HIS103Y1 Lecture 24: World War 1
Massive publication of government documents from tsarist Russia
"Merchants of Death" - industrial companies that had built weapons for war
Also argued for continuity in German war aims in WW1 / WW2
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Little difference in imperial Germany in 1914 and Nazi Germany in 1939
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fritz Fisher : argued that Germany itself was to blame for WW1
History and memory of war's outbreak would go on to shape history
NATO / UN : Driven by desire to contain / constraint Germany
Structure of international system at outbreak of war
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How did the nature of those alliances change?
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Bismarck created alliances and other states joined because they believed they were the
best way to maintain the balance of power
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How did this system of alliances designed to prevent war ended up shaping a war
much larger than any politicians of the day could imagine
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Alliance system of 1914
To protect Austria, even protecting Austrians from themselves
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Way to ensure Austria-Hungary wouldn't collapse in a war
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Dual Alliance 1879 between Auto-Hungarian Empire and German Empire
Importance of financial connections between France and Russia in causing two very
different states to sign alliance
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Loans from France to Russia and economic cooperation would only strengthen that
alliance
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Russians needed money to build rail lines in Russia proper and as expanding east to
Siberia / Manchuria
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Important to Russia because of balance of power, but because of Russia's goals to its
east
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Diplomatic cooperation in some flare-ups in China near end of century
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1894 : Franco-Russian alliance
Joined Mediterranean agreement
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Not playing a part of alliance system
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British empire had challenges / costs of its own
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Troubles in central Asia with Russians
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1899-1902 : Britain fighting Boer War in Southern Africa - British imperial war
(Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, etc. joined with regular troops), but still
isolated, fighting two small settler states, but took years to win
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Isolation for Britain is also vulnerability
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Britain had been focused on empire in India and policies elsewhere in world (especially
Asia)
Settling of imperial frictions, not designed to shape the future of Europe
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Germans themselves would play a role in strengthening the British / French
relationship
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Entente Cordial of 1904 - Russia, UK, France
Kaiser was on German naval ship touring Mediterranean, decided to land warship in
Morocco
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Challenge the French
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Insist that Germany have all the same rights to trade in Morocco as France
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(Not yet French), French have designs, want to make it a protectorate
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Trying to assert Morocco as informal imperial scheme
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1905 : Germans take action to strengthen the Entente
Isolated at conference
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Extremely clear to Germans that they have no friend in the world, but the Austrians
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Possibility of war had been discussed, seemed prudent to meet and talk about
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Talk of war caused British / French military staffs to start planning together
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1905 : Conference
World War 1
February 27, 2017
7:36 PM
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Possibility of war had been discussed, seemed prudent to meet and talk about
joint planning for war
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Entente gradually taking more unintentional significance
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Foreign Secretary Lord Gray (descendent of Earl Grey) 'if there is a war
between France and Germany, it will be difficult for us to stay out of it.
On the other hand, the prospect of a European war and our involvement
is horrible.'
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Ambiguity in British policy that will exist through to summer of 1914
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Entente is strengthened in 1905/6
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Deep British enmity towards Russians
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Russians, having been defeated by the Japanese, took to end frictions with
Britain
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Anglo-Russian Rapprochement
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Doesn't look this way to Germans
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Not meant to antagonize Germans, but it does
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Germans worry they are being encircled
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Fear is increased by the fact that the Germans have a spy in the Russian
embassy who convinces them that the alliance is meant to encircle
Germany -- bad information
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Cause Germans to look to tighten up the Dual Alliance - Austrians
become even more important in German eyes
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Only diplomatic / military ally
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Same fears from Bismarck's era dominates Prussians of German Empire -
what if Austrian Germans join empire?
