9.1.1: The Armed Peace -T-

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

9.1.1: World War 1: The Armed Peace

9. The Time of World Wars

What is this lesson about?

Europe around 1900 seemed a time of peace and prosperity, when people dreamed of a bright future. However, it was also a time of extreme nationalism and hostility between countries. How could this time of peace so abruptly pass into a time of war? To answer this question, we have to study the causes of World War I.

people in this lesson

Wilhelm II

emperor

German Empire

Franz Joseph II

emperor

Austria-Hungary

von Schlieffen

general

German Empire

Word Duty

Belle Époque: French: ‘fine period’; period of peace and prosperity in Europe and the USA preceding the First World War

nationalism: great love for one's own country, nation, culture and identity.

nation: a group of people who share the same culture, history, language, religion or ethnicity. Mostly, this group lives within the boundaries of a nation state. (for example: the French nation = het Franse volk)

nation state: nation state is a certain form of state that has a territory where mainly one nation lives. (for example: France)

nationality: the status of belonging to a particular nation by birth or naturalization.

ethnic group: a group of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and bound together because they share race, language, nationality, or culture. (for example: Jews living in France)

multi-ethnic state: a state in which many different ethnic groups live

The Great War: another name for the First World War

unification: different states or regions are joined together to form one new (united) state.

arms race: competition between nations to build the most weapons

militarism: glorifying the army

Allies: alliance between France, Britain, Russia and the USA during the First World War

Central Powers: alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottomans during the First World War

two-front war: war in which a country has to fight battles in separate locations at the same time

Schlieffen Plan: German strategy to invade France through Belgium and after defeating the 

French to send their soldiers to the Eastern Front to fight the Russians

WORD DUTY

Important dates in this lesson:

1870 -'71: Franco-Prussian War

1871: Wilhelm I crowned emperor (Kaiser) of the German Empire

1882: Triple Alliance (later: the Central Powers)

1907: Triple Entente (later: the Allies)

In this lesson:

Belle Epoque

The world around 1900 is known as “ the Belle Epoque “ (the beautiful age)

There were no major conflicts, prosperity grew, art and culture flourished and the industrial revolution had led to all kinds of new inventions, like radio, film, airplane, car.

 

Causes of WW1

Four important causes, in short: MAIN. 

This is: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism

The Belle Époque

At the start of the twentieth century, many western countries went through what some considered a time with a promising future. There were no mayor conflicts, prosperity grew, art and culture flourished and the industrial revolution had led to all kinds of new inventions. Electric lights lit up homes and streets; the first cars and airplanes were developed. The telegraph, the telephone, and new discoveries in the field of medicine gave people an optimistic view of the future. The rich and famous dressed up in fancy clothes to visit parties or newly built movie theatres and even the lives of labourers were gradually improving. No wonder this period in history is called the Belle Époque (‘beautiful era’). People felt that it was a thrilling time to be alive. But unrest was growing underneath this layer of splendour. World leaders were building up armies and dreamed of expanding their power…

Paris during the Belle Epoque. The Eiffel Tower was built in 1887 - '89

Constructing the Eiffel Tower (1887)

New technology around 1900

radio 1895

car 1897

airplane 1903

film 1895

color photography 1907

Nightlife in Paris. During the Belle Époque, Paris was the cultural heart of Europe. Painting by Henri Gerveux, 1909.

Factory around 1900

MILITARISM and powerful ALLIANCES

In order to defend their influences, the big powers in Europe build up huge arsenals. The leaders of each country tried to get more weapons than their enemies, and so an arms race began. Between 1908 and 1913, the military spending of the European powers increased by 50%. Soldiers got much respect and there was a great love for the military. This love is called militarism.

Even though there was a strong feeling of national superiority, the European countries knew that they needed allies. In order to become stronger in the event of a new war against Germany, the countries France and Russia made an alliance: they agreed to help each other if one of them was attacked by Germany. In this way, Germany could be attacked from two sides. France also signed agreements with Great Britain. In 1907, these three countries formed an alliance: the Triple Entente. During the war, they were called the Allies.

German emperor (kaiser) Wilhelm II (left) and his sons leading a military parade in Berlin.

ONE HAPPY FAMILY

The leaders of the countries that would soon fight each other in a world war, were all related.

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany; King George V of England; and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. In fact, they were all cousins with each other: Wilhelm and George were first cousins, George and Nicholas were also first cousins, and Wilhelm and Nicholas were third cousins.

twins??

Look at the striking resemblance between the Russian tsar Nicolas II (left) and his cousin, the British king George V (right).

Emperor Wilhelm II was well aware of this alliance and felt that Germany was encircled by enemies. 

In response he signed an agreement with Austria-Hungary. This large central-European empire was led by the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. The German emperor Wilhelm II and the Austrian emperor agreed that they would help each other in the event of war. Italy also joined this alliance which was called the Triple Alliance.

When the war broke out Italy switched sides and joined the Triple Entente (the Allies). Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire joined the Triple Alliance (the Central Powers).

Compare the map on the right to the map on the previous slide.

"The Scramble for Africa" was the occupation and colonization of the African continent by the major European powers between 1880 and 1914.

IMPERIALISM: The German colonial dream

The Germans also had not been idle. After the unification, 

their industry grew rapidly and after the Franco-Prussian 

War, Germany had developed the strongest military force on the mainland of Europe. Still they were looking for a way to expand their power.

Emperor Wilhelm II dreamed of a German ‘place under the sun’; he wanted to gain colonies, just as Britain and France. This goal was a difficult one to achieve, because France and especially Britain controlled the seas and overseas territories in Africa and Asia. Most countries in the Americas had already become independent. The British ruled the largest empire the world had ever seen, with its dominions stretching out from Canada to India and as far as New Zealand.

