Pre-WWI Europe

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Pre-WWI Europe

• A tenuous balance of power

2
Several underlying causes lead to WWI

• Domestic Issues of political social unrest
• Colonial conflicts (new imperialism)
• Nationalistic Motives
• Power Alignments (alliances)
• Armaments (militarism)
• International Crises (Morocco and the Balkans)

3
Domestic Uncertainty

• In general many countries were facing political
  divisions between Left Wing socialists and
  anarchists vs. an emerging Right that tended
  towards nationalism and anti-Semitism
• Both opposed the liberalism of the late 19th
  century
• Encouraged growth of a new Zionist movement and
  desire for a native Jewish homeland

4
The Democratic Countries

• GB
• Tensions with Ireland
• Hostilities in House of Lords over social reform
  programs like Old Age Pensions
• Womens suffrage movement becoming militant

5

• France
• The 3rd Republic facing fight from Left and Right
  to take down democracy
• Lacked effective leadership
• The Dreyfuss Affair had the Assembly divided
• 1905 Separation of Church and State violent
  uprisings
• Labour problems

6

• Italy
• Though unified in 1860 was still quite divided
• Only 3 of population had suffrage rights
• The 50 years since unification had included
  massive population growth and the country
  couldnt manage
• Martial law used to violently repress peasant and
  industry uprisings
• June 1914 a national strike. It took 100,000
  soldiers and 10 days to restore order

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The Autocratic Countries-- faced even more
uncertainty than the democracies

• Ottoman Empire
• Advanced state of dissolution internal
  secession, violent despot, coup by Young Turks in
  July 1908 lead to Turkification
• Ongoing unrest created a weak nation by 1911
  Italy occupied Libya Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia
  formed the Balkan League Albania was
  independent Macedonia was partitioned
• The Ottoman Empire is essentially eliminated

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• Russia - you know the story
• Tsar is struggling to maintain order
• Challenges of modernity
• Young intellectuals questioning the autocratic
  system
• Revolutionary groups mounting
• 1905 Bloody Sunday
• October Manifesto to Fundamental Laws
• Suspended Dumas

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• Austria-Hungary
• Intense nationalism fraught with ethnic tension
• Challenges and lack of unity in combined Austrian
  and Hungarian armies
• Hungary wants out of dual monarchy
• Austrian side had 30 ethnically based political
  parties ? parliament at a standstill

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• Germany
• Had a parliament but it was answerable to the
  Kaiser
• Prussia, the most reactionary region of country
  had a dominant influence
• Even under Bismarcks reforms, there was growing
  dissent and strengthening of Socialist and
  Catholic Center parties
• Intense labour militancy
• Increased calls for parliamentary system

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• Germany contd
• When Bismarck was dismissed as Chancellor by
  Kaiser Wilhelm II, both domestic and
  international deterioration increased
• Weltpolitik increase navy, acquire colonies,
  gain power amongst the Great Powers created
  international tensions and impacted alliances

12
New Imperialism

• By mid 18th Century empire building had slowed
  but 1880-1905 there was unprecedented imperialism
  (European powers subjugated 50 of the worlds
  non-European population)
• Massive migration b/w 1840 and 1914 30-35
  million Europeans moved overseas
• Search was for new wealth and potential markets
  in Asia and Africa
• Refer to New Imperialism sheet for additional
  motives

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Nationalistic Motives

• Empire building (via imperialism) was largely
  motivated by nationalist desires. Prove your
  power and worth, and therefore, superiority.
• Bitter rivalries formed b/w the Great Powers.

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Power Alignments

• Refer to Bismarck summary sheet for much more
  detail
• 1882 Triple Alliance Ger, A-H, Italy
• 1904 Br and Fr, Entente
• 1907 Anglo-Russian Entente

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Militarism / Armaments

• Hague disarmament conferences of 1899 and 1907
  fail
• Between 1875 and 1914 Germany increased arms
  spending by 230, Britain by 189 and France by
  109
• GB and Germany in naval race from 1890
  (Dreadnoughts)

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Nation of aircraft in 1914 Size of Army in 1914 of soldiers who fought in war
Austria-Hungary 34 3 million 7.8 million
Britain 110 975 000 8.9 million
France 160 4 million 8.4 million
Germany 246 4.5 million 11 million
Russia 300 6 million 12 million
United States 200 000 4.4 million
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International Crises

• Moroccan Crises
• 1905 and 1911
• Balkan Crises
• 1908 and 1914

Which leads us to Franz Ferdinand