CH 29 Sec 1 - Marching Towards War PDF
CH 29 Sec 1 - Marching Towards War PDF
CH 29 Sec 1 - Marching Towards War PDF
Kaiser
Wilhelm II
Triple
Entente
SETTING THE STAGE At the turn of the 20th century, the nations of Europe
had been largely at peace with one another for nearly 30 years. This was no accident. Efforts to outlaw war and achieve a permanent peace had been gaining
momentum in Europe since the middle of the 19th century. By 1900, hundreds
of peace organizations were active. In addition, peace congresses convened regularly between 1843 and 1907. Some Europeans believed that progress had made
war a thing of the past. Yet in a little more than a decade, a massive war would
engulf Europe and spread across the globe.
ism, or a deep devotion to ones nation. Nationalism can serve as a unifying force
within a country. However, it also can cause intense competition among nations,
with each seeking to overpower the other. By the turn of the 20th century, a fierce
rivalry indeed had developed among Europes Great Powers. Those nations were
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France.
This increasing rivalry among European nations stemmed from several
sources. Competition for materials and markets was one. Territorial disputes
were another. France, for example, had never gotten over the loss of AlsaceLorraine to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War (1870). Austria-Hungary and
Russia both tried to dominate in the Balkans, a region in southeast Europe.
Within the Balkans, the intense nationalism of Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians,
and other ethnic groups led to demands for independence.
TAKING NOTES
Summarizing Create a
time line of major events
that led to the start of
World War I.
event
one
event
two
event
three
event
four
Imperialism and Militarism Another force that helped set the stage for war in
Europe was imperialism. As Chapter 27 explained, the nations of Europe competed fiercely for colonies in Africa and Asia. The quest for colonies sometimes
pushed European nations to the brink of war. As European countries continued
to compete for overseas empires, their sense of rivalry and mistrust of one
another deepened.
The Great War 841
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Yet another troubling development throughout the early years of the 20th century
was the rise of a dangerous European arms race. The nations of Europe believed
that to be truly great, they needed to have a powerful military. By 1914, all the
Great Powers except Britain had large standing armies. In addition, military
experts stressed the importance of being able to quickly mobilize, or organize and
move troops in case of a war. Generals in each country developed highly detailed
plans for such a mobilization.
The policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war
was known as militarism. Having a large and strong standing army made citizens
feel patriotic. However, it also frightened some people. As early as 1895, Frdric
Passy, a prominent peace activist, expressed a concern that many shared:
PRIMARY SOURCE
The entire able-bodied population are preparing to massacre one another; though no
one, it is true, wants to attack, and everybody protests his love of peace and
determination to maintain it, yet the whole world feels that it only requires some
unforeseen incident, some unpreventable accident, for the spark to fall in a flash . . .
and blow all Europe sky-high.
FRDRIC PASSY, quoted in Nobel: The Man and His Prizes
Tangled Alliances
Growing rivalries and mutual mistrust had led to the creation
of several military alliances among the Great Powers as
early as the 1870s. This alliance system had been designed
to keep peace in Europe. But it would instead help push the
continent into war.
Bismarck Forges Early Pacts Between 1864 and 1871,
Kaiser Wilhelm II
18591941
Wilhelm II was related to the leaders
of two nations he eventually would
engage in war. Wilhelm, George V of
Great Britain, and Nicholas II of
Russia were all cousins.
The kaiser thought a great deal of
himself and his place in history.
Once, when a doctor told him he
had a small cold, Wilhelm reportedly
responded, No, it is a big cold.
Everything about me must be big.
He also could be sly and deceitful.
After forcing the popular Bismarck to
resign, Wilhelm pretended to be
upset. Most people, however,
including Bismarck, were not fooled.
842 Chapter 29
Germanyforced Bismarck to resign. A proud and stubborn man, Wilhelm II did not wish to share power with anyone. Besides wanting to assert his own power, the new
kaiser was eager to show the world just how mighty
Germany had become. The army was his greatest pride. I
and the army were born for one another, Wilhelm declared
shortly after taking power.
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Wilhelm let his nations treaty with Russia lapse in 1890. Russia responded by
forming a defensive military alliance with France in 1892 and 1894. Such an
alliance had been Bismarcks fear. War with either Russia or France would make
Germany the enemy of both. Germany would then be forced to fight a two-front
war, or a war on both its eastern and western borders.
Next, Wilhelm began a tremendous shipbuilding program in an effort to make
the German navy equal to that of the mighty British fleet. Alarmed, Great Britain
formed an entente, or alliance, with France. In 1907, Britain made another entente,
this time with both France and Russia. The Triple Entente, as it was called, did
not bind Britain to fight with France and Russia. However, it did almost certainly
ensure that Britain would not fight against them.
By 1907, two rival camps existed in Europe. On one side was the Triple
AllianceGermany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. On the other side was the Triple
EntenteGreat Britain, France, and Russia. A dispute between two rival powers
could draw all the nations of Europe into war.
Ad
A Restless Region By the early 1900s, the Ottoman Empire, which included the
Balkan region, was in rapid decline. While some Balkan groups struggled to
free themselves from the Ottoman Turks, others already had succeeded in
breaking away from their Turkish rulers. These peoples had formed new nations,
including Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro,
Romania, and Serbia.
Nationalism was a powerful force in
The Balkan
these countries. Each group longed to
Peninsula, 1914
extend its borders. Serbia, for example,
had a large Slavic population. It hoped to
GERMANY
50N
Slavic groups
absorb all the Slavs on the Balkan
Peninsula. Russia, itself a mostly Slavic
RUSSIA
nation, supported Serbian nationalism.
However, Serbias powerful northern
AU ST RO - H U N G A R I A N
neighbor, Austria-Hungary, opposed such
EMPIRE
an effort. Austria feared that efforts to create a Slavic state would stir rebellion
ROMANIA
BOSNIA &
among its Slavic population.
Bl ack Sea
HERZEGOVINA
Sarajevo
42N
In 1908, Austria annexed, or took over,
SERBIA BULGARIA
Bosnia and Herzegovina. These were two
ITALY
ALBANIA
Balkan areas with large Slavic populaConstantinople
IA
MONTENEGRO
ON
D
tions. Serbian leaders, who had sought to
CE
OTTO M A N E M P I R E
Aegean
rule these provinces, were outraged. In the
GREECE Sea
years that followed, tensions between
0
250 Miles
Serbia and Austria steadily rose. The
Mediterranean
Serbs continually vowed to take Bosnia
Sea
0
500 Kilometers
and Herzegovina away from Austria. In
GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps
34N
response, Austria-Hungary vowed to
1. Place What region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was
crush any Serbian effort to undermine its
located along the Adriatic Sea?
2.
Location Based on the map, why might Serbia have
authority in the Balkans.
tic
ria
24E
32E
16E
M
A
Se
Analyzing Issues
What were the
reasons for the hostility between
Austria-Hungary
and Serbia?
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C a u c RUSSIA
as
Black
Caspian
u
Sea GEORGIA s M
Sea
ts
.
SECTION
Vocabulary
An ultimatum
is a list of demands
that, if not met, will
lead to serious
consequences.
ASSESSMENT
TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
militarism
Triple Alliance
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Triple Entente
MAIN IDEAS
event
one
event
two
event
three
event
four
844 Chapter 29