The First World War: Causes and Alliances 1914-1918

Posted on Dec 20, 2024 in History

The First World War, 1914-1918

International Relations Between 1870 and 1914

Bismarckian Systems, 1873-1890

In foreign policy, Bismarck, the German Chancellor, set the following objectives:

  • Germany should achieve hegemony in Europe.
  • Maintain cordial relations with the United Kingdom, which would show dominance outside of Europe.
  • Internationally isolate France.
  • Avoid confrontation between Austria-Hungary and Russia in the Balkans.

Bismarckian systems were threefold:

Bismarckian System 1, 1873

It was signed:

  • The Austro-German Treaty between Germany and Austria-Hungary.
  • The Three Emperors Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia.

The first Bismarckian system ended with the Balkan crisis in 1875-78 that struck Russia and Austria-Hungary, both interested in expanding in the Balkans.

Bismarckian System 2, 1879

The following were signed:

  • The Dual Alliance or Austro-German Pact of 1879 between Germany and Austria-Hungary. It remained until the First World War.
  • The Pact of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, 1881. Russia used it to break their isolation.
  • The Triple Alliance of 1882 between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. Germany used it to close the circle on France. Italy used it to gain allies against France, with which it clashed in the Mediterranean. Austria-Hungary used it not to fear an attack from Italy in the Balkans. Romania joined the Triple Alliance in 1893, and Italy left the Triple Alliance in 1912.

The second Bismarckian system ended with the Bulgarian crisis of 1886: against the resistance of the Bulgarian population to Russian influence, the pro-Russian King Alexander of Battenberg was replaced by the pro-Austrian Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg.

Russia broke the pact in 1886.

Bismarckian System 3, 1887

The following were signed:

  • The Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia. It was secret. Germany wanted to avoid the alliance between France and Russia, which would leave Germany surrounded by enemies.
  • The Mediterranean Pact between Britain, Spain, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. Germany wanted to isolate France in the Mediterranean and maintain the status quo in the Mediterranean.

The third Bismarckian system ended in 1890. In 1890, the Reinsurance Treaty was renewed. Holstein convinced Kaiser Wilhelm II that France and Russia would never ally themselves, as their political systems were incompatible, and if that treaty were discovered, it would break the alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary. In addition, William II wanted Germany to be a world power and not only a European one. Bismarck resigned in 1890.

Bismarckian systems were useful in the short and medium term to maintain peace in Europe but, in the long run, led to the war by isolating France, which sought new alliances that troubled Germany.

Alliances Promoted by France

Since the 1890s, France created a system of alliances to overcome its isolation and have allies if attacked by Germany. The following alliances were signed:

  • The Franco-Russian Alliance of 1892 between France and Russia. It was defensive: France and Russia were guaranteed mutual aid if attacked.
  • The Entente Cordiale of 1904 between France and Britain after they had resolved their fighting in the colonies. The United Kingdom used it to come out of its “splendid isolation” and have an ally in war.
  • The Triple Entente, 1907 between France, Britain, and Russia after they had resolved the fighting between Britain and Russia in the colonies.

These alliances allowed France, the UK, and Russia to come out of their isolation and face the Triple Alliance. At the same time, it helped Germany to claim that it was surrounded by enemies and threatened their safety.

With the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente in 1907, the sides that fought in the First World War were defined.

The Armed Peace, 1905-1914

The period preceding the First World War between 1905 and 1914 is called “Armed Peace”. It is characterized by:

  • The alignment of the great powers in blocks: the Triple Alliance around Germany and the Triple Entente around France.
  • European states competed in economic-strategic scenarios: in the Ottoman Empire for railway construction and modernization of its army, which ran on account of Germany at the expense of the troubled UK and Russia, traditional enemies of the Ottoman Empire and Germany.
  • European states developed a policy of rearmament: they extended the duration of compulsory military service, increased the staffing of their armies, and increased investment in armaments.
  • European states developed an exacerbation of nationalist campaigns against “enemies of the fatherland” in the media and the educational system. It got the war was something attractive and desired by the population, and the population was convinced that war would be short and easy to win.
  • The outbreak of crises among European powers in the colonies: the two Moroccan crises faced Germany and France.
  • The outbreak of the Balkan crisis resulted, first in two regional wars and then in the First World War.