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Memory of 30 years' war returns
'Virtual dissolution of German Empire'
Not only change, but break German Empire
As always, Austria's Achilles tendon was to South East and the
Ottoman Empire
Difference between liberal / conservative political ideologies and religion -
South Germans and Austrians were largely Catholic while Prussians /
allies were largely Protestant
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British have relationships with France and with Russia due to imperial
disagreements, solve issues outside of Europe
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British and Russians come to own agreement as a result of antagonisms in Central
Asia / talk of war over Afghanistan
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Three new independent states : Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia
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Bosnia and Herzegovina
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1877-8 Russo-Turkish war
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Austrians worry that Serbians would seek to expand their state by calling to other
Southern Slavs in the region --> would the Southern Slavs in Austria-Hungary break
away? Start collapse?
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Germans tell Austrians that they will protect them in the Near East if anything occurs
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New dimension to dual alliance --> gives Austria a freer hand to pursue diplomatic
missions in region knowing it will be backed by Germans
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From 1911 to war - continue to be crisis in the Balkans
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Ottoman Empire
Morocco - new crisis
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Uprising in Morocco that gives French excuse to send troops to Morocco to establish
the foundation of their protectorate there
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Making its move in Morocco
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Send warship as a threat
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Again, a disastrous German move
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French do not cave
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Austrians do not back the Germans
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Only Germans supporting Austrians
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Dual Alliance is almost entirely one way
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Germans demand compensation --> if French are going to gain, so will the Germans
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More imperial fights 1911-12
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Only Germans supporting Austrians
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British get involved --> threaten war
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With French gains in Morocco, Italians demand the should have gains in North
Africa too
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Invade Libya - part of Ottoman empire, can't defend selves
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Italy join
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Bulgaria see chance --> try to take Macedonia from Ottomans
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Small independent states beginning to play a role --> adding instability to alliance
system, more player involved than those constrained by alliances
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Two small wars in Balkans
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Russians are supporting Slavic States / especially Serbia
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Austrians are concerned by independence movements and the growth of independent
states
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Ottomans are not strong enough to prevent anything
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Showdown between Germans / Austrians and Slavs
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Lord Grey calls another Conference --> stalls war
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Problem for Russians : Russian influence will be lost in the region if they do not
support the Serbs next time --> there will be a next time
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Great Powers chose not to go to war, Russians aren't ready for war (haven't recovered
from loss to Japan), choose not to fully support the Serbs (Serbs pull back due to
this)
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What will make the time right? --> British neutrality.
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Hope they can achieve a circumstance where British would stay out of such a
war
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Germans are not willing to give a green light to Austrian war in region, don't think
the time is right, but think it will come someday
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French start to wonder about Russian intentions in Balkans --> are they pushing
things too far in their own interest? Trying to provoke war? Starts to signal
ambivalence towards Russians
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British aren't determined to be enemies with Germans
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Everyone wants more time to secure interests except for Austrians --> Dual Alliance
will protect in war, but isn't doing anything daily as independence movements are
growing that could cause collapse of Empire
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Rigid, formal system in which states are compelled to act to defend others
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By 1914, world filled with doubts and ambiguities
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1914 : State of Alliance System
Kaiser and chancellor see imperialism as a good idea, build coalition against social
democrats that are gaining more power in Europe
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Pursuing empire
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Protects isles
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Defense of overseas empire
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By 1890s : British had viewed control of the sea as an almost holy requirement -
Britain required naval dominance / control of the seas both to defend Britain,
and ensure that no other European state could control the English Channel.
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Germans trying to close / narrow gap between Germany / Britain, while
British are set on maintaining that gap
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Planning for war against each other (not necessarily likely, but possible)
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German need to build up coalition to support fleet
German government issuing propaganda explaining the necessity of
the fleet to the German public --> increasingly taking up
Naval leagues / people cooperate to encourage the government to
continue spending money on the navy
Cycle
Nationalism amongst civilians
Public : naval ships are expensive
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Both populations see war as possibility
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Arms race between Germans and British
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Need a navy --> Develop a strong navy
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German :
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