WWI causes

The French Revolution

1789-1799

Napoleonic Wars

1803-1815

The Congress of Vienna sought to restore the balance of power from before the Napoleonic wars

1815

The industrial revolution began in Britain

Late 1700s

16 German states were made into a German Confederation

1815

Prussia began the first industrial revolution on continental Europe

1850s

Otto von Bismarck appointed as Chief Minister by Prussian King Wilhelm I → would unite Germany by ‘blood and iron’

1862

German Unification; capture of Alsace and Lorraine from France

1871

The Dreikaiserbund between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia established to ensure the isolation of republican France

1873

The Dreikaiserbund collapsed completely over the ‘Eastern Question’

1878

The Congress of Berlin to address the ‘Eastern Question’ → Bulgaria and Eastern Rumania became autonomous, Austria gained a protectorate over Bosnia

1878

The Dual Alliance between Germany and Austria Hungary → would defend each other if attacked by Russia

1879

The second Dreikaiserbund → if one party was attacked by a 4th Power, the others would remain neutral → removed fear of a Russian and French attack on Germany

1881

The Triple Alliance between Germany Austria Hungary and Italy → would aid each other if France attacked

1882

The Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia → Russia would be neutral if France attacked Germany

1887

Kaiser Wilhelm II was crowned; Germany challenged Britain’s economic power

1888

Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign; replaced him with Caprivi

1890

Wilhelm announced that the ‘future of Germany was on the sea’

1896

Admiral von Tirpitz was a strong advocate for ‘Weltpolitik’ → appointed Secretary of the Navy

1897

The Navy Laws expanded the German Navy

1898 and 1900

New Foreign Minister Bulow turned government attention to foreign policy

1897

Russia started to turn to France as an ally through a series of commercial agreements

1888

Franco-Russian Alliance → pledged support in the event of an attack by the Triple Alliance

1892

The Dual Entente formalised the Franco-Russian Alliance

1894

German acquired the Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands, German Samoa and the Chinese Port of Kiaochow

1897-1904

Britain, Germany and the US all claimed parts of Samoa

By the 1880s

Second Samoan Civil War → Germany, Britain and the US divided the islands

1898

Britain lost her monopoly on trading with China after the Sino-Japanese War

1894-1895

The Boer War was longer and costlier than Britain expected → eroded her global power

1899-1902

Britain refused neutrality to German expansionism after a dispute in Sudan between Britain and France

1898

Germany’s second Naval Law called for a doubling of the fleet by 1916

1900

Britain and the US secured their diplomatic ties through the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

1901

Anglo-Japanese Alliance → secured British interests in East Asia

1902

Entente Cordiale between Britain and France to avoid escalating the Russo-Japanese War

1904

Triple Entente between France, Britain and Russia

1907

First Moroccan Crisis

1905

Algeciras Conference to manage the First Moroccan Crisis → Germany suffered diplomatic defeat

1906

Anglo-Russian Entente → settled disputes over Afghanistan and Persia, weapon against Germany domination in Europe

1907

HMS Dreadnaught launched by Sir John Fisher → Germany launched the Rhineland

1906

The Second Moroccan Crisis → ‘gunboat diplomacy’, Germany backed down in return for land in the French Congo

July 1911

Bosnian Crisis → annexed by Austria-Hungary

1908

‘Young Turk’ Revolution in the Ottoman Empire

July 1908

First Balkan War → Great Powers cooperated for a settlement

1912-1913

Treaty of London resolved the First Balkan War → Turks gave up their remaining land in the Balkans, Albania was created

May 1913

Second Balkan War

1913

Treaty of Bucharest → Serbia doubled in size, Balkan states perceived the treaty as temporary

August 1913

Military spending by the European Powers increased by 300%

1870-1914

Conscription adopted by all Continental Powers

After 1871

Germany and Austria-Hungary doubled their spending on arms; Russia’s increased by 65% with French loans

1900-1910

Schlieffen Plan made

1905

Britain passed the British Naval Defence Act

1899

French army made Plan 17

1913

‘Unity or Death’ group formed in Belgrade

1911

Franz Ferdinand was assassinated

28 June 1914

Germany issued the ‘Blank Cheque’

5 July 1914

Austria-Hungary sent Serbia an ultimatum, gave them 48 hours to respond

23 July 1914

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia

28 July 1914

Russia ordered a general mobilisation of troops in the Balkans

30 July 1914

Germany declared war on Russia and started to mobilise; France mobilised its forces in preparation for war

1 August 1914

Germany declared war on France; Britain gave Germany a day to remove its troops

3 August 1914

Britain declared war on Germany

4 August 1914`

Germany reprioritised its armed forces by shifting to its ‘Rüstungswende’ policy

1912