (1/3 of army lost)

Schleiffen Plan

Operational plan for a designated attack on France once Russia had started to mobilize their forces near the German border.

1916 National Defense Act

Doubled the size of the regular army and integrated the states' National Guard under federal control. Foreshadows US entry into war

Domestic Instability in Russia

- Grain Shortages + Transportation Crisis

- Inflation caused by foreign Anglo-French loans with wages not being adjusted to it

- Special Committee for Food Supply introduces fixed prices for military procurements and for civilians in September 1916. Farmers have no incentive to sell their stuff, rural quality of life increases

- 1916 severe grain shortages in all towns

- Steep rise in labour militancy suggesting revolutionary worker's mood

- Rasputin's interference frustrates political elite

- Zemgo & Worker's Group of Central War Industries committee helps with bullet shortages. Timothy L Smith: Shows how weakened tsar's authority had become

- 1916 Russia saw a level of strike activity that was unprecedented in any other belligerent power. Much of it having political complexion

Domestic Instability in Germany

- Animal fat shortages led to diseases (40% of Germany's children had rickets)

- Extremely cold winter + Potato Blight affecting crop (1916-1917) caused tremendous food shortages, leading to rations and riots

- Coal production was short, affecting war effort

- 1916 May Day Protests

- Munich Revolt shows communist threat

- Cost of living increases 200%

- Hindenberg program increases purge of non-military industry

- High inflation

Roger Chickering on Germany

Strikes became a more ominous form of protest that could paralyse the war economy. Strikes became more political, more routinely coupling demands for economic relief w/ calls for political reform and an end to war. The distinction between political & economic strikes blurred as hunger and shortages drove the authority of the state into question