CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I

ALLIANCE SYSTEM / SYSTEM OF ALLIANCES

The alliance system was started by Bismarck, the German Chancellor from 1871 to 1890. After the Franco-
Prussian War, Bismarck held that Germany was a "satiated state" which should give up ideas of further
conquest. Thus Bismarck organized a system of alliances designed to maintain Germany's hegemony on the
European continent. France was determined to challenge the hegemony of Germany because France had been
defeated by Germany in 1871 and had been forced to cede two provinces (Alsace-Lorraine) to Germany.
Bismarck tried to befriend Austria, Russia, Italy and Britain in order to isolate France.

DREIKAISERBUND 1872 – Also known as the League of the Three Emperors (1872). Bismarck's aim for forming
this League was to isolate France by making friends with Austria and Russia. The partners were Kaiser William I
of Germany, Czar Alexander II of Russia and Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria. These three rulers agreed: (i)
to maintain the existing territorial arrangements in Europe; (ii) to resist the spread of revolutionary (e.g.
socialist) movements; and (iii) to consult one another if any international difficulties arose.

France was being diplomatically isolated. But the underlying weakness of this personal understanding
between the three emperors was the rivalry between Austria and Russia over the Balkan Peninsula. Both
sought to dominate the Balkans. It was difficult for Bismarck to keep them in the same camp.

DUAL ALLIANCE 1879

The Congress of Berlin 1878: Rivalry between Austria and Russia in the Balkans came to a head in 1877-78. In
1875, five Balkan states revolted against the Turkish rule. Russia supported the Balkan states and defeated
Turkey. On March 8, 1878, Turkey was forced to sign the Treaty of San Stefano, in which an independent, Big
Bulgaria was created. Seeing that this Bulgaria would be a Russian puppet, Austria intervened, backed up by
Britain, the traditional rival of Russia in the eastern Mediterranean. Bismarck volunteered to act as an "honest
broker" and called the Congress of Berlin to settle the Balkan problems. At this Congress, Germany sided with
Austria and Britain. Russia had to give up the Treaty of San Stefano and sign the Treaty of Berlin. The Treaty
split Bulgaria into three parts (Bulgarian Proper was to be independent, Eastern Rumelia and Macedonia were
to be ruled under Turkish sovereignty.) and brought Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austrian military
occupation (but not annexation). Russia felt diplomatically humiliated. The anger of Russia turned against
Bismarck because he chaired the Congress.

Germany sided with Austria: Unable to maintain friendly relations with both Austria and Russia, Bismarck
chose Austria to be his ally because firstly, Germany preferred a weaker partner which could be more easily
controlled; secondly, alliance with Austria would throw open the Danube valley to German trade; thirdly,
Austria had racial ties with Germany; fourthly, such an alliance would enable Germany to exercise influence in
the Balkans; and fifthly, alliance with Russia would antagonize Britain as Britain did not like her colonial rival to
be supported by a strong power.

The terms of the Dual Alliance: On October 7, 1879 Bismarck made the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary.
The terms were: (i) each would support the other militarily until the end of the war if attacked by Russia or by
Russia and another power; and (ii) each agreed to remain neutral if her ally was attacked by a power other
than Russia.

Consequence: The Dual Alliance gave Germany a firm military ally but committed her more to the support of
Austrian interests in the Balkans. In the meantime, however, Bismarck still wanted to keep the friendship of
Russia for fear that Russia would turn to the side of France, in which case Germany would face an enemy on
both east and west.

SECOND DREIKAISERBUND 1881 -Also known as The Second Three Emperors' League (1881).Bismarck still
wanted to keep Russian friendship after the signing of Dual Alliance (1879) with Austria. The year 1881 was
particularly favourable for the restoration of the League of the three conservative Emperors. In that year, Czar
Alexander III ascended the Russian throne after the assassination of Alexander II. The fate of his father made
Alexander III ready for a renewal of the Three Emperors' League of 1872 which promised to suppress the
revolutionary movements.

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The terms of the League were: ( i ) the Balkans was to be divided into two spheres of influence--the western
Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina) belonged to Austria and the eastern Balkans (Bulgaria) belonged to Russia;
(ii) the three Emperors agreed to consult one another if there was another Balkan crisis, and (iii) the three
Emperors agreed to preserve benevolent neutrality if any one of them found himself at war with a fourth
power. The League could not last long because Austria and Russia would soon rival over the Balkan Peninsula
again.

