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Creation of the Triple Alliance
Otto von Bismarck , a leader in Germany, had declared Germany a “satisfied power” years earlier. He saw France as a threat to peace and his goal was to isolate France. In order to do this, he formed a dual alliance between Germany and Austria- Hungary which Italy join three years earlier. This alliance was the start of all the alliances being formed which was a major cause of the war. -
Rise of Kaiser Wilhelm II
Kaiser Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign. Bismark did not minipulate the new Kaiser, either because he was unable or unwilling. The new Kaiser, Wlihelm, wanted to show how powerful Germany had become. He let the treaty with Russia lapse and started a shipbuilding project to make Germany’s Navy equal to that of Great Britian's. A nervous breakdown lessoned his rule in government, but his former actions would lead to alliances between Russia and Great Britain.
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Alliance of Russia and France
In 1890, Wilhelm let the treaty with Russia lapse. As a result, Russia formed a military alliance with France in 1892 and 1894. This made war between Russia and Germany almost guaranteed. Germany did not like France and would want to fight against them and their allys. A war, however, against this alliance would cause Germany to be a part of a two front war. -
Creation of the Triple Entente
Alarmed with Germany and its growing navy, Britain made an alliance with France. In 1907 Brittain made another alliance, this time with Russia. These alliances did not force Briatian to fight with Russia and France, only that Briatian would not fight against them. There was now two clear alliances that were against each other. The lines had been drawn -
Austria annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina
In 1908, Austria annexed or took over Bosnia and Herzegovina. These areas had many Slavs living in them. Because of this, Serbian leaders wanted to rule these provinces and were not happy when Austria took them over. The Serbs vowed to take back the land and Austria-Hungary vowed to crush any attempts. As a result, the tension between Austria and Serbia continued to rise for years leading to the war. -
European Arms Race
militarism: the policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war.
The nations of Europe believed that to be great they needed the best military. All the great powers, other than Britain, built strong standing armies that made citizens feel patriotic. This made it so that now many countries have large, dangerous armies that would make any war a lot worst. -
The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
On June 28 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, went to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. While they were riding through the streets in an open cariage they were shot at a point blank range. The killer was, Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old member of The Black Hand, a terrorist society. This assasination became the spark that started the war. Austria-Hungary used it as an exuse to punish Serbia. -
The First Declaration of War
Austria rejected Serbia’s offers to negotiate and instead declared war on Serbia. At the same time, Russia, the ally of Serbia, mobilized their troops to the border of Austria. Leaders around Europe including Great Britain, Italy, and even Germany urged Austria and Russia to negotiate, but their attempts were unsuccessful. In the end this was the first decleration of war that lead to many others. -
Great Britain Declares war on Germany
After Russia mobilized their troops, Germany declared war on Russia on August 1 and later on France. In response, Britain declared war on Germany on August 4. Other reasons for declaring war were that Germany was invading nuetral Belgium which was backed by England since 1839. Britain could either turn a blind eye or stand up to the "bully", Germany. This is seen as the start of the war. The number of countries involved in the war continued to increase.
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The Battle Lines are Drawn
By Mid August 1914, the Battle Lines were clearly drawn. On one side was Germany and Austria Hungary, they were know as the Central Powers, because of their location in Europe. On the other side was Great Britain, Russia, and France, who were known as the Allied Powers. Japan joined the Allied Powers later. Italy also joined after leaving their former alliance in the Triple Alliance. The lines were now drawn for the war that was to follow.
