The Alliance System - The First World War, 1905-18 PDF

# The Alliance System ## The First World War, 1905-18 ### Exam-Style Question A01 Describe two features of the alliance system in 1905. (6 marks) **Hint:** You need to identify two features of the alliance system - so don't just say who is on each side! ## 1.2 Empires and Economics ### Learnin...

# The Alliance System ## The First World War, 1905-18 ### Exam-Style Question A01 Describe two features of the alliance system in 1905. (6 marks) **Hint:** You need to identify two features of the alliance system - so don't just say who is on each side! ## 1.2 Empires and Economics ### Learning Objectives - Understand why colonial rivalry led to strained relations among the European powers - Understand how economic rivalries created international tensions - Understand the relative strengths of the Great Powers in 1914. The desire to acquire colonies, mainly shown by Germany, disturbed Britain and France, which already had large overseas colonial empires. People were generally very proud of their empires and expressed this in various patriotic ways that added to the growth of tension in Europe. Colonies provided raw materials and were markets for goods produced by the European powers that governed them. In this way the colonies were linked to the strength of different European countries. The people of Britain and France put pressure on their governments if they felt these empires were under threat. <br> **Figure 1.2 The European powers and their overseas colonies in 1914** ``` Balkans Manchuria | | | | | | N | | | | | 0 2000 | km | | | __________________________ * British * * French * * German * ``` <br> ## 8 The Alliance System ## The First World War, 1905-18 ### Imperial Rivalry **Key Term:** Imperial: relating to an empire ### Extend Your Knowledge **The Scramble for Africa** The Scramble for Africa refers to the rush by European powers to gain colonies in Africa. In 1870, 10 per cent of Africa was under European control. By 1914, this had risen to 90 per cent. ### Great Britain: An Overseas Empire The European powers were all involved in trying to win, or supporting, colonies. This led to imperial rivalry between the Great Powers to see who could get the largest empire. Some of the Great Powers, like Russia and Austria-Hungary, were hoping to expand on mainland Europe. Others, like Great Britain, France and Germany, focused on countries outside Europe. The European powers believed that they had the right to run other countries. They did this usually by invading and simply taking over, or by being given a country as part of a treaty arrangement. Great Britain is a small island country off the coast of Europe. In 1905, it was the most powerful country in the world. This was partly because of its vast overseas empire (see Figure 1.2). The British Empire took up nearly a quarter of the world's land surface area and a quarter of the world's population lived in the British Empire under its control. It was important that Britain kept in close contact with its colonies. This was partly because of the need to control and to manage them, and partly because of the need to trade with them. India, for example, supplied raw cotton to Britain, and Britain exported cotton cloth to India. In the days before air travel, this contact was maintained by sea. Merchant ships sailed the sea routes to the British colonies and the Royal Navy kept the sea routes open and clear of enemy shipping. Any challenge to the navy would endanger the security of the empire. Any push by a European power for more overseas colonies would challenge Britain's place as the most powerful country in the world. ### France: A Republic With An Empire The republic of France had the second largest empire in the world. Most of the French colonies were in West Africa where France exercised control with little opposition. French colonies in the Far East, however, were a different matter. The French army in Indo-China frequently fought with rebels who wanted independence. The cost of fighting was a strain on the French economy. However, France was very keen to keep those colonies. Having already lost Alsace-Lorraine, France's reputation would be severely damaged if any overseas colonies were to be lost, too. ### Germany: A Place In The Sun? ### Extend Your Knowledge **Weltpolitik** The word 'weltpolitik' is the German word for world policy. It is applied to the foreign policy followed by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The aim of weltpolitik was to turn Germany into a world power by gaining overseas colonies, developing a large and powerful navy, and negotiating in a forceful way in international affairs. Since Germany's formation in 1871, German politicians had wanted to see the new country develop to be strong and powerful. One way of doing this was by acquiring colonies. If colonies overseas were to be gained, and held, then a strong navy was essential. This was the reason why Britain and Germany saw each other as a threat. Britain regarded German ambitions as threatening the already established British Empire; German politicians came to see Britain as standing in the way of Germany becoming a world power. **Source D:** From a speech by the German Foreign Secretary during a debate in the German parliament, 6 December 1897. "We wish to throw no one into the shade, but we demand our own place in the sun." <br> ## 9 The Alliance System ### The European Powers and Their Overseas Colonies in 1914 | | Great Britain | France | Russia | Germany | Austria-Hungary | |----------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|----------------|---------------------| | Population | 40.8 million | 39.6 million | 159 million | 65 million | 50 million | | Population of Colonies | 390 million | 58 million | 15 million | 0 | 0 | | Number of Colonies | 56 | 29 | 0 | 10 | 0 | | Size of Colonies | 27 million sq km | 11 million sq km| 0 | 2.5 million sq km| 0 | <br> ### Russia and Austria-Hungary: Land-Based Empires? **Key Term:** Balkans: a large area in south-east Europe that includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosova, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey Neither Russia nor Austria-Hungary had overseas empires, nor did they want them. Russia wanted to expand within Europe, and Austria-Hungary wanted to control the different nationalities within its borders and so become strong. - Russia (see Figure 1.1) stretched from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Bering Strait in the east. Russia wanted to expand south-east into Manchuria in order to have ice-free ports. Russia also wanted to expand into the Balkans so that Russian ships would have access to the Mediterranean Sea and, by sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar, to the Atlantic Ocean. - Austria-Hungary (see Figure 1.1) was a union of two separate countries: Austria and Hungary. Franz-Joseph ruled an empire containing 11 different nationalities. The government was struggling to hold them together in one empire. For example, a move to force all Czechs to use German - the language of Austria - in schools and workplaces led to riots. Austria-Hungary was afraid, too, that the Serbs within its borders might want to break away and join Serbia. <br> ### Activity 1. Read Source D. What did the German Foreign Secretary mean by 'our own place in the sun'? 