TRIPLE ALLIANCE 1882

Franco-Italian rivalry in Tunis: Bismarck had tactfully encouraged France to expand overseas in the hope of
diverting her attention away from Alsace-Lorraine. French annexation of Tunis in northern Africa in 1881
alienated Italy, which was ambitious to build up an Italian empire in Africa. Italy was thus driven into
Bismarck's camp in anger.

The terms of the alliance

(i) if Italy or Germany was attacked by France, each would aid the other; (ii) if Austria was attacked by Russia,
Italy would remain neutral, although Austria would aid Italy if she was attacked by France; (iii) if one of the
parties was attacked by two or more powers, the other signatories were to come to her aid; and (iv) at Italy's
request, both Austria and Germany agreed that in no case would the Treaty operate against Britain.

Note: Italy and the Triple Alliance: The position of Italy in the Triple Alliance seemed to be rather dubious. It
was because the reasons which had impelled Italy to join the Triple Alliance were no longer important. By
1900, the Italians had resigned themselves to the loss of Tunis. They wanted to conquer Tripoli with French
support. Moreover, by 1900, Italy needed not fear any attempt by the French monarchist-clericals to intervene
in her domestic politics on behalf of the Pope as the republicans had secured power in France. Thus, in 1900, a
secret arrangement was concluded between France and Italy: France was given a free hand in Morocco, Italy
in Tripoli. In 1902, another secret agreement was made between France and Italy: each promised to be neutral
if either was provoked into declaring war on a third power. This ran contrary to the terms of the Triple Alliance,
by which Italy promised to aid Germany in case of a Franco-German war. By 1909 Italy made her Racconigi
Agreement with Russia. By this Italy would remain neutral in any Russian attempt to regain the control of the
Straits and Constantinople in return for Russian diplomatic support for the Italian conquest of Tripoli. These
Italian agreements made the Triple Alliance almost null and void.

Consequence: the emergence of the first alliance camp - By this time, a powerful bloc had been formed in
central Europe. Germany was now guaranteed against Russia by Austria, and against France by Italy. Bismarck
had successfully kept the friendship of both Russia, Austria and Italy and kept France completely isolated. He
was indeed a skilful diplomat who was able to handle the European powers for Germany's advantage. Yet
Italy's commitment to the Triple Alliance was doubtful because the arch-enemy of Italian unity had been
Austria which still kept Italia Irredenta; on the other hand, France was the friend of Italian unity. Once Italy's
anger over Tunis cooled off, she would prefer an alliance with France to that with Austria.

Reinsurance Treaty 1887: Austro-Russian rivalry over Bulgaria (see below) led to the collapse of the Second
Three Emperors' League again. Bismarck secretly made a treaty with Russia without informing Austria. Russia
and Germany would observe neutrality towards each other if either became involved in war with a third
power, except if Germany attacked France or if Russia attacked Austria-Hungary. By making this treaty,
Bismarck had been able to prevent his nightmare -- a two front war--from being realized.

Austro-Russian rivalry over Bulgaria: According to the terms of the Second Three Emperors' League, Bulgaria
was recognized as a Russian sphere of influence The Bulgarians were experiencing an awakening of national
self consciousness and did not want to be dominated by the Russians. In 1885, in defiance of the Treaty of
Berlin, the Bulgarians united Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia. Russia objected to the emergence of a large anti-
Russian state but Austria and Britain gave their recognition to the union of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia.
Russia hated the Austrians for breaking the terms of the Second Three Emperors League and allowed the
League to lapse in 1887.

Change of German Policy after 1890: Bismarck made no formal alliance with Britain but remained on friendly
terms with her. He did his best to avoid colonial conflicts with Britain and always declared that "Britain was
Germany's old and traditional ally" and "there were no differences between England and Germany."
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Kaiser William II - His ambition: Bismarck was a skilful diplomat. For twenty years, he made Germany the
centre of the diplomatic stage. France was kept isolated, but Austria, Russia, Italy and Britain were on friendly
terms with Germany. Bismarck's alliances were non-aggressive and kept Europe at peace. Yet after 1890,
Bismarck fell from power and the new Kaiser took matters into his own hands. Kaiser William II was ambitious,
rash and aggressive by nature. Rejecting the idea that Germany was a "satiated state", he wanted to make
Germany not only a European power but a world power. He advocated Drang nach Osten (the drive eastwards
into the Balkans and Middle East), colonial expansion and naval expansion. He was also influenced by Pan-
German feelings to support Austria's expansionist policy in the Balkans. To pursue his ambitions, he often
adopted blackmailing, threats and other unpopular methods. From 1890 to 1907, he succeeded in alienating
Britain, France and Russia, and thus helped to create a rival bloc of anti-German alliances.

