The First World War - Causes and Alliances

The First World War

The Alliances

• In 1914, Europe's six strongest countries split into two groups:
  • 
    The Triple Alliance (Central Powers): Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (1882).
  • 
    The Triple Entente: Britain, France, and Russia (1907).
• Each country had lots of weapons and didn't trust the others.

### Military Strength in 1914

Germany:

• 2,200,000 soldiers
• 122 warships

- 64 submarines

Great Britain:

• 711,000 soldiers
• 85 warships

- 23 submarines

France:

• 1,250,000 soldiers
• 46 warships

- 73 submarines

Austria-Hungary:

• 810,000 soldiers
• 24 warships

- 6 submarines

Italy:

• 750,000 soldiers
• 36 warships

- 12 submarines

Russia:

• 1,200,000 soldiers
• 26 warships
• 29 submarines

Austria-Hungary's Empire

• Many different groups lived there: Germans, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, etc.
• Many wanted to be independent.

The Central Powers or the Triple Alliance

Germany

• Before 1870, Germany was many small states, with Prussia the strongest.
• In 1870, Bismarck united Germany after a war with France.
• Germany took Alsace-Lorraine from France, an important industrial area.
• To protect against France, Germany allied with Austria-Hungary and Italy.
• By 1914, Germany's industry was better than Britain's, second only to the USA.
• German leaders wanted more:
  • Kaiser Wilhelm wanted Germany to be a world power with colonies.
  • Germany had two colonies in Africa but wanted more.
  • The Kaiser built a big navy in the 1890s, the second strongest in the world.
• German leaders worried about being surrounded by Russia and France.
• Germany worried about the arms race, especially in Russia, and built up its army.

Austria-Hungary

• A big empire in central Europe with different ethnic groups.
• Many wanted to be independent:
  • Czechs wanted to rule themselves.
  • Slavs (Croats) wanted their own state.
  • Serbs wanted to join Serbia.
• The Emperor wanted to keep the empire together.
• Austria-Hungary had problems with neighbors:
  • Serbia was getting strong in the Balkans.
  • Russia supported Serbia and had a strong army.

Italy

• Like Germany, Italy was formed from smaller states.
• By 1914, Italy wanted to grow its power.
• Italy wanted colonies and an empire.
• Italy joined the Triple Alliance for this reason, but Germany and Austria didn't fully trust Italy.
• Italy wasn't a strong industrial or military power.

The Triple Entente

Britain

• In the 1800s, Britain stayed out of European issues, focusing on its empire.
• At first, Britain saw France and Russia as rivals.
• By the early 1900s, this changed because:
  • France and Britain made deals about colonies in North Africa in 1904.
  • Russia was weakened by war with Japan in 1904.
  • Britain worried about Germany's empire and navy.
• Britain started working with France and made agreements in 1904 and 1907.

France

• France lost to Germany in 1870.
• Germany had a strong army and industries under Kaiser Wilhelm.
• France worried about Germany's power and built up its industries and armies.
• France became friends with Russia.
• France's main concerns were:
  • Protecting against Germany.
  • Getting back Alsace-Lorraine, taken by Germany in 1870.

Russia

• The biggest of the six powers, but also the most behind and mostly farming.
• Loans from France helped build some industries.
• Russia worried about Germany's power.
• It had a long history of fighting with Austria-Hungary.
• Russia was friends with Serbia because they were both Slavs, and Russia wanted influence over Slavs in Austria-Hungary.
• Russia lost a war with Japan in 1905 and had a revolution against Tsar Nicholas II.
• Russia started building a large army for future problems.

Anglo-German Naval Rivalry

• After 1900, Britain and Germany's competition to have the best navy caused tension.
• Britain had controlled the seas since 1805.
• In 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm said he would build a strong German navy.
• Britain felt threatened because its navy was spread out, while Germany's was in the North Sea.
• Germany said it needed a navy to protect its trade.
• In 1906, Britain made HMS Dreadnought, a new type of warship, making the naval race worse.
• Germany built its own 'Dreadnoughts'.

Dreadnoughts Built by 1914

• Britain: 29
• Germany: 17

The Arms Race on Land

• European powers also built up their armies.

Military Personnel, 1900-1914 (Excluding Reserves)

• The arms race made war seem unavoidable.
• Governments said they were building up arms to prevent war but made more weapons instead.
• In Germany, war and fighting were seen as good things.
• The Kaiser liked military parades and had military people in government.

Plans for War

• Many countries thought war would happen and made plans.

Germany's Schlieffen Plan

• Germany's army was well-trained.
• The plan was to quickly beat France, then attack Russia.
• Germans thought Russia would take a long time to get its troops ready.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

• Born in 1861, with a bad left arm and maybe brain damage.

- Became Kaiser at 27 during Germany's industrial growth.