| | Long Term (1880-1910) | Short Term (1910-1914) | Historiography |
| Militarism | 1. Wilhelm II followed a policy of Weltpolitik, which involved increasing Germany’s global strength by expanding the navy and its colonial empire. 2. The Naval Laws of 1900 directly challenged the Royal Navy. a. This prompted Britain to pursue other alliances. The Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902 allowed Britain to remove its fleet in the Pacific and concentrate them near home. 3. The German naval challenge was lead by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the state secretary of the Imperial Naval Office. Tirpitz’s goal was to establish a 3:2 ratio of ships with the Royal Navy. 4. First German Dreadnaught, SMS Nassau, was built in 1908 in response to the British Dreadnaught of 1906. 5. Germany had offensive war tactics under the 1905 Schlieffen Plan. a. This plan gave Germany the speed to defeat France within six weeks, before Russia mobilized. b. This plan avoided a two-front war, however it reduced Germany’s flexibility to respond to crises. | 1. By July 1914 the German Army comprised of 840 000 men and spent 60 million on the military 2. At the outbreak of war, Germany had 13 Dreadnaughts and 5 battle cruisers in the High Sea Fleet (compared to Germany's 21 Dreadnaughts and 4 battle cruisers in the Grand Fleet). Germany had 17 Dreadnaughts by 1914. 3. On August 2 1914 the 25 peacetime corps was expanded to wartime strength. SCHLIEFFEN PLAN | AJP Taylor. The Struggle for the Mastery of Europe, 1954. § The German bid for continental supremacy was certainly decisive in bringing on the European War. Fritz Fischer. Grasp for World Power, 1961. § There was a “will to war” amongst German leaders. - Prussian Junkers urged for war as a means of resolving domestic problems. The Social Democratic Party of Germany made significant gains in the election of 1912, and a war could distract the public from political changes. RJ Unstead. A Century of Change, 1963. § The Kaiser embarked upon a vast programme of military and naval armament. For mutual protection, therefore, France and Russia drew closer together… § [the Kaiser] build a powerful battle-fleet which could only be intended to challenge British sea-power. AJP Taylor. How Wars Begin, 1979. § All mobilization plans depended on the railways. …Any alteration in the mobilisation plan meant not a delay for 24 hours but for at least six months… |
| | Long Term (1880-1910) | Short Term (1910-1914) | Historiography |
| Alliances | 1. Kruger Telegram 1896; Germany offends Britain by labelling them “disturbers of peace” in telegram to Boer leader Paulus Kruger, when the British attempted to create a rising against the Boer Republic of the Transvaal in southern Africa. a. The British public was outraged and offended. 2. Wilhelm did not renew the Reinsurance Treaty in 1900. a. This contributed to Germany’s growing isolation, as a Franco-Russian alliance grew out of this in 1892-4. 3. Germany attempted to undermine the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France by opposing French takeover of Morocco in 1905. a. This was a failure and only worked to strengthen the Entente, because Britain came to France’s aid. As a result, military talks between the two nations began in January 1906. 4. | 1. During the Bosnian Crisis of 1908, Germany supported Austria-Hungary in its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. a. The Russians were humiliated by the incident and this increased tensions with the Triple Alliance. b. The strength of the Alliance was demonstrated, as Germany reassured Austria-Hungary that it would mobilize in its support if war with Serbia occurred. 2. On July 5 1914, a ‘blank cheque’ was issued to Austria by the Kaiser. a. This was Germany’s guarantee of unconditional support for Austria-Hungary. 3. Serbian victory during the Second Balkan War in 1913 was a diplomatic loss for Germany and Austria-Hungary. a. German isolation was emphasized and this strengthens the Austro-German alliance. | Stephen J. Lee. Aspects of European History 1789-1980, 1988. § [Through alliances] the means existed whereby a local conflict could be transformed into a continental war. § …the alliances had a direct bearing on the arms race and the development of military schedules. |
| | Long Term (1880-1910) | Short Term (1910-1914) | Historiography |
| Imperialism | 1. Wilhelm II followed a policy of Weltpolitik, which involved increasing Germany’s global strength by expanding the navy and its colonial empire. 2. Germany attempted to oppose French takeover of Morocco in 1905, which was one of the conditions of the Entente Cordiale (1904). a. This was a failure for Weltpolitik because Germany gained no notable concessions in North Africa. It only worked to increase tensions with Britain and France. | 1. Completion of the Berlin-to-Baghdad Railway was resisted by the British. The Railway would allow the Germans to trade with eastern colonies without having to use the Suez Canal. This threatened British interests and increased tensions between the nations as the war approached. 2. Germany initiated the Agadir Crisis of 1911 by sending a gunboat to Agadir to oppose French takeover of Morocco. a. This threatened the British, who did not want Germans to secure a naval base that would conflict with British naval routes. b. French-British relations strengthened as a result: naval negotiations began in 1912 and Britain agreed to defend France in 1913. | AJP Taylor. The Struggle for the Mastery of Europe, 1954. § The German bid for continental supremacy was certainly decisive in bringing on the European War. Fritz Fischer. Grasp for World Power, 1961. § There was a “will to war” amongst German leaders. |
| | Long Term (1880-1910) | Short Term (1910-1914) | Historiography |
| Nationalism | 1. Germany was driven by nationalistic motives under its policy of Weltpolitik, which aimed to give Germany its “rightful place in the sun”. a. This involved increasing German domination by expanding its empire and surpassing Britain’s military and naval capabilities. | | James Joll. The Origins of the First World War, 1992. § The reactions in 1914… and the patriotic language with which the war was greet reflected the sentiments of a national tradition absorbed over many years. |
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