2. The Triple Alliance
Italy
• Italy and Germany are new
countries in 1870s, therefore
small and weak.
• 1882= 32 Years before WW1
• Long term cause
Triple Alliance 1882 • Alliance is due to needing
military support/strength
• Defensive agreement
Germany Austria-Hungary
Dual Alliance 1879
3. The Triple Entente
Great Britain
The Entente Cordiale between
Entente Britain and France was a
Anglo-Russian Entente FRIENDLY AGREEMENT
Cordiale 1907, NOT a military
1904 alliance Britain=
• Empire
• Best NAVY
• “Splendid Isolation”
• Ran 25% of known world
France Russia • Felt threatened by T.Alliance,
joined France and Russia in
Dual Alliance 1892 1907. (Friendly agreement)
Military Agreement
5. Kaiser Wilhelm II
Abused…
• The Kaiser’s childhood was very controlled
• He was left handed due to his minor disability in
his right hand
• He was forced to ride a horse
• He was forced to write with his right hand
• As a result from this the Kaiser wanted to be
HIS OWN BOSS.
• He wanted his weak Germany to gain world
recognition and respect= domination
6. Kaiser Wilhelm II
Weltpolitik…
• “Weltpolitik” means world politics
• His aim was to win respect for Germany from
the rest of the world
7. Kaiser Wilhelm II
Jealous…
• In 1888 HE CAME TO POWER
• The Kaiser was jealous of his British cousins,
George V etc.
• GB had the biggest navy + empire
• Dreadnoughts= NAVAL ARMS RACE 1906-14
8. Kaiser Wilhelm II
Empire…
• Wanted an EMPIRE like Britain’s
• His “place in the sun”
• The “sun never sets on the British
Empire”
• Policy of Imperialism- power, respect
• Equality with GB + France
9. Mitteleurope
• The Pan-German League wanted to make
Germany the dominant empire in Europe
• Long term cause
• Social unrest, tension, factory workers wanted
reform throughout Germany
• Kaiser’s excuse for war: pulls Germany back
together
10. The Naval Arms Race
• 1906-1914
• In 1900 GB had the BIGGEST navy in the world
• Germany =jealous, started to build up own navy 1898
• GB saw as challenge, due to joining entente in 1904 +
triple in 1907
• 1906, both sides building dreadnoughts
• Peak in 1909-10=
• GB pressurised Liberal Gov.:- “we want 8 and won’t
wait”
• GB won in 1914, 12 Dreadnought’s ahead of Germany
11. The Build up of armies
• 1900-1914
• Large armies throughout Europe unsettled peace
• Military leaders argued big army= lower chance
of invasion
• Everyone but GB increased arm size
• GB did not introduce conscription before 1914
• Germany = 2nd largest army, PREPARED, EQUIPED
• Russia= 1st largest army, UNPREPARED,
UNEQUIPED
• Russia fought Japan in 1904-05= weak
12. The Schlieffen Plan
• The Schlieffen Plan was put in place in
1905 by Germany
• They were concerned about being
attacked on two fronts- by France and
Russia
• The Schlieffen Plan consisted of the
German troops attacking France
through neutral Belgium, then onto
Russia in the East.
• The plan in reality did not work, as
moving large armies proved difficult in
a small amount of time
13. THE SCHLIEFFEN
PLAN
Neutral Belgium
• The Schlieffen Plan involved attacking
France through neutral Belgium.
• This invaded the TREATY OF LONDON of
1839 where Belgium signed for neutrality
and to be left out of foreign affairs such as
WW1
• GB would also protect Belgium
• Germany did not think GB was committed
to keeping to the treaty so followed the
plan.
• However, Britain got ANGRY, and ordered
Germany to leave, they refused, leading
to GB declaring war on Germany.
