HIST-281 Lecture Notes - Lecture 40: Weltpolitik, Bittereinder (Band), Serbian Nationalism
3 Nov 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
World war i: an imperial war: known as the "great war". British troops from settler dominions came across the empire to fight. British empire reached its greatest extent after wwi. Bigger than before, it was also poorer and less durable. Germany"s "weltpolitik", drive for world power, upset the post napoleonic concert of europe. Interest in german colonies in africa, particularly tanzania, to consolidate british control from the cape to cairo. Interest in ottoman territories, especially oil-rich mesopotamia: the german kaiser had studied 19th century britain carefully. Naval power was the key to world domination. Germany is rapidly modernizing in the 20th century. The british grant fleet blockaded the north atlantic in wwi. An alliance with japan meant britain could remove their navy from the fear east to upend. Britain"s war fleet pointed to berlin, not toward paris. German east african (tanganyika or modern tanzania) was blocking britain"s cape to cairo railroad.
