Colonial Empires and the First World War: Causes and Consequences
Colonial Empires
Colonial Empires: The colonization of lands without organized states with economic and political structures meant the exploitation of these lands by very feeble forces.
Causes:
- Economic: Seeking new markets to sell their surplus production and looking for raw materials and cheaper labor.
- Demographic: Population growth led to difficulty finding work and other social tensions.
- Political: Europe’s borders and territorial expansion had stabilized, so expansion shifted to extra-European territories.
- Ideological: Conservative nationalism defended the superiority of some nations and the right to impose themselves on others. They believed they had an obligation to civilize other nations.
World War I (1914-1918)
World War I:
Causes:
- Colonial power rivalry: Germany had few colonies and wanted to impose itself on France and Britain.
- Nationalist glorification: Germany and France clashed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. Both nations wanted Germany to be the European leader. Britain also maintained a great rivalry with Germany over control of international trade and shipping routes.
- Balkan conflict: Austria accused Serbia of supporting the protests of Serbs still living in the Turkish Empire. The Serbs were Slavs, and Russia sought to protect them, strengthen its power in the area, and retrieve the narrow Bosporus and Dardanelles, which opened the doors of the Mediterranean Sea to its fleets in 1908. When Austria invaded Bosnia, Russia was willing to confront Austria.
Armament and Alliances Race
Armament and Alliances Race: The discontent among the powers led to an arms race. States spent large quantities on weapons. Military alliances were formed:
- 1882 Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy.
- 1907 Triple Entente: France, Russia, United Kingdom.
The war began on June 28, 1914, because of the assassination in Sarajevo of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand.
The Great War
The Great War: The German armies attacked France to quickly defeat them and concentrate all their efforts against the Russian front. The German army reached 40 km from Paris, but the French and English armies were able to reorganize and stop the German advance: Battle of the Marne, 1914.
The End of the War
The End of the War: In Russia, in 1917, the revolution occurred, and concerned about its internal problems, they signed a peace treaty with Germany and withdrew from the war. However, in 1917, a transatlantic ship (USA) was sunk by a German submarine, and the U.S. entered the war. On the Eastern Front, the Triple Entente defeated Austria and its allies. In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II left, and the republic was proclaimed.
Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles: A humiliating treaty was imposed on Germany. Germany was found guilty of the outbreak of the conflict and was obliged to pay heavy reparations. Its army was dismantled, and its colonial empire was taken away. Territories were also taken away.
League of Nations
The League of Nations (SDN) was created to secure peace and promote international cooperation.
The Crash of 1929
The Crash of 1929: Shareholders were aware that the stock’s quotation was much higher than the actual price of the shares and that it would not continue to rise. Mistrust spread, and on October 24, 1929 (Black Thursday), a huge sell-off affected the New York Stock Exchange. Many shares were sold, and nobody wanted to buy. The value of the shares plummeted, causing the Crash of 1929.