14. The 1st Moroccan Crisis- 1905
• Morocco was weak; France hoped to conquer it
• In 1903 France based an army on the Moroccan border
• In Feb 1905 France demanded control over the
Moroccan army and troops, the Sultan refused
• March 1905, the Kaiser visited Morocco and told the
French agent that he wanted free trade for Germany in
Morocco, Germany dismissed him before he could
reply
• The Kaiser gave a speech saying he would “defend
Morocco as ‘free and independent’ – challenging
France
15. The 1st Moroccan Crisis contd…
• Both France and Germany threatened war
• Britain encouraged a cowardly France NOT to back
down
• If Germany got Morocco that is their gateway to the
sea :O
• GB held a conference in Algeciras- tip of Spain 1906
• GB and RUSSIA supported France, scared Germany
• Germany backed down= HUMILIATED
• France angry with Germany
16. The Bosnian Crisis- 1908
• ‘Panslavism’- nationality of A-Hungary and Bosnia
• Treaty of Berlin- 1878, Austria-H had the right to
occupy and administer Bosnia
• Turkey = sick man of Europe
• 1908 AH fully annexed Bosnia
• Serbia protested- wanted a strip of land to access
Adriatic Sea
• Russia supported, called for a conference
• AH, Turkey and Germany said it was not
necessary
17. The Bosnian Crisis contd…
• RUSSIA + SERBIA = HUMILIATED
• INTERNATIONAL CRISIS
• Germany threatened war
• Russia and Serbia forced to back down as
Russia = weak after war with Japan (1904-05)
• KAISER= SMUG, RESPECTED
• He stood by Austria in ‘shining armour’
• ‘Blank Cheque’ given to AH by Germany
18. The 2nd Moroccan Crisis- 1911
• In 1910 France made a huge loan to Morocco and took
control of customs and taxes
• In March 1911 huge rebellion- France went to defend
• July 11 Kaiser sent the Panther ship to Agadir, rescued
ONE GERMAN
• INTERNATIONAL CRISIS
• Nov 1911- Treaty of BERLIN, Germany forced out of
Agadir, given a useless piece of the Congo
• Germany= Humiliated
• France took complete control of Morocco
• WAR FEVER
19. The Balkans
The first Balkan war
• Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro attacked
the Turkish Empire in 1912
• Turkey= weak, gave up lands
The second Balkan war
• 1913- Balkan League quarrelled-
• Bulgaria went to war with Greece and Serbia
• Turkey and Romania joined Greece and Serbia
• Bulgaria was soon defeated
• GB tried to keep peace, did not support Russia who
supported Serbia- The Kaiser saw this as a weakness
in the Triple Entente
20. Murder in Sarajevo- 1914
• 28 June = Serbia’s national day
• Franz Ferdinand + Sophia visited Bosnia 28 June
1914, (AH’s heir to throne) Serbia- insulted
• Austria had asked for war with Serbia 25 times,
wanted to unite (PANSLAVISM)
• Serbia too weak for war- Balkans
• The Black Hand- murdered FF + wife
• Triggered WW1 (murder=excuse to attack)
21. WW1
• A-Hungary declares war on Serbia on 28 July
1914
• 29 July- Russia starts mobilising troops
• Germany demands Russia to stop
• 1 August- Germany declares war on Russia
• 3 August- Germany declares war on France
• 4 August Belgium’s neutrality invaded, GB
declares war on Germany
• 6 August- A-H declares war on Russia
23. The Treaty Of Versailles
• Clause 231: War Guilt Clause;
Germany had to admit to starting WW1
• 28 June 1919 Palace of Versailles
• 400 clauses
• Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
• Demilitarisation of the Rhineland
• LON control the Saar
• Germany forbidden to unite with Austria
• 6 Battleships
• 100,000 men, 15,000 naval men
• 0 aircraft
• Reparations= £6600 billion
24. The League of Nations
• Wall Street Crash prevented countries from
taking economic sanctions- 1929
• USA never joined- Woodrow Wilson’s idea: 14
points didn’t want a repeat of WW1
• No army at disposal
• Manchuria – 1931
• Abyssinia- 1935
25. Early League Successes
• The League resolved several difficult situations
over territorial claims- without fighting
• It solved the dispute in 1921 between Germany
and Poland over Upper Silesia
• The dispute between Sweden and Finland over
the Aaland Islands in 1921
• The conflict when Greece invaded Bulgaria in
1925
• It fought against slavery and tried to create better
working conditions for people all across the world
26. The League faced problems in 1923
The Corfu Incident French Occupation of the Ruhr
1) Mussolini occupied the Greek 1) Germany failed to keep up with its
island of Corfu in 1923 after the reparation payments
murder of an Italian diplomat
2) Mussolini demanded financial 2) In retaliation, France invaded and
compensation and an apology occupied and industrial region of
from Greece Germany, the Ruhr, in 1923
3) The League demanded that the 3) The League did not intervene
money should be paid to them,
not Italy
4) Mussolini got the decision 4) The USA helped resolve the situation
overturned and received the with the Dawes Plan
money and the apology he France withdrew from the Ruhr in 1925
wanted. The League looked weak.
