The Empirical Ambitions Before “the Great War”

Alliances

Treaties Treaty of London (1839) UK will protect the sovereignty of Belgium. Dual Alliance Treaty (1879) Germany and Austria will support each other if Russia attacks. Franco-Russian Military Convention (1892) France and Russia will defend each other if attacked by Germany or Austria.

You are an Empire Look over your maps, and situation sheets. Pay attention, who are your neighbors? How far does your Empire span? First analysis: What are your Empire’s strengths? What are your Empire’s weaknesses? What does your Empire need to do to sustain or grow its economy? (To stay wealthy, or become wealthier)

You are and Empire Second analysis: What other Empires appear to be natural allies? What Empires have ambitions or needs that conflict with your own? What Empires seem threatening to yours? What could you do about that threat?

Final Analysis Lets turn this into a game of Risk. If you were to attack somebody else, who would it be? Why?

British Empire: Situation Largest Empire in the world. Very industrialized and technologically advanced. Has Naval supremacy (Thalassocracy). Long rivalry in Naval technology with Germany. Largest Navy in the world. Control over the North Sea, and English Channel, easily able to block access to the Baltic Sea. Gibraltar and the Suez give you control over all traffic in and out of the Mediterranean. Strong and large Army. Much of your man-power comes from your colonies. This requires your Navy to mobilize them, (which makes them vulnerable to Naval or submarine attack). Global Empire means global mobilizations. (This will be slow, and painstaking) Empire controls important trade routes. Suez Canal Gibraltar South Africa Empire controls many of the most valuable cities and colonies for trade: Hong Kong and India. Your Royal Family and the Royal Family in Belgium are from of the House of Saxe Coburg and Gotha.

British Empire

Germany: Situation Rapidly growing Empire, and industrial economy. Access to your colonies requires you to go through British controlled waters. (Gibraltar, the North Sea, Suez Canal) Has won every War since its formation. Wants to create foreign markets for German products Weapons sales to Latin American countries. Growing Global Empire: Namibia and Tanzania in Africa, Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific, Qingdao in China and growing influence in Japan.. Small but growing Navy/ United Kingdom controls the North Sea. Makes it difficult to protect over-seas colonies. Small, but very technologically advanced. Both Submarine technology, and the best battleships and cruisers in the world. UK is the only other world power with Naval technology rivaling your own. Technologically Advanced Army. Air power: Planes and Zeppelins (Ridged Air-ships used as bombing platforms). Chemical Weapons. Best rifle technology. Strong research and development center for all weapons technology.

German Empire

France: Situation The Empire has recently expanded since the 1880s into Indo-China (Vietnam), and West Africa. You also maintain some colonies in South America and the South Pacific. North African colonies are most valuable. North African colonies are very nearby, requiring minimal travel to extract resources (especially when compared to Britain or Germany) Over-seas Empire, you have a strong merchant fleet, but weak Navy. Navy is sizable but technologically behind Germany and Britain. British control over Gibraltar and the Suez helps protect your own trade routes. Is an industrialized nation, but lags behind both Britain and Germany. Increasing trade and military aid with countries in Latin America. Lasting resentment with Germany since they took Alsace-Lorraine in the Franco Prussian war.

French Empire

Russia: Situation Long and continuously expanding empire. Technologically behind Western Europe. Mostly non-industrialized. Interests in the Balkans, with close ties to Serbia. (Increasing popularity in Slavic Unity) Long pattern of conflicts with the Ottoman Empire. Increasing interest in China, but you lost a recent attempt to win a warm-water Pacific port nearby Germany’s colony in Qingdao, China. (Russo-Japanese War) Russia is a land power, with a weak outdated Navy. (Brutally defeated 10 years earlier by the Japanese) Your greatest strengths include a huge diversity of natural resources. You are continuous with all your possessions, but since the Trans-Siberian Railway is not quite finished, you have some difficulty transporting goods from the East to your Capital and population centers in the West.

Russian Empire

Austro-Hungarian Empire: Situation You are the only Empire to possess no over-seas colonies. No expensive Navy to protect global colonies. Limited access to global trade, this has slowed your economy’s ability to grow. Empire has been expanding into the Balkins. Land power. Strong and large army. Small and outdated Navy. Ethnically very diverse. Wealth is centered around German and Germanic parts of your Empire. Increasing tension between ethnic groups Government speaks primarily German. Military speaks a patchwork of languages, which can be cumbersome. Technologically behind Britain and Germany, but ahead of France and Russia. Heavily industrialized in places. Capable of building large machinery, automobiles, airplanes, large canons and other mechanical weapons technology. Intellectual Powerhouse of Europe. Vienna is a major center for education, in the arts and sciences. Hapsburg nobility is likely the most established and influential royal family in Europe.

Austro-Hungarian Empire