In an interview with a British newspaper, Wilhelm II was clear about his intentions to build a fleet in order to compete with other countries. The interview shocked the world and from that moment, the British kept a close eye on Germany. The British fleet was the biggest in the world and they were not willing to give up their power.

Emperor Wilhelm II with the Navy flag, eagle, sword and crown, and a warship in the background. German postcard, dated 1910.

NATIONALISM

Last school year, you learned that European countries became more nationalistic during the nineteenth century. While this feeling of nationalism united the population within the borders of their own country, it also made them feel superior towards other nation states. The strongest hatred was felt between France and Germany. France wanted to take revenge for the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-1871. The Germans had humiliated France by proclaiming the creation of the German Empire in Versailles and had claimed land, the fossil fuel rich area of Alsace-Lorraine, for themselves. From the moment of defeat, the French were looking for a way to get revenge. Children at school had to learn about the war and the areas Germany had taken. An almost impenetrable defence line was built on the border with Germany and France built up its army. Because of this dark-side of the Belle Époque, this era is also called The Armed Peace. It would result in the horrors of The Great War.

Before 1871 Germany consisted of several German states. Of these, Prussia (Pruissen) was the biggest and most powerful.

After the war with France the king of Prussia became the emperor of the united German empire.

Humiliating the French in 1871:

German emperor Wilhelm I is crowned 

in the French palace of Versailles...

The Balkans

Germany had made an alliance with Austria-Hungary; though a powerful empire, it had internal problems. It was a large, multi-ethnic state and many peoples wanted to have their own nation state. But the Austrian-Hungarian emperor wanted to increase his influence in the Balkan area. He claimed Bosnia, which made the Serbian population very angry. The nationalists of Serbia dreamed of uniting Bosnia and Serbia together into a big Serbian sovereign state. They already had Russia as their ally. Because of all the tension, the Balkan area was called ‘the powder keg of Europe’. It is not so strange that the direct cause of World War I came from here.

‘Balkan Troubles’. The heads of the European empires sitting on a tinder box. Political cartoon in a British magazine, 1912.

The Schlieffen Plan

German general von Schlieffen knew that his country would face a hard time fighting a two-front war with France and Russia. Because of this, he devised a strategy. According to his plan, the Germans started to build up railways from the Western border towards the Eastern. In case of war he would send his troops to France first, because he expected that the Russians would need weeks, maybe months to prepare their army for war. He predicted that he could defeat the French within a few weeks, because he would surprise them. The German army would evade the strongly defended French-German border by passing through Belgium. He predicted that the Belgians would let the German army pass through so it could invade northern France and head straight for Paris. He also expected that the French would surrender after their capital was lost. The German soldiers would then be put on trains towards the Eastern Front to fight the Russians. The strategy was named after the general and became known as the Schlieffen Plan.

general Alfred von Schlieffen

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You have finished with this lesson:
- You have read the texts
- You have made the summary
- You have done the practise questions.
Are you well prepared for a test or do you need additional help?

If you still need help, you can ask your question here.

Test Yourself

You can explain:

• why the beginning of the 20th century was called the "Belle Epoch".
• what the two main alliances were in 1914
• which members of the alliance were democracies and which ones were autocracies.
• each part of M.A.I.N.
• why the German colonial dream led to tension with the UK
• the internal problems of Austria-Hungary
• the tense situation on the Balkans (Serbia & Bosnia)
• the importance of the Schlieffenplan for Germany

The Alliances

summary of the Alliances, their ambitions and concerns

Need to learn for the test!

• democratic monarchy
• colonial empire where "the sun never sets"
  
• largest navy (needed to protect the empire)
  
• does not want Germany to build a larger navy

1. Great Britain

The Triple Entente

later: the Allies

• democratic republic
• lost Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in 1871 
  
• wants revenge
• fears growing military power of Germany

2. France

The Triple Entente

later: the Allies

• absolute monarchy (emperor (czar) Nicholas II)
• large, but backward country (90% peasants)
  
• no modern industry

3. Russia

The Triple Entente

later: the Allies

• absolute monarchy (emperor Wilhelm II)
• only one state since the unification of 1871
• wants "it's place under the sun" (= colonies)
  
• modern industry
• largest army
• wants to build larger fleet than Britain (= naval rivalry)

1. Germany

The Triple Alliance

later: the Central Powers

• absolute monarchy (emperor Franz Joseph)
• internal problems (multi-ethnic state)
• no modern industry, no colonies
  
• has annexed (= conquered) Bosnia

2. Austria-Hungary

The Triple Alliance

later: the Central Powers

• only since 1866 a united state
• not very powerful
• not really trusted as an ally by Germany and A-H
• switched sides and joined the Allies in 1915.

3. Italy

The Triple Alliance

later: first: Central Powers,

then Allies

• an empire in decline 
• had lost much territory on the Balkans in the 19th century
• joined the Triple Alliance just when the war started.

the Ottoman Empire

The Triple Alliance

later: the Central Powers

Nation, state, nationalism, ethnic group

• a nation (volk) is a group of people that feel connected because they share the same language, religion, history, culture.
  
• examples: The Dutch, The Spanish, Turks, Poles, Chinese etc.
  

• a state is the territory (with boundaries, infrastructure and a government) in which a nation lives.
  
• examples: The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, Poland etc.

Nation, state, nationalism, ethnic group

• Nationalism: a strong love for one's own nation. The feeling that one's own nation is the best. 

• nationality: the status of belonging to a particular nation by birth or naturalization.

• Ethnic group : a group of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and bound together because they share race, language, nationality, or culture.
  

Siemens vacuum cleaner, 1906

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