01:360:401 Lecture 27: Chapter 27
21 May 2018
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Chapter 27: The Great Break: War
and Revolution
1. The First World War
1. The Bismarckian System of Alliances
1. After the Franco-Prussian war and the founding of the
German Empire in 1871, France was forced to pay a large
war indemnity and give up Alsace-Lorraine and from 1862 to
1871, Bismarck had made Prussia-Germany the most
powerful nation
2. Bismarck’s first concern was to keep an embittered France
diplomatically isolated and without military allies; his second
concern was the threat to peace posed by the east, by
Austria-Hungary and from Russia (systems of alliances)
3. Bismarck’s solution was a system of alliances to restrain
Russia and Austria-Hungary
1. The first step was the creation in 1873 of the conservative
Three Emperors’ League, which linked the monarchs of
Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia in an alliance
against radical movements
2. At the Congress of Berlin in 1878, he saw that Austria
obtained the right to occupy and administer the Ottoman
provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina to counterbalance
Russia and Balkan states were carved from the Ottoman
Empire
3. Bismarck’s balancing efforts at the congress infuriated
Russian nationalists and led Bismarck to conclude a
defensive military alliance with Austria against Russia in
1879; Italy joined Germany and Austria in 1882 (forming
the Triple Alliance)
4. In 1881, Bismarck cajoled Austria-Hungary and Russia into a
secret alliance with Germany (Alliance of Three Emperors
lasted until 1887) and established the principle of cooperation
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among all three powers in any further division of the Ottoman
Empire
5. In 1887 Russia declined to renew the Alliance of the Three
Emperors because of the new tensions in the Balkans and
Bismarck substituted the Russian-German Reinsurance
Treaty which promised neutrality if the other was attacked
2. The Rival Blocs
1. In 1890, the emperor William II dismissed Bismarck and then
refused to renew the Russian0German Reinsurance Treaty
and this departure in foreign affairs prompted long-isolated
republican France to court absolutist Russia, offering loans,
and arms
2. In 1894, France and Russia became military allies after earlier
agreements in 1891
1. This alliance was to remain in effect as long as the Triple
Alliance existed
2.
3. As a result, continental Europe was dangerously divided
into two rival blocs
3. Great Britain’s foreign policy became increasingly crucial as
the British held no permanent alliances, Britain after 189a was
the uncommitted Great Power
1. Britain, with a cast and expanding empire, Britain was
often in serious conflict with the countries such as France
and Russia around the world
2. Britain found German Emperor William II’s pursuit of
greater world power after 1987 disquieting, but people
believed that their leaders would form an alliance
3. Relations turned to a bitter Anglo-German rivalry soon
after the 19th century
4. Several reasons for this development was commercial rivalry
in world markets increasing sharply in the 1890s and
Germany’s decision in 1900 to expand greatly its battle fleet
posed a challenge to Britain’s long-standing naval supremacy
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1. This coincided with the Boer War between the British and
the tiny Dutch republics of South Africa (political leaders
saw Britain was overextended)
2. Many nations denounced this latest manifestation of
British imperialism
3. British leaders set about supporting their positions with
alliances and agreements
5. Britain improved its relations with the United States and in
1902 concluded a formal alliance with Japan, responded
favorably to the advances of France’s skillful foreign minister,
Theophile Delcasse, who wanted better relations with Britain
and was willing to accept British rule in Egypt in return for
helping the French in Morocco
6. The resulting Anglo-French Entente of 1904 settled all
outstanding colonial disputes
7. Frustrated by Britain’s turn toward France in 1904 and
wanting a diplomatic victory to gain popularity, Germany’s
leaders decided to test the strength of the entente
1. Germany first threatened and bullied France into
dismissing Delcasse and rather then accept the territorial
payoff of imperial competition in return for French primacy
in Morocco, the Germans insisted on a international
conference in 1905
2. Germany’s crude bullying forced France and Britain closer
together and Germany left the resulting Algecrias
Conference of 1906 (about Morocco) empty-handed
3. Britain France, Russia, and even the United States began
to see Germany as a potential threat, a would-be
intimidator that might seek to dominate all Europe
4. German leaders began to see sinister plots to encircle
Germany and block its development as a world power and
in 1907 Russia agreed to settle its quarrels with Great
Britain in central Asia with a special Anglo-Russian
Agreement
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Document Summary
Chapter 27: the great break: war and revolution: the first world war, the bismarckian system of alliances, after the franco-prussian war and the founding of the. German empire in 1871, france was forced to pay a large war indemnity and give up alsace-lorraine and from 1862 to. 1871, bismarck had made prussia-germany the most powerful nation: bismarck"s first concern was to keep an embittered france diplomatically isolated and without military allies; his second concern was the threat to peace posed by the east, by. Austria-hungary and from russia (systems of alliances: bismarck"s solution was a system of alliances to restrain. Russia and austria-hungary: the first step was the creation in 1873 of the conservative. Three emperors" league, which linked the monarchs of. Austria-hungary, germany, and russia in an alliance against radical movements: at the congress of berlin in 1878, he saw that austria obtained the right to (cid:1688)occupy and administer(cid:1689) the ottoman provinces of bosnia and herzegovina to counterbalance.
