What Caused World War I, and Who Was to Blame?
A: Alliance System
-the alliance between France and Russia
-the suspicions hightened between France and Russia and Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia thought war was the only answer to make peace
B: Colonial Rivalry
-Germany wasn't happy with not gaining more land in Africa and the Far East
-Germany wanted more
C: Naval Race
-German laws enabled them to build up their navy
-at first Britain didn't see it as a threat, but then Germany started building it up quickly
-Britain tried to stop Germany from building their navy even more
-Britain built the Dreadnought, which enabled Germany to build battleships similar to the Dreadnought
-before they couldn't because then Britain would worry and be more suspicious of Germany
D: Economic Rivalry
-Germany wanted war with Britain because they wanted to be the economic master of the world
-Britain owed half the world's tonnage of merchant ships in 1914
-Germany wanted to be a strong economic power, like the United States today
E: Russia Supported Serbia
-Russia backing up Serbia made them more reckless in their rioting against Austria-Hungary and their government
-Russia took action first with their army to aid Serbia
-Russia's mobilization provoked the mobilization of Germany
-Russia thought that they could possibly gain control of the Dandelles Strait, which would give them a warm water access for trading
F: Germany Backing Austria at Crucial
-at first Germany wouldn't back up Austria in 1913, but then in 1914 they said they would
-Germany gave Austria the choice to declare war or not and Germany would back them up either way
-Germany provoked war with Russia, Britain, and France with this move
-Germany wanted war because they felt encircled and because everyone was coming closer and closer to war
G: Mobilization Plans
-Germany made the Schlieffen Plan where they would make a fish hook into France, conquer Paris, and move on to Russia
-it didn't work in reality
-Germans said that the Schlieffen Plan is the reason why they lost the war
-Russia had a plan and mobilized it before Germany could get to the east front
-it was one of five supposed plans, and was last on the list
H: A "Tragedy of Miscalculation"
-it is the theory that many of the countries miscalculated their predictions and made bad mistakes
-Austria thought that Russia would not back up Serbia but they did
-Germany made a bad mistake by promising to support Austria with no conditions attached
-Germany and Austria therefore risked a major war
-In Russia politicians believed that Germany's mobilization wouldn't mean war but it did
-and most of the countries believed that it would be a quick and easy war, but it was far from it (they believed that they'd be back by Christmas and that the other countries would be easily conquered).
Friday, September 24, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Churchill Criticizes the German Fleet
1. Explain in your own words what Churchill sees as the difference between the significance of the German and the British fleets.
In Churchill's eyes he sees that the German fleets are for luxury and expansion, while on the other hand he defends the British fleet as defensive and primarily to defend the colonies that they have. Churchill believes that Germany is not building a naval fleet for their own good but to promote and possibly start a war. He compares Germany's fleet with his fleet by saying his fleet is for protection of Great Britain and the colonies. He also says no other country should try to compete with them because they will always be out done, which is a tacit warning to Germany and any other country who tries to out-navy Great Britain. However, the number of battleships or the naval arms race is the similarity Great Britain has with Germany.
2. Look carefully at the language Churchill uses in describing the German fleet. What impression of the German fleet does his choice of language give?
Churchill's choice of language gives off the impression that the German fleet is there strictly in aggression and to possibly start a war. Churchill describes the German fleet as a "nature of a luxury" for the Germans and that they are going to use it for expansion into other countries and make colonies. This choice of language shows that Churchill sees and wants everyone else to see that the German's growing power in the navy is a threat. Also, before Churchill describes the supposed reasons behind the increasing naval fleet he describes Germany as a friendly Empire, which shows that Great Britain wanted to stay friends with Germany but wanted to stop their increasing power because they saw it as a threat.
3. What does Churchill mean by "the ratio which our naval strength will have to bear to other great naval Powers"?
Well a ratio is a comparison of common objects that are different in number, therefore by using this definition Churchill means that the number of battleships in his fleet must be greater than all the other naval fleets in the world. Normally in a ratio there is one greater number and another number of lesser value, so Churchill wants to be the greater value number in a ratio and doesn't want any other nation to out navy Britain.
4. How exactly is Churchill threatening Germany in this speech?
Churchill is threatening Germany in this speech by declaring that they shouldn't increase their navy anymore because they will always out-number them, and by trying to influence the citizens and other countries to be aware of Germany as an increasing power and a threat. Churchill names the reason, that he believes, why Germany is increasing its navy and by this he creates a feeling of patriotism which is an attempt for the citizens to join him in the arms race and for other countries to see Germany as a threat.