FRANCO-RUSSIAN ALLIANCE 1893

Russo-German friendship ended: When William II came to hold absolute power in Germany, he thought that
sooner or later Germany would clash with Russia; so he allowed the Reinsurance Treaty to lapse. He stressed
Germany's political and military ties with Austria instead. Such a policy, together with the growing Pan-
Germanism, aroused strong Russian suspicion. Russia naturally turned to the side of France, which was the
irreconcilable enemy of Germany.

Russia turned to France: Although at first there seemed little possibility for Czarist Russia to ally with
Republican France, two factors made such an alliance possible: firstly, both felt necessary to form a military
pact to offset the military threat of Germany; and secondly, France had floated several huge loans to help
Russia to industrialise.

Alliance formed: The terms of the alliance were as follows: (i) if France was attacked by Germany or Germany
and her ally (Italy), Russia would aid France; in return, if Russia was attacked by Germany or Germany and her
ally (Austria), France would aid Russia; (ii) if one or more members of the Triple Alliance mobilized, they would
mobilize to help one another automatically; and (iii) this agreement would continue as long as the Triple
Alliance was in force.

Consequence: The Dual Alliance ended the isolation of France, created a rival alliance to the Triple Alliance,
and, most serious of all, faced Germany with the threat of a two front war. But William II failed to sense the
danger at the time. He was contented to have Austria as an ally and continued his drive for power and
prestige.

END OF BRITISH ISOLATION

Frantic British Efforts to Win Allies (1893-1902): After the formation of the Franco-Russian Alliance, Britain
found herself diplomatically isolated. Throughout the 19th century, she had followed the policy of 'splendid
isolation', i.e. to avoid involvement in European affairs. But by the late 19th century, she felt that this policy
was no longer a practical policy, for she could no longer command respect in world politics. This was
illustrated by the following three incidents:

(i) In 1895, the Continental Group forced Japan to hand back Liaotung Peninsula to China. Britain was
excluded. (The Continental Group made up of France, Germany and Russia. Even though these three powers
did not cooperate in Europe, they sometimes cooperated in the Ear East.)

(ii) In 1896, Dr. Jameson, encouraged and supported by the British Prime Minister of the Cape Colony,
organized a raid into the Dutch Republic of Transvaal in South Africa. (Britain had long desired to obtain more
colonies in Africa. Jameson Raid was one example of the British colonizing efforts.) The raid failed and Dr.
Jameson and his raiders were all captured by the Dutch (Boers). Public opinion in most of the European
countries was strongly anti-British. Kaiser William II congratulated on the Dutch efforts by sending the famous
'Kruger Telegram' to President Kruger of Transvaal. The European reactions to the Jameson Raid suggested
that Britain had no diplomatic support in Europe.

(iii) Between 1893 and 1898, in Armenia, the Turkish Sultan slaughtered 200,000 of his Christian subjects.
Britain's suggestion of sending a navy to the Armenian shore to rescue the Christians went unheeded.

British-German alliance failed: Britain at first sought to make some sort of alliance with Germany, but she
failed because: (i) Germany wanted Britain to join the Triple Alliance, but Britain refused for fear that it would

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involve her in European conflicts of no direct concern to Britain, (ii) Germany's naval expansion after 1898
threatened Britain's naval supremacy, and (iii) Germany's colonial interests clashed with those of Britain in
China and the Balkans.

Note: Germany wanted to divide China into spheres of influence but Britain wanted to keep an open door for
trade for all nations in every part of China. In the Balkans, Germany wanted to bring Turkey under the
economic and political control of Germany. But Britain tried to maintain the integrity of the Turkish Empire for
fear that if Germany controlled Turkey, she would threaten the British naval and economic interests in the
Mediterranean.

Anglo-Japanese Alliance 1902: Consequently Britain concluded an alliance with Japan in 1902. The Alliance
was important in European diplomatic relations in two ways: (i) Britain had abandoned her policy of isolation,
and (ii) since Britain could make use of Japan to check Russian aggression in the Far East, her fear of Russian
colonial expansion lessened and this helped to pave the way for their future cooperation.

ENTENTE CORDIALE 1904

Britain and France needed mutual support: After concluding the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Britain was still
looking for a European ally. She naturally turned to France, the irreconcilable enemy of Germany. France also
wanted Britain as her ally. France did not want to support Russia in a war in the Far East because it would
mean a war with both Britain and Japan (Britain's ally in the Anglo-Japanese alliance). Alliance with Britain
might absolve France from supporting Russia. In Africa, France wanted to settle many of her colonial disputes
with Britain peacefully and gained the help of the latter in acquiring Morocco. (Morocco was rich in mineral
and agricultural wealth, so France wanted to take over it as her colony.)

