The Alliance System, 1905-18 PDF

# The Alliance System, 1905-18 ## 1.1 The Alliance System ### Learning Objectives - Understand why there was tension in Europe in 1905. - Understand the reasons why the Triple Entente was formed. - Understand how the alliance system could be seen by some as a system that kept the peace and by other...

# The Alliance System, 1905-18 ## 1.1 The Alliance System ### Learning Objectives - Understand why there was tension in Europe in 1905. - Understand the reasons why the Triple Entente was formed. - Understand how the alliance system could be seen by some as a system that kept the peace and by others as making war more likely. ### Safety in Numbers At the beginning of the 20th century there were six "Great Powers" in Europe: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, Russia, and Great Britain. Although these countries had different aims and ambitions, they had a number of things in common: - They all wanted to make sure they were safe from attack. - They also wanted to have the best opportunity to increase their prosperity by trading in as many overseas markets as possible. In trying to achieve security from attack and increase their opportunities for trade, the Great Powers often found themselves in competition with each other, which had sometimes led to war. By the end of the 19th century they had begun to protect themselves from their rivals by joining together in a system of alliances. By 1905, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy had formed the **Triple Alliance**. Russia and France were **allied** in the Franco-Russian Alliance, and Britain and France had a friendly agreement called the Entente Cordiale. These alliances reflected which countries considered themselves to have similar aims and who they considered to be their greatest rivals. The tensions between the rival powers that existed in 1905 gradually deepened, until war broke out in 1914. ### Why Was There Tension in Europe in 1905? This topic begins in 1905, and you won't be expected to answer questions in the exam on events before then. But there are a few things you do need to know to help you understand the tensions existing in 1905. One of those is the reasons why some countries were rivals with others. #### Germany Germany was a new country, formed following the unification of the German states in 1871, after the Germans had defeated France in the Franco-Prussian war. As part of the peace treaty after the war, Germany took Alsace-Lorraine from France. This was an important industrial area. German politicians were afraid that the French might attack Germany to get Alsace-Lorraine back. So Germany and France were rivals. #### Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary was a large **empire** in central Europe. It contained people of many different nationalities, some of whom wanted independence. Serbia was already an independent country and there were Serbs living in Austria-Hungary who wanted to join with Serbia. The main concern of the Austrian emperor was to keep the empire together, but Russia supported the Serbs and so Austria-Hungary and Russia were rivals. ## Europe in 1905 - A Map: - **Germany:** 1871, Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled over 68 million people. Industrialized rapidly and was a highly successful industrial and technological country, with most people living in towns. The German Kaiser and the British King George V were cousins. - **Great Britain:** The head of state was King Edward VII, the prime minister was Arthur Balfour. The first country in the world to industrialize. Over half of the population (46 million) lived in towns; industry prospered and trade flourished. - **France:** The president was Emile Loubet, a country the size of Germany containing 40 million people. The birth rate had fallen and the population was ageing. Although there was industry in the north-east, France was largely a rural country. - **Italy:** Unified in 1871, although a large number of Italians remained in Austria-Hungary after unification. A constitutional monarchy, the king, Victor Emmanuel III, ruled over 35 million people. Primarily an agricultural country, there was considerable industry in the northern areas. - **Austria-Hungary:** The emperor, Franz-Joseph, ruled over 50 million people in a country with little heavy industry. The people were divided into at least 11 different nationalities (Magyars, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, and Slavs). Each had its own language and way of life. - **Russia:** Tsar Nicholas II ruled over the largest, and one of the poorest, countries in the world. It was an empire of many different peoples who spoke different languages. Much of the land was not farmed because it was too cold; there was little industry. Russian ports could not operate for a large part of each year because the sea was frozen. #### Italy Italy was another new country, which had been formed in 1861. It was not a strong industrial or military power, and so it wanted to ally with other countries to make itself more powerful. When Italy joined Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Triple Alliance in 1882, it became part of an anti-France, anti-Russia alliance. #### France France's main concern in 1905 was to make sure that it would never again be attacked by Germany and to get Alsace-Lorraine back. France allied with Russia in 1892 because it wanted support against Germany. #### Russia Russia was the largest of the six powers, but the least developed. Russia's main concerns were that Germany would expand into Russian territory in central Europe and that Austria-Hungary would take measures against **Slavs** in Austria-Hungary (Russians and Serbians were both Slav peoples). #### Great Britain During the 19th century, Britain had tried not to get involved in European politics. This policy was known as **"splendid isolation"**. Britain had a powerful navy and overseas empire and didn't see a need to form alliances with European countries. But by the beginning of the 20th century, the German Kaiser had shown that he wanted Germany to have an empire and a strong navy, which was a direct threat to the British Empire and its naval dominance. So in 1904 Britain joined with France in the Entente Cordiale. ## Source A: A French cartoon published in 1913, shows a French boy looking down on the lost regions of Alsace-Lorraine. Above him in the skies gallop the ghosts of French cavalrymen killed in the Franco-Prussian war, 1870-71. ## Extend Your Knowledge ### Cousins Become Enemies King George V of Great Britain and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany were cousins (sharing the same grandmother, Queen Victoria). The King's father, Edward, and the Kaiser's mother, Victoria, were brother and sister. So, even as early as 1905, Europe was beginning to divide into two separate groups whose rivalry would lead to war in 1914. Why did the tensions that existed in 1905 worsen to the point that the Great Powers had to go to war? In 1907 Russia joined the **entente**, making it a **Triple Entente**. There was no formal agreement to go to help each other if one of them was attacked; however, it was agreed that they had a **moral obligation** to support each other. ### Source B: From *The Times*, a British newspaper, April 1914. "The division of the Great Powers into two well-balanced groups is a two-fold check upon unreasonable ambitions or a sudden outbreak of race hatred. All monarchs and statesmen - and all nations - know that a war of group against group would be an enormous disaster. They are no longer answerable only to themselves." ### Source C: A British cartoon of Kaiser Wilhelm II in his bath. He is reaching for a piece of soap shaped like Europe. The cartoon was printed on a postcard in 1914.. Kaiser Wilhelm II: Despite being born with a withered left arm, Wilhelm became an excellent horseman. He could swim, hunt, shoot and fence. He loved the army and enjoyed dressing up in military uniforms. ## Activity 1. Draw a table with three columns: "Great Powers", "Fear", and "Ambition". In the "Great Powers" column, list the six Great Powers. In the other two columns, write what each power was afraid of, and what each power wanted. 2. Keep the table and add to it as you work through this chapter. By the end of the chapter, you will have a very good idea why war broke out in 1914. 3. Look at **Source A**. What is the message of the cartoon? 4. Look at **Sources A and C**. Work with a partner: - One of you should make a list of the points each artist is making. The other should look at the cartoons from the German point of view. - List the points that a German person could find threatening. - Share your ideas with the rest of your class.