HIS103Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Weltpolitik, Appeasement
From 1890 - Germany pursued world power --> WW1 turned it into their
essential goal
○
Can never find one definite cause, but many
○
Galloping gertie : very devices built into a system to keep it stable and operative
under stress, subjected to intolerable pressures, generate forces of their own which
cause the system to destroy itself
○
Factors had been building towards war --> inevitable?
○
Austria crumbling, needed to resort to last option
○
Why didn't war occur until 1914? --> should have been earlier
○
Economic competition with Britain
▪
Germany intended to become ally, offer needed loans, etc.
▪
Britain moves away from isolationism --> not working
▪
Rapprochement / treaties with Russia and France, concessions over Japan,
Morocco
▪
Britain losing power keeping peace --> Russian and French expansion into China
/ Africa
○
Germany refused alliance with Britain --> triple entente made out of necessity,
not fear of Germany
○
No basis for Anglo-German alliance : German navy weak, Britain would be tied
down internationally
○
China : example that alliance was impossible
○
Britain moving on own interests, indirectly affecting Germany
○
Britain did want to exclude Germany from world politics
○
Anti-German sentiment in Britain
▪
Growing German navy --> perceived threat
○
Britain wanted to keep friendships - pays price by sacrificing any relationship with
Germany, appeasement of Russia
○
Britain preserving European balance against German domination
○
German failure - could not pursue Weltpolitik all out, each power could pursue
imperial without upsetting balance, but Weltpolitik isolated Germany -->
restrained
○
Couldn't settle on clear goals and carry them out
▪
Erratic, uncoordinated character of German world policy
○
No one would pay if could have fore free
▪
German expected payouts for doing nothing / neutrality
○
Germany / Austria needed alliances for security
○
Imbalance in systems not from power of Russia / Germany, but from weakness of
Austria
○
Germany would fight to keep Austria from collapse
○
Powers didn't encircle Germany, but Austria
○
Everyone wanted a piece
▪
Entente never tried to provoke Germany, but Austria
○
Britain wanted Germany to survive war - market, power to hold back France and
Canada
○
Nothing against Austria, but no interest - nothing Austria could offer Britain to
help save
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WW1 as galloping gertie : reply to Joachim emark
>
Tutorial 2.4: Why war? Why victory?
March 2, 2017
1:00 PM
READINGS Page 197
Document Summary
Ww1 as galloping gertie : reply to joachim emark. From 1890 - germany pursued world power --> ww1 turned it into their essential goal. Can never find one definite cause, but many. Galloping gertie : very devices built into a system to keep it stable and operative under stress, subjected to intolerable pressures, generate forces of their own which cause the system to destroy itself. Austria crumbling, needed to resort to last option. Britain losing power keeping peace --> russian and french expansion into china. Germany intended to become ally, offer needed loans, etc. Britain moves away from isolationism --> not working. Rapprochement / treaties with russia and france, concessions over japan, Germany refused alliance with britain --> triple entente made out of necessity, not fear of germany. No basis for anglo-german alliance : german navy weak, britain would be tied down internationally. Britain moving on own interests, indirectly affecting germany. Britain did want to exclude germany from world politics.