Note: There were many conflicts between Britain and France in Africa. In 1898, the conflict at Fashoda in
North Africa nearly brought them into a war. But France realized that her greatest foe was Germany. Thus she
wanted to settle her conflicts with Britain and concentrate her efforts against Germany.
Edward VII favoured French co-operation

The last obstacle to the formation of the British and French Entente was removed in 1901. In that year Queen
Victoria died and was succeeded by her son Edward VII. Kaiser William II was Victoria's grandson, his mother
having been the Queen's daughter. Thus Queen Victoria preferred an alliance of Germany to that of France.
But Edward VII did not share his mother's sentiment towards Germany. His gay, pleasure loving way of life
attracted him to France rather than to Germany. In a visit to Paris in 1903 he made himself highly popular
among the French people. To improve the relations between France and Britain, the French President Loubet
and Foreign Minister, Delcasse paid an official visit to London by the end of 1903.

Terms of the Entente: Consequently Britain reached a series of agreements with France in 1904. These
agreements settled their old colonial disputes in Siam, West Africa, Madagascar, the remote New Hebrides
and fishing rights in Newfoundland. The most important agreement was the one by which France recognized
Egypt and the Sudan as British sphere of influence and Britain recognised Morocco as French sphere of
influence; in addition, both would support each other if their respective spheres of influence were challenged
by a third power.

German reaction: The Entente Cordiale (friendly agreement) was not an alliance in name, but it rapidly
became something like it in fact. Kaiser William II was furious at it, both because it seemed to shut Germany
out of Morocco and because it indicated that British influence would be used in the interests of France, rather
than those of Germany.

ANGLO-RUSSIAN ENTENTE 1907

France had a military alliance with Russia and a friendly agreement with Britain. It now became her concern to
draw her two partners together. She finally succeeded in inducing Britain to settle her disputes with Russia in
1907.

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Anglo-Russian rivalry ended: Britain and Russia had been long-timed rivals in colonial and trade questions in
the Middle and Far East. But several factors made possible their agreement. Firstly, both felt greatly
threatened by Germany. The rapid buildup of the German navy challenged Britain's position as the greatest
naval power in the world. The construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway meant an extension of German
influence into the Balkans and the Turkish Empire, an area which Russia considered as her sphere of influence.
Secondly, both Britain and Russia resented the aggressive nature of William II’s diplomacy, as shown in the
First Moroccan Crisis 1905-06 . Thirdly, Britain considered that now Germany was a more dangerous rival than
Russia to her commercial interests in the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. Fourthly, the growth of the
Balkan states greatly reduced the Russian threat in the Balkans. This lessened Britain's fear of Russia. Fifthly, in
the Far East Britain did not worry about Russian ambition any more as Russia was defeated by Japan in 1905.

Terms of the Entente: Therefore, in 1907, Britain and Russia agreed to settle their colonial disputes in the
following manner. Firstly, Persia was divided into three parts: the north kept by Russia as her sphere of
influence, the south kept by Britain, and the central was to remain under Persian control as a buffer zone.
Secondly, Russia renounced her interests in Afghanistan. Russia and Britain were to enjoy equal trading rights
in the country. Britain gained control of the foreign policy in Afghanistan. (This agreement safeguarded the
security of India, relieving one of the major concerns of Great Britain.) Thirdly, both Russia and Britain
recognized China's suzerainty over Tibet. They treated Tibet as a neutral state between themselves.

Emergence of the second alliance camp: Thus England was bound to France and Russia by Entente and France
and Russia were held together by a firm alliance. This group of three great powers was usually called the Triple
Entente. The European powers had now aligned themselves into two rival camps--the Triple Entente versus
the Triple Alliance.

ALLIANCE SYSTEM AS A CAUSE OF THE WAR

The alliance systems were a cause of the First World War. Firstly, the alliances were made in secret and so
produced much distrust and suspicion among the European powers. Their general suspicion prevented their
diplomats to devise a suitable solution to many of the crises preceding the war. Secondly, the alliances were
always made on a war-footing and so heightened the war tension and led to an arms race among the
European powers. For example, within four years after the formation of the Triple Entente in 1907, Germany
built nine dreadnoughts (battleships) and consequently Britain built eighteen. Thus all the European powers
were ready for war in 1914. Thirdly, since the European powers had made alliances with one another, a small
dispute concerning one power might lead to a war involving all powers. Fourthly, the alliances were originally
strictly defensive but by 1910, many alliances had changed their character. The Austro-German alliance of
1879 was so modified that it had become an aggressive alliance after the Bosnian crisis in 1909, the German
government promised to give military aid to Austria-Hungary, if Austria invaded Serbia and Russia intervened
on behalf of the latter. As alliances had become instruments of national aggression, the chances of war
doubled. Fifthly, after the formation of the Triple Entente, Germany began to feel the threat to her security.
The German press loudly talked about "encirclement", i.e. being surrounded by enemies on all sides. This
induced the aggressive William II to pursue a more vigorous foreign policy in an attempt to break the unity of
the Entente powers. This resulted in a series of international crises from 1905 to 1914.

