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Pre-WWI Coalition and Alliance Building and eruption of the war

Pre-WWI Coalition and Alliance Building and eruption of the war. Bismarck’s “sandwich” dilemma and attempts to resolve it. Three Emperor’s League – Dreikaisersbund (TEL) 1 8 72 (Francis Joseph, Kaise Williem I and Tzar Alexander II)

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Pre-WWI Coalition and Alliance Building and eruption of the war

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  1. Pre-WWI Coalition and Alliance Building and eruption of the war

  2. Bismarck’s “sandwich” dilemma and attempts to resolve it • Three Emperor’s League – Dreikaisersbund (TEL) 1872 (Francis Joseph, KaiseWilliem I and Tzar Alexander II) • Contradicting commitments – Treaty of Vienna 1879 (secret) promising German support in case of a Russian attack and Renewal of TEL 1881 • German-Austrian alliance extended to Italy formation of Triple Alliance (1882), Italy motivated by French seizure of Tunis, overcomes dislike for Austria. In 1883 Romania to join followed by the Ottomans after Italian invasion of Libya in 1911!!! • Reinsurance Treaty (1887) – attempt to revive TEL to prevent Russia drifting closer to France, “if France attacks Germany and Russia to remain neutral in return for German support to Russian interests in the Balkans”, contradicts Austrian interests.

  3. Counter alliances: • Russian-French military convention of 1893 following “Bismarck-less” German failure to renew Reinsurance Treaty, “Russia to go to war with Germany if Germany attack France or by Germany/Italy similarly if Russia attacked by Germany or Germany/Austria France to go to war with Germany”. • Entente Cordiale 1904 between Britain and France, following King Edward VII’s visit to Paris, not military but close political and colonial coordination over Morocco, Egypt and Sudan. • Triple Entente 1907 – France, Russia and Britain diplomatic alliance, further to more coordination over the “Great Game”.

  4. British-German Rivalry (1900-1914) • Two rival powers and economies • Naval armament race • 1900 German expansion following “weltpolitik”, use power outside Europe • 1903 British response to Northern fleet facing Germany rather than France • 1905 British new generation of heavy war ships to replace older ones, Germany responses strong popular feelings • 1907 British efforts to limit arms race brushed aside by Germany • 1912 – Division of labor over seas France to Mediterranean and Britain to North Sea, naval deployment • Positions become entrenched

  5. Interstate rivalries pre-WWI • Germany vs. Britain naval forces • Violent hatred between Austria-Hungary and Serbia • Older deep running feud between France and Germany • Austria-Russian feud over Balkans and the Ottoman Empire

  6. “Not just the Ottoman Empire but the whole of Europe sick man”. Characterized by a weakened concert of Europe, rise of secret alliances, rise of nationalism Triple intense conflicts: • Dynastic imperialism vs insurgent nationalism • Pan-Germanism vs. Pan-Slavism • Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente The spark: Sarajevo incident

  7. Sarajevo 1914 • Death of pro-Austrian King Alex Obrenovich in 1903, new King nationalist • Austria fears repeat of Piedmont and Prussian experiences where Serbia top lead Slavic nationalism for a new “Yugoslavia”. Greatest threat to Habsburgs • Pan-Germanismvs Pan-Slavism, Berlin-Baghdad railway, “Drag nachOsten” interrupted by Serbia • Serbia torn on Habsburg’s flesh because spearhead of western Entente influence in the Balkans

  8. Igniting the war June 28, 1914 • Austrian Serb, GavriloPrincip assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife • Austria issues ultimatum and demand an answer in 48 hours, Serbia responds positively but rejected, Vienna declares war July 28. • Russia orders mobilization on July 30 • Germany orders mobilization on July 31and declares war on Russia August 1 • France declares war on Germany on August 3 follow by Britain • “The most important thing about the First World War is that it was unsought, unintended end product of a long sequence of events which began in 1871”

  9. Geo-political scene as war breaks out • Austria-Hungary attack Serbia to protect imperial unity and resist Russian pan-Slavism (defensive) • Serbian independence aspirations supported by “illiberal” Russia • Italy stays out of the 1st year of war despite alliance • Romania encouraged by Russia to stay out of war and joins war on the Entente side August 1916 • Turkey fears Entente powers dragged into war by Gobens (Yavuz) and Breslau (Midilli) 1 November. • Colonial involvement

  10. Openning campaigns of WWI • First stage of war between central European pwoers against maritime powers France, Belgium and Britain. • Germany invades Belgium (Schlieffen Plan) 4 August • Britain drawn into war by the invasion, moral and strategic reasons

  11. Schlieffen Plan Fails • First envisaged in 1905 against being sandwiched • Hammer swing to capture Paris from the south coming through Belgium and French industrial zones • “Paris for lunch and dinner in St. Petersburg” • Belgium resistance, British prompt response and Russian effective mobilization • Advantage of defensive war with machine gun and artillery

  12. The Western Front 1914-1918 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US31-02.html

  13. Stalemate 1915-1918 • German command expectations that war would end by Christmas fails for strategic and tactical reasons • Belgian, resistance, British quick reaction • Failure of a small force (9 % of overallforce) to hold back Russians for 6 weeks • Original plan altered, two army corps rushed East while coordination in the West between German armies breakdown • Allies control Channel ports • Defensive war advantaged

  14. December 1914

  15. Russian Front • Unexpected quick mobilization • Russian military learned Autrian war plans from Slav officers • Invades Galicia and East Prussia • German troops rushed, Russian forced back Warsaw captured in August 1915, 2 millions Russians killed • Germans rushed back to Western front

  16. Stalemate 1915-1918 continues • Verdun (German) and Somme (British-French) offensives during Summer and Fall of 1916 • Russian counter offensive stopped by German, Austrian and Ottoman troops • War at Sea, (indiscriminate naval blockade of Germany and German submarine and mine warfare) • Italy enters war April 1915, Bulgaria in October 1915 and Romania in August 1916 • Anglo-French landing in Salonika while Serbia crushed by German-Austrian-Bulgarian forces • Antwerp to Istanbul solid Allied, Sea ports Entente

  17. Transformation and the end 1917-18 • Russian collapse – Tsar abdicated March 1917, rivalries, Lenin arrives with Gemran help, Nov. 1917 coup, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Russian efefctively cedes massive territories to Germany, Austria and Ottomans • US enters the war in April 1917 begins to pour large numbers of troops as Gemran troops are spread thin across Western Front • In the Balkans Serb, British, French and Italian attacks defeat Bulgaria and Austria unravels

  18. War Ends • Bulgaria surrenders and sings truce 29 September 1918 • Austria signs truce 3 November • Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates 9 November • German High Command sues for peace on "the eleventh (hour) of the eleventh (day) of the eleventh (month)” in the forest of Compiègne

  19. 1 November 1918

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