1. The Road To War
1914

3. The Situation in Europe- Ideas
Clash of ideologies
Russia, Austria-Hungary and Germany were led by traditional monarchs
Britain had a well developed system of parliamentary democracy
France underwent revolution in the late 18c. and has experienced significant upheaval since.

4. European Leadership
Germany-
Kaiser Wilhelm II

5. European Leadership
Austria Hungary-
Emperor Franz Josef

6. European Leadership
Russia-
Czar Nicholas II
(The Romanovs)

7. European Leadership Great Britain King George V
However Britain was a constitutional monarchy and the functions of government were controlled by the PM and the Parliament

8. The Situation in Europe- Germany
1871 – Germany defeated France in the last of 3 wars of unification
Emergence of Germany as a major power
1900 Most German speaking people are united under one nation – Germany
Wish to be recognized as a world power- what is the proof?
Wants colonies and territory (or did they….?)
Social Darwinism

9. Otto Von Bismarck Prime Minister of Germany- ambitious
Fought three wars of unification that transformed Prussia into modern Germany.
Created a series of defensive alliances that would all but protect Germany from every having to go to war
German power altered the balance of power

10. The Great War
MANIA

11. Militarism
Since 1815 peace in Europe had been maintained by a series of shifting alliances that served to produce a balance of power.
As one country became stronger other countries were forced to keep up in order to maintain the balance of power.

12. Causes of World War 1
Militarism- Arms Race
Britain had the largest Navy – to protect its empire
Germany wanted a navy too, to acquire colonies and then protect them
Britain saw Germany’s naval growth as a direct threat!!!

13. Evidence
In order to understand the various causes we need evidence to try and interpret if in fact these were the major causes.
Evidence must always be interpreted taking in to account the context of the time
OPCVL

14. Was militarism actually a concern that could lead to war?
The Daily Mail, 1909, an article by an Army officer.
“The risks of Britain’s position unarmed in the face of a Europe armed to the teeth cannot be too clearly realized by the British public.” 

15. Was militarism actually a concern that could lead to war?
Origin: Source A is a newspaper article written by a British officer. It was published in The Daily Mail in
Purpose: The article is intended to inform the British public of Britain’s current state of readiness in contrast to the rest of Europe. This is a primary document. The suggestion is that Britain is likely not as effectively armed or possibly as prepared as some of the European states if a conflict was to break out.

16. Was militarism actually a concern that could lead to war?
Value: The value of this document is that it offers a personal interpretation of Britain’s state of readiness in the years just prior to the outbreak of WWI. As an army officer, the author would have had first hand knowledge of Britain’s military preparation, as well as those of other European powers. The content itself speaks to the realisation, at least for military personnel, that Britain should begin to prepare for the chance of war.

17. Was militarism actually a concern that could lead to war?
Limitations: This document is limited in its usefulness because the author is an officer in the British military and may be attempting to promote greater military spending in order to serve a personal or, at most, military agenda.
As such, the officer may be misrepresenting the situation in order to inspire alarm at Britain’s lack of readiness in the hopes that the public will pressure their government to pursue militarism.
Also, this is one officer’s position and may not be representative of the military leadership as a whole.
The selection of this article for publication may also reflect the interests, concerns or values of the newspaper’s ownership/editorial staff rather than accurately reflecting Britain’s state of readiness or the position of the British military.

18. Your Turn
You have in front of you a historical source (Kaiser Wilhelm Ii of German…)
You have just seen an example of an OPCVL and you have the OPCVL guidesheet.
Now give it a whirl…prepare for me an OPCVL of Kaiser Wilhelm’s speech.
The OPCVL should be in one paragraph, likely half a page or ¾ at the most.

19. The Alliances of WWI

20. See handout
The alliance system had been place essentially since Bismarck
Most alliances were defensive
What are the causes of alliances?
What are the consequences of alliances?
Can you see a problem regarding historical perspective and the alliances?