ECONOMIC RIVALRIES

There were economic conflicts between Germany and Britain from 1890 onwards. Since 1871 Germany had
been experiencing a period of rapid industrialization, and by 1890 the products of her industry were
competing with British manufactures everywhere in the globe and German merchant ships threatened
Britain's carrying trade.

There were also economic struggles between Germany and France. In 1870 France had already lost two of her
coal producing provinces--Alsace and Lorraine to Germany. From 1871 onwards, France had to import coal
from other countries. Thus France had to compete with Germany in Morocco because the place was rich in
mineral resources.

Germany and Austria also rivalled with Russia in the Balkans for commercial privileges. As early as 1888
Germany began to build a railway in the area. Austria regarded the area as a field for profitable investment
and as a big market for her manufactured goods. Russia also hoped to control the area because half of her
exports passed through this area.

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A Minor Cause

Undoubtedly economic rivalries played a considerable part in creating international tensions in the 43 years
before the First World War. As a matter of fact, the economic rivalries have been much exaggerated. The
commercial rivalry between Germany and Russia in the Balkans was not keen, for Russia was not yet a fully
industrialized nation with a surplus of products to be sold abroad. The trade rivalry between Britain and
Germany had also eased off in the ten years before the war because they developed their markets in different
parts of the world -- Britain within her own Empire, and Germany on the continent of Europe. Thus economic
rivalries played a minor part in causing the First World War.

MILITARISM

Militarism denoted a rise in military expenditure, an increase in military and naval forces, more influence of
the military men upon the policies of the civilian government, and a preference for force as a solution to
problems. Militarism was one of the main causes of the First World War.

Increase in military control of the civilian government : After 1907, there was an increase in military influence
on policy making. This could be reflected particularly in Germany and Russia. The German Army at this period
was called a "State within the State". The parliament and the politicians had to follow the General Staff. They
had no say in the army's design to preserve the Fatherland. Even though the Schlieffen Plan would incur the
anger of Great Britain and bring the latter into a war, it was accepted by the German civilian government as
the war plan. In 1914, the Russian generals were also able to force the Czar to accept full mobilization. They
threatened him with the danger of defeat if he acted contrarily.

ARMS RACE

After 1871, the war atmosphere engendered by the secret alliances led to an armaments race among the
powers. The race was particularly serious between 1900 and 1914, as the international situation became much
worse than before. There was a significant rise in the army and naval estimates of the European powers in
these years.

Rise in Military Expenditure: The Total Defence Expenditure of the Powers (in million £) (Germany, Austria-
Hungary, Italy, Britain, France and Russia)

1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1914

It is also important to take notice of the fact that from 1910 to 1914, while France increased her defence
expenditure by 10%, Britain by 13%, Russia by 39%, and Germany was the most militaristic as she increased by
73%. Increased war expenditure enabled all the powers to raise more armies and improve their battleships.

MILITARY RIVALRY

Army conscription: All the Continental European powers had adopted the conscription system since 1870.
France had conscription since the Revolutionary Wars, Austria-Hungary since 1868, Germany since 1870, Italy
since 1873 and Russia since 1874. Only Britain did not have conscription. After 1890, the deteriorating
diplomatic relations among the powers accelerated their military expansion programme.

From 1913 to July 1914, Germany increased her standing forces by 170,000 men. France lengthened her
period of military service from two to three years. Russia lengthened her term of service from three to three
and a half years. Britain did not introduce conscription but had prepared her armed forces for both European
expedition and for home defence. In general, all the powers increased their stocks of arms, produced more
modern weapons of war and built more strategic railways.