27. Manchuria
• Japan had a large army and navy, wanted to rule China
• Since 1905, Japan had owned Manchurian railway
• Japan invaded Manchuria – Sept 1931
• China appealed to the L.O.N
• L.O.N sent Lord Lytton to assess situation, he went year
later
• League told Japan to leave China
• Japan ignored- showed Hitler + Mussolini LON was weak
and Mussolini took advantage
• 1937 Japan invaded China- League did NOTHING
• Economic sanctions not taken- USA = Japan’s main trading
partner, USA- NOT IN LEAGUE
28. Abyssinia
• Abyssinia defeated Italy in 1896, Italians wanted
revenge
• Mussolini saw Japan get away with Manchuria in
1931
• Oct 1935, Italy sent troops to Abyssinia to
invade
• Imposed economic sanctions, delayed oil exports
in case USA didn’t support them
• May 1936 Italy had conquered Abyssinia
29.
30. • Rome- Berlin axis 1936
• Hoare-Laval Pact:
French + GB foreign ministers said
Mussolini could have the good part of
Abyssinia, Abyssinia could have
rubbish part.
• The public was outraged
• Abyssinia Crisis- didn’t close Suez
Canal
31. 1924- Mein Kampf
1933- Came to power
1933- Left League
1933- Disarmament talks
1934- Germany Re-arm + Anschluss 1
1935- Anglo Naval agreement (Germany could have a navy 30% size of GB)
1936- Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
1938- Anschluss 2
29TH Sept 1938- last Munich agreement
GB lets Germany take Czechoslovakia, without their consent,
PREVENTING WAR
August 1939- Nazi-Soviet Pact, non aggression Pact – SHOCK TO WORLD!
Germany DID NOT have to fight on 2 FRONTS
Russia + Germany divided Poland between them - secret
32. Anschluss
Anschluss= union
• In 1934, Nazis marched into Austria- Mussolini
stopped Hitler, he placed Italians troops on
Austrian border- scaring his ally
• 15th March 1938- Anschluss 2, Hitler entered
Vienna to proclaim the Greater German Reich
• Austria and Germany were UNITED
33. Munich
• May 1938, Hitler threatened war
• Sept 1938 Chamberlain negotiated with Hitler-
Hitler soon changed his mind and on 1st Oct Nazis
“rescued” Sudeten Germans.
• GB mobilised troops
• 29th Sept 1938, Munich Agreement- Hitler could
take Sudetenland but leave the rest of
Czechoslovakia- Appeasement= pleasing war
hungry leaders to avoid war.
• Chamberlain= HERO!
34. The Outbreak of War
• In March 1939 Hitler took over the rest of
Czechoslovakia
• In May 1939, Germany signed the “Pact of Steel” with
Italy. They promised to support each other if war was
declared
• GB and France did nothing- it was clear the
appeasement policy had failed. Hitler had broken his
promises and taken non-German lands
• Once the Nazis had taken the rest of Czech, GB
abandoned appeasement and made an agreement
with Poland to support it in case it was invaded
35. The Outbreak of War
• After Munich, Stalin decided to negotiate with
Germany to protect the USSR
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact was signed in August 1939
• They promised not to attack each other and
planned to carve up Poland
• They agreed that if Germany invaded Poland, the
USSR would get Latvia, Estonia, Finland and East
Poland- but Hitler never intended to keep this
promise
36. On 1st September 1939 Hitler
invaded Poland
Britain and France ordered him
to leave
He ignored them
