The First World War (Part 2)
The First World War (1914-1918)
● 1882: Triple Alliance. Bismarck, German Chancellor (1871-1890) and skilled diplomat, built a complex web of international treaties whose key element was the Triple Alliance or Triple Alliance (1882) linking Germany with Austria-Hungary and Italy. Its main goal was keeping France, the enemy defeated in 1870, isolated.
● 1888: William II, new Kaiser of Germany. The arrival in 1888 to the throne of the new German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, changed dramatically the international situation. After dismissing Bismarck in 1890, Germany launched a new international policy, more ambitious and aggressive (Weltpolitik) than Bismarck’s, that quickly triggered defensive reactions from other powers who felt threatened before the new German foreign policy.
● 1893: Franco-Russian Alliance. The aggressive policy of Kaiser Wilhelm II led to the signing of a military agreement, which established mutual military assistance against First World War Germany, between two very different powers: Tsarist Russia and republican France. This alliance meant the definitive end of diplomatic systems designed by Bismarck: France had got out of their isolation
● 1904: Franco-British Entente Cordiale. Thanks to its economic, naval and colonial hegemony, for a long time the UK did not need to sign alliances with other European powers (“splendid isolation”). However, the German Weltpolitik was such a great challenge that it forced London to seek international agreements. So, after resolving their colonial disputes, France and Britain signed the Entente Cordiale beginning a period of Franco-British cooperation against German aggression.
● 1905-1906: The first Moroccan crisis. William II, on a visit to Tangiers, Morocco, proclaimed the German opposition to French colonization of Morocco. This challenge precipitated the convening of an international conference in Algeciras (1906). At this conference, Germany was isolated and France had a clear British support. The Entente Cordiale worked
● 1907: Anglo-Russian agreement. Under pressure from France, an ally of both powers, and growingly suspicious of German expansionism, Britain and Russia finally settled their colonial differences in Central Asia. This agreement laid the foundations of one block that would fight in WW1.
● 1908: Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Taking advantage of internal difficulties in Turkey, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina. As Germany strongly supported its ally, Russia was forced to yield to the Austrian aggression and did not face the Austrian-Hungarian challenge. At that time, neither France nor Britain were willing to support Russia in a possible conflict in the Balkans
● 1911: The incident of Agadir in Morocco. Sending a German gunboat to the harbor of Agadir in Morocco, Berlin unleashed a diplomatic crisis. Although eventually there was a diplomatic agreement that ended the crisis, the Agadir incident highlighted the growing Franco-German confrontation.
● 1912-1913: The Balkan Wars. Two successive Balkan wars that involved Turkey, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria concluded with the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913. The wars caused a shift in the situation in that area. Turkey was reduced in the Balkans to a small region around Istanbul. Serbia (Russia's ally and defender of the rights of the Slavs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire) was consolidated as the leading state in the region. Austria-Hungary was upset by the strengthening of Serbia and came to the conclusion that only a preventive war would prevent Serbia from leading a general uprising of the Slavic people in the Habsburg Empire, who would be encouraged by the great Slavic power, Russia. Russia eventually was determined to intervene when Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia
● 1914: The assassination of Sarajevo. June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo (Bosnia). Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Serbian terrorist organization "Black Hand" was the assassin. The attack triggered a fatal series of events that led to the war. Powers faithfully fulfilled its diplomatic commitments and the crisis quickly went from a local incident to a general war in Europe.
● 1914: The start of the war. The terrorist attack in Sarajevo was the spark that started the fire of the First World War. This is a summary of the sequence of events that led to war.
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Date Event
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28th June Sarajevo terrorist attack
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23th July After ensuring the support of Germany, Austria-Hungary gave an ultimatum to Serbia
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28th July Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
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30th July Russia started the general military mobilization
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1 st August Germany declared war on Russia. France started the general military mobilization
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3 rd August Germany declared war on France
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4 th August Germany invaded Belgium, what caused the British declaration of war against Germany
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Year Entente or Allies Central Powers
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August 1914 Russia France Britain Austria-Hungary, Belgium Serbia Germany
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1915 Italy Bulgaria
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1916 Romania
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1917 USA Greece
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1918 Soviet Russia left the war and signed a peace treaty with Germany
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