5. This speech was studied very carefully by the German government (as Churchill knew it would be). Which parts of it might give the German government grounds to complain to the British government? What do you think was the effect Churchill intended this speech to have in Germany?
One part of the speech that gave the German government grounds to complain to the British government was the part where Churchill tried to use literary propaganda to start a war against Germany, to turn everyone against Germany. Churchill did this by tacitly talking about Germany being a threat. He said that Germany was building up their navy for all the wrong reasons, it was an act of aggression and not of defense. Also, another part that gave Germany the grounds to complain to the British government was when Churchill said that they will always have more battleships than any other country in the world and that they should not challenge them. This is also a threat because it's basically telling the Germans that they should stop building their battleships because they will always be out done.
I believe that Churchill intended to threaten Germany and all of her alliances so that other countries would be aware of Germany's actions and that they possibly might try to start a war. This is true because Britain saw Germany as a threat and wanted other countries to see this so that they could possibly join Britain in an alliance against Germany. Even though he clearly said that he wants to be friendly but that's just to convince Germany that they are "friends," or in other words he is friends with Germany on the outside but on the inside he hates Germany. Basically, Britain isn't ready to fight Germany alone, he wants back-up; however he believes that he can put a stop to Germany's growing power by threatening them that they will never have the top naval fleet.
In Churchill's eyes he sees that the German fleets are for luxury and expansion, while on the other hand he defends the British fleet as defensive and primarily to defend the colonies that they have. Churchill believes that Germany is not building a naval fleet for their own good but to promote and possibly start a war. He compares Germany's fleet with his fleet by saying his fleet is for protection of Great Britain and the colonies. He also says no other country should try to compete with them because they will always be out done, which is a tacit warning to Germany and any other country who tries to out-navy Great Britain. However, the number of battleships or the naval arms race is the similarity Great Britain has with Germany.
2. Look carefully at the language Churchill uses in describing the German fleet. What impression of the German fleet does his choice of language give?
Churchill's choice of language gives off the impression that the German fleet is there strictly in aggression and to possibly start a war. Churchill describes the German fleet as a "nature of a luxury" for the Germans and that they are going to use it for expansion into other countries and make colonies. This choice of language shows that Churchill sees and wants everyone else to see that the German's growing power in the navy is a threat. Also, before Churchill describes the supposed reasons behind the increasing naval fleet he describes Germany as a friendly Empire, which shows that Great Britain wanted to stay friends with Germany but wanted to stop their increasing power because they saw it as a threat.
3. What does Churchill mean by "the ratio which our naval strength will have to bear to other great naval Powers"?
Well a ratio is a comparison of common objects that are different in number, therefore by using this definition Churchill means that the number of battleships in his fleet must be greater than all the other naval fleets in the world. Normally in a ratio there is one greater number and another number of lesser value, so Churchill wants to be the greater value number in a ratio and doesn't want any other nation to out navy Britain.
4. How exactly is Churchill threatening Germany in this speech?
Churchill is threatening Germany in this speech by declaring that they shouldn't increase their navy anymore because they will always out-number them, and by trying to influence the citizens and other countries to be aware of Germany as an increasing power and a threat. Churchill names the reason, that he believes, why Germany is increasing its navy and by this he creates a feeling of patriotism which is an attempt for the citizens to join him in the arms race and for other countries to see Germany as a threat.
5. This speech was studied very carefully by the German government (as Churchill knew it would be). Which parts of it might give the German government grounds to complain to the British government? What do you think was the effect Churchill intended this speech to have in Germany?
One part of the speech that gave the German government grounds to complain to the British government was the part where Churchill tried to use literary propaganda to start a war against Germany, to turn everyone against Germany. Churchill did this by tacitly talking about Germany being a threat. He said that Germany was building up their navy for all the wrong reasons, it was an act of aggression and not of defense. Also, another part that gave Germany the grounds to complain to the British government was when Churchill said that they will always have more battleships than any other country in the world and that they should not challenge them. This is also a threat because it's basically telling the Germans that they should stop building their battleships because they will always be out done.