Naval Race between Germany and Britain: Britain and Germany were the chief rivals at sea. Under Admiral
Tirpitz, State Secretary of the Imperial Naval Office from 1897, a long-term shipbuilding programme began.
The German Navy Law of 1898 increased the German battleships from nine cruisers to twelve. In 1900
Germany passed a Navy Law which doubled the German battle fleet. In the meantime, Britain produced her
first Dreadnought (literally, the word means fear nothing). Dreadnoughts were large, fast and heavily armed
battleships with 12 inch guns. They set a new standard in naval armaments and rendered all previous
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battleships obsolete. The naval race became intense. Between 1909 and 1911 Germany built nine
Dreadnoughts while Britain completed 18 Dreadnoughts. In 1913, Germany widened the Kiel Canal to allow
the easy passage of her Dreadnoughts from the Baltic to the North Sea while Britain built new naval bases for
the Dreadnoughts in northern Scotland.

EFFECTS

Increased military and naval rivalry led not only to the belief that war was coming (The German ruling group
felt that only through a war could Germany become a world power. Military preparations strengthened this
belief.) and increase in military control of the civilian government (particularly in Germany and Russia) also
increased cooperation among the military staff of the countries of the same camp. For example, all the three
Entente powers held secret military talks. The British and the French naval authorities agreed that the French
navy should be concentrated in the Mediterranean and the British in the North Sea. Germany and Austria also
had military agreements. When the First World War was fought, it was to be fought by all powers because
they had made the military plan cooperatively. As a result of the armaments race, all the European powers
were prepared for a war by 1914.

PRE-WAR CRISES

INTERNATIONAL CRISES (1905-1913): Early in the twentieth century, the European powers had formed
themselves into two rival groups: the TRIPLE ENTENTE versus the TRIPLE ALLIANCE. The policies of these
groups began to clash in many parts of the world. Altogether there were four important clashes from 1905 to
1913: two arising out of the Moroccan question, and two concerning disputes in the Balkans. Whenever a
clash arose, the two groups seemed to be on the point of war.

1. FIRST MOROCCAN CRISIS 1905-06

Franco-German rivalry: Morocco on the northern coast of Africa was rich in mineral and agricultural wealth.
Both Germany and France coveted the place. By her entente with Britain in 1904, France was given a free
hand in Morocco. Kaiser William II, angry at France's influence and at Germany’s exclusion, decided to
intervene. In March 1905, the Kaiser landed at Tangier where he made a speech greeting the Sultan of
Morocco as an independent sovereign and promising him German protection if France attempted to colonize
his state. The German government followed this up by demanding an international conference to clarify the
status of Morocco. Germany's aim of calling a conference was to humiliate France and to split the Entente
because from the point of view of international law, Morocco was an independent state and the French claim
to Morocco was illegal. France was prepared to fight but at last she agreed to settle her conflict with Germany
at a conference.

The Algeciras Conference: At the conference at Algeciras in 1906, Germany was supported by Austria while
France was supported by Britain, Russia and the United States. In name Morocco was preserved as an
independent state whose trade was to be open to all nations; but in fact France was given two special
privileges: (i) she, in conjunction with Spain, was given control over the Moroccan police and (ii) she was to
control the customs and arms supply of Morocco. Thus the Entente powers scored a diplomatic victory over
the Dual Alliance of Germany and Austria.

Consequence: The Algerciras Conference could only offer a temporary solution to the Franco-German conflict.
Germany was dissatisfied with the resolutions of the Conference because they would benefit France more.
France also bore ill feeling towards Germany. She remembered that Germany had tried to browbeat France to
give up Morocco by a threat of war. To prepare for the eventuality of a Franco-German war, France began to
hold secret military conversations with Britain, which finally led to the sending of British army to fight
alongside the French army during the First World War.

2. BOSNIAN CRISIS 1908-09: Each succeeding international crisis from 1905 to 1913 threatened the security of
all the powers and thus increased the hostility between the rival camps. If a war broke out in Europe, it would
naturally become an international war involving all the powers.

National struggles: The Balkan area was a trouble spot in Europe. It was ruled by the despotic Turks. By the
late nineteenth century, many of the subject races of the Turks had gained independence and formed their
national states--Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania and Bulgaria; but these national states were small and

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many of their fellow nationals still lived in the Turkish Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thus the
Balkan states were prepared to carry on a series of struggles against Turkey and Austria-Hungary in order to
win back those territories that were still lived by their fellow nationals. For example, Serbia wanted Austria to
give up Bosnia which had many Serbs.

Intervention of the Great Powers: The national struggles of the Balkan peoples were complicated by the
rivalry between the powers in the area. Of the five great powers, Russia, Austria and Germany were
particularly interested in the area. Russia's interest in the area was based on economic and cultural reasons.
Economically speaking, Russia wanted to find a warm water port in the south because half of Russian total
exports (including nearly all her exports of grains) passed through this area. Many historians have also pointed
out that Russia might need a warm water port for the construction of naval base.

