Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Exam context
This article is relevant to route 2, topic 1: causes, practices and
effects of war (examined in paper 2) in the subject guide and route 2,
option 5: aspects of the history of Europe and the Middle East
(examined in HL paper 3) in the subject guide. For paper 2, past
questions have compared the causes of the First World War with
those of the Second World War. For paper 3, a question about the
origins of the First World War is always to be expected.
hen Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the AustroHungarian throne, was killed by Serbian terrorists
on 28 June 1914, Europe had long been preparing for
war. Austria-Hungary now had the excuse it needed to bully its
neighbour, Serbia. Tsarist Russia had the excuse it needed to get
involved in the region known as the Balkans by readying Russian
troops to protect Serbia. When Russia mobilised troops, Germany
had the excuse it needed to assemble its own forces. Germany had
already told its closest ally, Austria-Hungary, to count on German
support, whatever happened.
France was Russias main ally, and the Germans expected the
French to intervene to help Russia in any war, so there was no
avoiding a reckoning with their western neighbour. The German
military, under Kaiser Wilhelm II and Chancellor Theobald von
Bethmann-Hollweg, knew that it could not win a war on two fronts
against France in the west and Russia in the east.
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NORWAY
SWEDEN
Triple Alliance
Triple Entente
Russian allies
Agitation of
national minorities
Schlieffen Plan
DENMARK
BRITAIN
NETHERLANDS
GERMANY
BELGIUM
LUXEMBOURG
RUSSIA
Czechs
Poles
Slovaks
FRANCE
SWITZERLAND
Italians
AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN
EMPIRE
Slovenians
Croats
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
ITALY
Ukrainians
Romanians
Serbs
ROMANIA
BOSNIA
SERBIA
Sarajevo
Black Sea
BULGARIA
MONTENEGRO
ALBANIA
GREECE
TURKEY
Mediterranean Sea
MOROCCO
Alliances
Militarism
The major players in the First World War had already picked sides
long before 1914. The alliances that many had entered into and the
promises (treaties) that many of them had signed now committed
them to war. Many saw a promise made by a national government
as unbreakable, despite the consequences. This was the view that
the British government presented in regard to the 1839 Treaty of
London, although Bethmann-Hollweg seemed not to believe them.
Some observers suggested that Britains leaders muddled into war
(see Theory of knowledge box).
Imperialism
Britain was the worlds number one superpower in 1914. Its empire
stretched over six continents. France wasnt too far behind, and
Russia had absorbed many of its neighbours over the centuries.
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IB Review
Theory of knowledge
1
Nationalism
The separate German-speaking areas of central Europe were
only able to form a unified Germany after defeating France in
the Franco-Prussian War. France had not been keen to see the
formation of a new and sizable neighbour. So Germany was formed
out of nationalism from a desire for German-speaking people to
merge into a larger, stronger nation. By 1914 France was keen both
for revenge and to win back the province of Alsace-Lorraine, which
it had lost in the war.
Like France, Britains empire was an expression of its nationalism,
particularly the idea that Britons were superior to Africans and
Asians. Britain felt that it deserved its grand empire and that it
deserved to keep it all out of German hands. In 1914 that meant
finding a way to stop Germany enlarging both its military and its
empire.
Austria-Hungary had a different problem with nationalism. The
ageing Austro-Hungarian emperor, Franz Joseph, ruled over many
different nationalities, including Serbs, Czechs, Poles and Croats.
These groups wanted to be free from Austro-Hungarian rule and to
establish separate nations. The Austro-Hungarian leaders felt the need
to assert their strength, so in 1908 Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia,
which had been abandoned by the weakening Ottoman empire.
Many Serbs lived in Bosnia and believed Bosnia should belong
to Serbia. Serbias confidence and territory had grown following
success in the 191213 Balkan Wars, and tensions ran high as Serbia
now threatened war with Austria-Hungary.
Conclusion
The First World War began out of a nationalistic desire for freedom
(particularly from Austro-Hungarian rule) and the nationalistic
arrogance of empire building by all of the major European powers.
Each side had built up its military hardware and military alliances
and therefore felt unduly confident: leaders on both sides believed
they could win in just a few months. All they needed was to find an
excuse to declare war
November 2014
In competing to
reach superpower
status, the empires
poured resources
into military
developments
Glossary
Alliance An agreement between two or more nations to work
together for specific purposes.
Chancellor The German equivalent of a prime minister or premier.
Colonialism When a nation takes over foreign countries or
territories and makes the people subject to its rule.
Entente Cordiale A friendly understanding (in this case it was to
solve colonial disputes), not an alliance promising to fight together in
war.
Mobilisation The process of readying troops in preparation for
possible war.
Nationalism An extreme form of patriotism marked by a feeling of
superiority over other nations.
Schlieffen Plan The plan for the German army to advance through
Belgium and encircle Paris to force a quick surrender. In reality,
German troops came within sight of the Eiffel Tower before they were
forced back. The plan assumed Russia would take at least 6 weeks
to mobilise, France would take less than 6 weeks to be defeated,
Belgium would offer no resistance and the UK would remain neutral.
BBC resources
Western front animated map: www.goo.gl/o60ZPE
Present-day historians views: www.goo.gl/3tGuLC
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