I believe that Churchill intended to threaten Germany and all of her alliances so that other countries would be aware of Germany's actions and that they possibly might try to start a war. This is true because Britain saw Germany as a threat and wanted other countries to see this so that they could possibly join Britain in an alliance against Germany. Even though he clearly said that he wants to be friendly but that's just to convince Germany that they are "friends," or in other words he is friends with Germany on the outside but on the inside he hates Germany. Basically, Britain isn't ready to fight Germany alone, he wants back-up; however he believes that he can put a stop to Germany's growing power by threatening them that they will never have the top naval fleet.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Bismarck & Europe-1871-1878
1. What were Otto von Bismarck's aims in foreign policy following Germany's victory over France in 1871?
Otto von Bismarck's aims in foreign policy following Germany's victory over France in 1871 were to isolate France from all the other countries, and make Austria-Hungary and Russia less belligerent against each other. Bismarck's reasons behind his aims were that he was afraid of France declaring war on Germany for revenge and a major conflic arising in the Balkans with Austria-Hungary and Russia. His idea was to "keep rivalries simmering but to prevent them boiling over," in other words he wanted them to still be in conflict so as to not join together and go against Germany but not so much as to make them go into war with each other.
One way Bismarck kept the pot simmering but not "boiling over" was by making sure that the countries knew that he was not there to fight. He did this by diplomatically conversing with the German Kaiser, the Habsburg Emperor, and the Tsar of Russia. In the summer of 1871 he had these diplomatic gatherings and therefore the Three Emperor's League, also known as the Dreikaiserbund, was made in October of 1873. Bismarck did not have the idea of the treaty, however he agreed to it and liked it because it went along with his purposes. The treaty went along with his purposes by forcing the countries to talk to each other and compromise rather than going into a war. As one can see, Otto von Bismarck did a pretty decent job of trying to keep the countries together, having "peace and stability."
However, Bismarck had trouble keeping France isolated. Bismarck publicly said in a newspaper something disrespectful and taunting about France, which made France even more revengeful. His intention was to try to diminish their fast pace of rebuilding their army, because since the war in 1871 they had been rebuilding their army pretty quickly. This statement just made war more possible with France and made Bismarck look a little careless. His intention to deminish their rebuild of the army backfired because France made an agreement with Britain and Russia that made the countries promise to support France to fight against Germany if they were to attack. In conclusion, Otto von Bismarck's aim to isolate France went terribly wrong because of an article in a newspaper which made France make an alliance with Russia and Britain.
2. Why did events between the years 1875-78 in the Balkans lead to a crisis between the Great Powers?
Events between the years 1875 and 1878 in the Balkans lead to a crisis between the Great Powers because Russia felt obliged to help the Slavic Christians, Austria-Hungary wasn't willing to intervene, Germany wanted to keep peace and stability, and Britain took charge and wanted the land. All of these factors between the countries played a major role in the crisis. On the bright side of the crisis, in the beginning, none of the countries wanted to accelerate the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and were willing to try to find a compromise.
First, Russia felt obliged to aid the Christian Slavs if their Muslim Turkish rulers treated them with cruelty and oppression. The Russians felt this way because they were the leaders of the Orthodox Church. What made the crisis even more complicated was the encouragement and intervening of Britain, who was and decided to take the role of the leader in an attempt to try to reduce the tensions in the Dreikaiserbund. Unfortunately, the countries failed to find a compromise after a rumor spread that the Turks had masacred ten thousand Bulgarians. This made public opinion stir in both Russia and Britain. Britain was now against Turkey, which prevented the pursui of support from Turkey against Russia. Now Russia felt even more obliged to intervene, especially from all the public pressure to intervene. Eventually several thousand Russian volunteers were fighting in Serbia by 1877, which was financed by many Slavic Committees. However, Russia was hesitant to declare war because they were in a major depression and had a bad harvest season. By spring of 1877 Austrians declared themselves neutral in the Russo-Turkish war as long as their Balkan interests were respected. Then Britain made it perfectly clear that "she would not tolereate the sweeping of Russiain gains at Turkey's expense." At this point every country refused to compromise, they saw that there could be no solution and only wanted something for themselves in the outcome of the war. Not one of the countries saw the other's plans as fair. Finally, in 1877 after Serbia defeated the Turks Russia folded under the pressure and delcared war, but when the peace treaty was made Germany and Britain, mostly Britain, persuaded Russia to revise the peace treaty so that it would be more fair. Britain did this by summoning troops from India to Turkish waters who were ready to sail in the Black Sea. Therefore the treaty was revised in Berlin in the summer of 1878. As one can see, the statements and moves done by Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia lead to a crisis between the Great Powers because they all wanted something different, refused to find a solution, and wanted everything to be fair.