2. Set up a debate. One side must argue that Germany had a right to possess more colonies; the other side must argue that Germany had no such right. You could use the information in the table above as part of the argument. 3. Write a report of the debate for a local newspaper. Make it as exciting as you can. <br> ## Nationalism Nationalism is very closely linked to empire and imperialism. Nationalism, the love of one's country, is usually considered to be positive. Loyalty to the same set of values and beliefs is what unites the people of a country. However, when nationalism becomes too strong, and the supporters of a country too extreme in their support, nationalism becomes aggressive. It was the build-up of nationalism in the years to 1914 that helped to prepare people for war and inspired young men to join up and fight. <br> ## 10 The Alliance System ## The First World War, 1905-18 ### Source E This is the chorus from a British patriotic song, written in 1902. "Land of hope and glory, mother of the free, How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee? Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set. God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet. God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet." <br> ### Source F This is a traditional German patriotic song, first used at official ceremonies after 1890. It later became the German national anthem: "Germany, Germany above all else, Above all else in the world, When, for protection and defence, It always stands brotherly together. From the Meuse to the Memel, From the Adige to the Belt, Germany, Germany above all else, Above all else in the world!" <br> ### Source G A British First World War recruitment poster. ``` YOUR COUNTRY'S CALL Isnt this worth fighting for? ENLIST NOW ``` <br> ### Activity Read Sources E and F. 1. Use a dictionary to look up words you don't know. How can you tell that these are patriotic songs? 2. Pick out the line in each song that is the most patriotic. a. Discuss with a partner the similarities and differences between the songs. b. Which song appeals more strongly to nationalist feelings? 3. Look at Source G. Not many people lived in villages like the one in the poster why would the British government use this image? <br> ## Economic Rivalry The wealth of a country is very important when there are international disagreements. If a country is wealthy, it has money to build an army or navy to protect itself. A country becomes wealthy through economic activity, such as buying and selling goods. If a country is rich in raw materials and has efficient industry and markets to sell its goods to, it will become wealthy. At the beginning of the 20th century there was increasing rivalry between the European powers to have the major share of economic activity in Europe. This increased tension between the Great Powers. ### Great Britain v Germany Britain was the first country in the world to industrialise. British-manufactured goods flooded the markets in Europe and the British Empire. Britain took many different raw materials from its empire. The British economy became strong, and in the 19th century Britain was the richest country in Europe. However, after unification, Germany began to industrialise very quickly. German manufacturers modernised machinery that had been invented in Britain and made manufacturing processes more efficient. By 1890, German manufactured goods were competing with British ones in all the markets that had previously been dominated by Britain. German merchant ships competed with British merchant ships to carry goods around the world. By 1914, Germany was producing more iron, steel, coal - and even cars - than Britain. Britain's economic lead had gone. Germany had taken over from Great Britain as the strongest power, economically. ### France v Germany When France lost Alsace-Lorraine to Germany, it had to import coal from other countries. This seriously weakened the French economy because of the cost involved. France began to explore the possibilities of mining minerals in Morocco These could be used in agriculture and industry but would also bring France into competition with Germany. This was because Germany was afraid that France was trying to turn Morocco into a French colony. ### Russia v Germany and Austria-Hungary Germany and Austria-Hungary had well-established commercial markets in the Balkans. In 1888, Russia had begun to build a railway in the area. Germany and Austria-Hungary regarded this as a threat because a railway would allow Russian-produced goods to be transported to the area more easily. Even though Russia had not yet fully industrialised and had little by way of manufactured goods to export, Germany and Austria-Hungary were worried about what might happen in the future. <br> ## 11 The Alliance System ### The European Powers And Their Economies In 1914 | | Great Britain | France | Russia | Germany | Austria-Hungary | |----------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|----------------|---------------------| | Coal produced | 292 million tonnes | 40 million tonnes | 36.2 million tonnes | 277 million tonnes | 47 million tonnes | | Steel produced | 11 million tonnes | 4.6 million tonnes | 3.6 million tonnes | 14 million tonnes | 5 million tonnes | <br> ### Activity 1. Look at Source H. How is the British company using the British colonies in Africa to advertise electric light, the product they are selling? 2. Using the information in the tables on page 9 and on this page, create a histogram (bar chart) that summarizes the information for each country. a. Which European power, using just the information on your histogram, is the strongest? Why? b. Which European power, using just the information on your histogram, is the weakest? Why? 3. Draw two circles. Label one 'Colonies' and the other 'European powers'. a. Draw links between them that show how, economically, they are useful to each other. b. In your own words, explain how economic strength and colonies are linked. 4. You have now finished this section. Go back to the grid you started in answer to question 1 at the end of Section 1.1. Now add to it, using the information in this section. <br> ### Source H An advertisement for electric light, published by a British company in about 1900. ``` STANLEY NO ^ * ' ' ' ' WANTED WHAT IS IN DARKEST AFRICA ^ WOODHOUSE ELECTRIC LICHT. ^ RAWSON & CO. LIMITED. ```