Russian support and Austrian suppression: Culturally speaking, Russia always regarded herself as a member
of the Slav race. As Russia was the powerful Slavic state, she took it as her duty to support her Slav brothers
(e.g. Serbia) in their national struggles against Turkey and Austria. Pan Slavism (the union of all Slavs) was
always espoused as the policy of the Russian government in the Balkans. Austria's interest in the Balkans was
based on political reason. Austria wanted to suppress the nationalist movements in the Balkans, particularly
that in Serbia. By the early twentieth century, Austria wanted to extend her rule over Serbia. This brought her
into conflicts with both Serbia and Russia.

German interest: Germany's interest in the area was based on both economic and cultural reasons.
Economically speaking, the control of the Balkans would provide industrial Germany with abundant supply of
cheap raw materials, a populous market and a large field for profitable investment. From 1888 onwards,
Germany began her economic penetration in the area by building the Baghdad railway, which was ultimately
to connect Berlin with the Persian Gulf. Culturally speaking, the German government believed that the
Germans were spiritually and culturally a superior race and so had a 'historic mission' to dominate the Balkans,
the Middle East, central Europe and Asia. The inferior races should be forced to accept the German culture.

Because of the complicated nationalistic movements and the conflicting interests of the powers in the Balkans,
the area was prolific of crises from 1908 to 1914.

Events leading to the Crisis: Count von Aehrenthal, the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, always wanted to
extend Austrian political control over the Serbs in the Balkans. In 1908, three events caused him to take action
at once. First, a new king had ascended the throne in Serbia. The new king, Peter, was strongly anti-Austrian
and he wanted to unite with his fellow nationals in Bosnia, which had been under Austrian administration
since the Congress of Berlin in 1878. Second, in 1908 a revolution, known as the 'Young Turk Revolution',
broke out in the Ottoman Empire. The Young Turks were liberal reformers and young officers. They demanded
the Sultan to grant a parliament and a modern constitution and to liberalize his despotic rule. In July 1908,
they rose in rebellion and threatened to march to Constantinople. The Sultan Abdul Hamid II gave way at once
and agreed to restore a constitution. Taking advantage of the chaos at Constantinople, Ferdinand of Bulgaria
threw off his last shreds of allegiance to the Sultan and proclaimed himself King of Bulgaria. Crete proclaimed
herself united with Greece. Austria also wanted to take advantage of this chaotic situation. Third, Russia's
defeats in the Far East had turned her attention back to the Balkans again. In September 1908, the Russian
Foreign Minister, Alexander Izvolski made a political bargain with Count von Aehrenthal: Russia agreed not to
oppose Austrian annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina if Austria agreed to raise no objections against the opening
of the Dardanelles to Russian warships.

Austrian annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina: While Izvolski was trying to gain approval from the other powers
about the opening of the straits, Austria suddenly annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 6. Thus Austria
had strengthened her position in the Balkans without giving the Russians any compensation. Russia was
indignant. The country which was as indignant as Russia over the Austrian action was Serbia. The inhabitants
of Bosnia and Herzegovina were primarily South Slavs; Serbia had long cherished the dream of creating a
Greater Serbia which should include Serbia proper and all the neighbouring kindred people. The Austrian
annexation dashed this dream to the ground. Serbia was ready for war and asked for support from Russia. War
seemed imminent but Russia was obliged to back down because England and France were unwilling to
become involved in this issue and because Germany promised to give military support to Austria (The Kaiser
said, "a knight in shining armour will be found by her [Austrian side.").

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Greater Serbia Movement: All the Serbs in the Turkish Empire, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in Serbia
and in fact in southern Europe were to be united together to form an independent country. That was the
dream of the Serbs.

Bosnian Crisis – Consequences: The Bosnian crisis had harmful consequences for the peace of Europe.

Firstly, Russia felt humiliated and was determined that this must not come again. Immediately after the crisis,
the Russian government intensified her armaments programme and sent Izvolski as ambassador in Paris in
order to get more support from France.

Secondly, the annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina made Serbia the irreconcilable enemy of Austria. Without
Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia could never become a united state and could not have an outlet to the sea. The
Serbian nationalists foamed a secret society, the Black Hand, in 1911. The society aimed to provoke revolt in
Bosnia and war with Austria. Young Bosnians were trained to assassinate Austrian officials in Bosnia.

Thirdly, as a result of the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria had more Serbs than the Kingdom of
Serbia itself. Three fifths of the South Slavs were now under Austrian rule.