Otto von Bismarck's aims in foreign policy following Germany's victory over France in 1871 were to isolate France from all the other countries, and make Austria-Hungary and Russia less belligerent against each other. Bismarck's reasons behind his aims were that he was afraid of France declaring war on Germany for revenge and a major conflic arising in the Balkans with Austria-Hungary and Russia. His idea was to "keep rivalries simmering but to prevent them boiling over," in other words he wanted them to still be in conflict so as to not join together and go against Germany but not so much as to make them go into war with each other.
One way Bismarck kept the pot simmering but not "boiling over" was by making sure that the countries knew that he was not there to fight. He did this by diplomatically conversing with the German Kaiser, the Habsburg Emperor, and the Tsar of Russia. In the summer of 1871 he had these diplomatic gatherings and therefore the Three Emperor's League, also known as the Dreikaiserbund, was made in October of 1873. Bismarck did not have the idea of the treaty, however he agreed to it and liked it because it went along with his purposes. The treaty went along with his purposes by forcing the countries to talk to each other and compromise rather than going into a war. As one can see, Otto von Bismarck did a pretty decent job of trying to keep the countries together, having "peace and stability."
However, Bismarck had trouble keeping France isolated. Bismarck publicly said in a newspaper something disrespectful and taunting about France, which made France even more revengeful. His intention was to try to diminish their fast pace of rebuilding their army, because since the war in 1871 they had been rebuilding their army pretty quickly. This statement just made war more possible with France and made Bismarck look a little careless. His intention to deminish their rebuild of the army backfired because France made an agreement with Britain and Russia that made the countries promise to support France to fight against Germany if they were to attack. In conclusion, Otto von Bismarck's aim to isolate France went terribly wrong because of an article in a newspaper which made France make an alliance with Russia and Britain.
2. Why did events between the years 1875-78 in the Balkans lead to a crisis between the Great Powers?
Events between the years 1875 and 1878 in the Balkans lead to a crisis between the Great Powers because Russia felt obliged to help the Slavic Christians, Austria-Hungary wasn't willing to intervene, Germany wanted to keep peace and stability, and Britain took charge and wanted the land. All of these factors between the countries played a major role in the crisis. On the bright side of the crisis, in the beginning, none of the countries wanted to accelerate the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and were willing to try to find a compromise.
First, Russia felt obliged to aid the Christian Slavs if their Muslim Turkish rulers treated them with cruelty and oppression. The Russians felt this way because they were the leaders of the Orthodox Church. What made the crisis even more complicated was the encouragement and intervening of Britain, who was and decided to take the role of the leader in an attempt to try to reduce the tensions in the Dreikaiserbund. Unfortunately, the countries failed to find a compromise after a rumor spread that the Turks had masacred ten thousand Bulgarians. This made public opinion stir in both Russia and Britain. Britain was now against Turkey, which prevented the pursui of support from Turkey against Russia. Now Russia felt even more obliged to intervene, especially from all the public pressure to intervene. Eventually several thousand Russian volunteers were fighting in Serbia by 1877, which was financed by many Slavic Committees. However, Russia was hesitant to declare war because they were in a major depression and had a bad harvest season. By spring of 1877 Austrians declared themselves neutral in the Russo-Turkish war as long as their Balkan interests were respected. Then Britain made it perfectly clear that "she would not tolereate the sweeping of Russiain gains at Turkey's expense." At this point every country refused to compromise, they saw that there could be no solution and only wanted something for themselves in the outcome of the war. Not one of the countries saw the other's plans as fair. Finally, in 1877 after Serbia defeated the Turks Russia folded under the pressure and delcared war, but when the peace treaty was made Germany and Britain, mostly Britain, persuaded Russia to revise the peace treaty so that it would be more fair. Britain did this by summoning troops from India to Turkish waters who were ready to sail in the Black Sea. Therefore the treaty was revised in Berlin in the summer of 1878. As one can see, the statements and moves done by Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia lead to a crisis between the Great Powers because they all wanted something different, refused to find a solution, and wanted everything to be fair.
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