The Slavs were opposed to the annexation, so Austria had great difficulties in ruling these two provinces.
Troubled by the restlessness of the Slavs and encouraged by the German promises of support (Moltke, the
German Chief of Staff, wrote to Conrad, the Austrian Chief of Staff, "the moment Russia mobilizes, Germany
will also mobilize", and "his deepest regret is that a chance has been let slip which will not soon offer itself
again in favourable conditions!"), Austria wanted to crush Serbia if a new opportunity arose.

3. SECOND MOROCCAN CRISIS 1911

Continued rivalry between France and Germany: The French were not satisfied with their partial control of
Morocco since 1906. France wanted to have complete control of the country. After 1906 France steadily
increased her influence in the country. In 1908, the French installed a pro-French Sultan on the throne. In May
1911, the French forces occupied Fez, the capital of Morocco, in order to suppress a rising against the pro-
French Sultan.

The Germans responded by sending a gunboat Panther to Agadir, a strategic port on the Atlantic coast. The
British feared that Germany would make Agadir as a German naval base on the British naval route (the Cape
Route). So Britain protested against Germany and backed up France to fight against Germany. War seemed to
be inevitable.

Because of British support of France, Germany gave in. In a negotiated settlement, France (together with
Spain) gained most of Morocco, leaving a small portion opposite Gibraltar to Spain. Germany was
compensated with a strip of the French Congo. (This was a consolation price to Germany.)

Consequence: The Agadir crisis also had harmful consequences for the peace of Europe.

On the one hand, as Germany had suffered a diplomatic defeat, she was unwilling to suffer another diplomatic
defeat again.

On the other hand, the British, French and Russian governments were alarmed by the aggressive attitude of
the Germans. They remembered that Germany had tried to dictate the world by force for three times since
1905, firstly in the first Moroccan crisis of 19056, secondly, in the Bosnian crisis of 1909 and finally in the
second Moroccan Crisis of 1911. After the crisis, the Entente powers exchanged information about the
conditions of their army and navy. In 1912, Britain and France made a naval agreement that in the event of a
war, the British fleet should guard the North Sea and the English channel, while the French fleet was to be
deployed in the Mediterranean.

4. BALKAN WARS 1912-13

After the Young Turk Revolution, the Turkish government remained weak and inefficient. In 1911 Italy
attacked Tripoli. In 1912, by the Treaty of Lausanne, Italy received Tripoli from Turkey.

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First Balkan War 1912: Exploiting the chaotic political situation following the Turkish defeat in 1912, the
Balkan states -- Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro--formed the Balkan League and declared war on
Turkey in October 1912. They aimed to partition the Turkish Empire. From October 1912 to May 1913, the
League won series of battles and Turkey could only retain the areas around Constantinople. The powers
watched the victory of the League with great anxiety. Austria wanted to stop Serbia from becoming too
powerful and was determined not to allow Serbia to get a seaport on the Adriatic. The powers intervened and
imposed their own settlement, the Treaty of London. The most important provision of the Treaty was that, on
Austria's insistence, a new state, Albania, was created to prevent Serbia from getting a coastline on the
Adriatic. To compensate for this, Serbia was given a large part of Macedonia.

Second Balkan War 1913: Bulgaria had long regarded Macedonia as her possession. Her quarrels with Serbia
soon developed into a war. In the second Balkan War, Bulgaria alone fought against Serbia, Montenegro,
Rumania, Greece and Turkey. The war was soon over. Bulgaria was soundly defeated. The territorial
settlement made after the First Balkan War was largely preserved except that Turkey and Rumania gained
some valuable territory.

Balkan Wars – Consequence: The consequences of the Balkan Wars directly led to the outbreak of the First
World War.

Firstly, Serbia was twice victorious in the Balkan wars and was larger than ever--her area doubled as she got a
large part of Macedonia. The desire to make herself larger by including all fellow nationals in a united Slav
state was intensified. This brought her more sharply into collision with Austria which ruled eight million Serbs
and Croats and which prevented Serbia from getting a coastline.

Secondly, Austria found that the Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina grew increasingly troublesome. She was
determined to attack Serbia before it was too late.

Thirdly, the Kaiser knew that Austria was her only dependable ally in Europe. He assured the Austrian Foreign
Minister that ‘You can be certain I stand behind you and am ready to draw the sword whenever your action
makes it necessary.’

Fourthly, the Russian Czar felt that Russia had suffered a diplomatic defeat because she could not obtain
Albania for Serbia due to Austrian insistence. In order to recover her lost prestige in the Balkans, the Czar
declared in February 1914, "For Serbia, we shall do everything."

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