The armed peace in Europe and the First World War
The importance of the German Empire
There was a period of what is known as the Armed Peace
Although there was peace, tension between the European countries was growing
The Bismarckian system
The expansionist foreign policy of Wilhelm II
The German emperor Wilhelm I used diplomacy to maintain the balance of power between European countries
The chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, established a system of alliances
With the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire and Italy, known as the Bismarckian alliance system
The objectives of these alliances
To maintain Germany hegemony in Europe
To prevent France from declaring war on Germany to recover Alsace-Lorraine
The first system
The second system
The third system
In 1872 the Three Emperors' League was signed
Wilhelm I of Germany, Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary and Tsar Alexander II of Russia
In 1881
In 1882
In 1879
The secret Double Alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary
The Alliance of the three emperors was re-signed
The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
The Triple Alliance was renewed between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
Germany also signed a secret alliance with the Russian Empire
The Reinsurance Treaty
The German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, changed the system of alliances for an expansionist policy
Focusing on obtaining a colonial empire that reflected Germany's growing economic power
Bismarck disagreed with Wilhelm II on foreign policy issues and resigned from his position in 1890
Wilhelm II did not renew the Reinsurance Treaty with the Russian Empire
Because he did not think that Russia would ally with France
The political hegemony of Wilhelm II caused concern in France and Great Britain
They formed the Triple Entente with Russia in order to try to stop Germany's expansion.
The First World War, or the Great War, was fought between 1914 and 1918
By various European countries and their African and Asian colonies
The United States
Japan
China
Some Latin American republics
The causes of the war
During the Armed Peace, countries competed for control of certain areas that became sources of tension
The Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire competed for control of the Balkans
Serbia (a Balkan country) was angry about the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire into the area
France wanted to recover the region of Alsace-Lorraine
It had lost to the German Empire after the Franco-Prussian War
France and Germany also competed for control of colonies, important for economic expansion
Epecially Morocco
Great Britain saw the supremacy of its merchant navy threatened when the German Empire
Which had become an economic power during the Second Industrial Revolution
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo
The Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia
Alliances during the First World War
The Central Powers
The Allies
The Austro-Hungarian Empire allied with the German and Ottoman empires and they were joined by Bulgaria
Serbia was allied with the Triple Entente
Great Britain
Russian Empire
France
Later, they were joined by Belgium, Japan, Italy, Romania, the United States, Greece, Portugal, China, and various Latin American republics
Phases of the war
Initial German offensives
Trench warfare
Incorporation and withdrawal of allies
The end of the war and the Armistice
During this phase of the war, Germany put the Schlieffen Plan into effect
This consisted of launching a rapid offensive on the Western Front, invading Belgium and the north of France
The German plan did not succeed because the French and British armies stopped their advance
The Western Front between Germany and the Allies stabilised and a new phase of the war began
As they could not advance, both sides focused on defending their positions
They built trenches from where they could defend themselves using new weapons
Machine guns
Heavy artillery
Tanks
Poison gas
Flamethrowers
The United States decided to join the war on the side of the Allies because German submarines had sunk neutral merchant ships
A political and social revolution in the Russian Empire caused Russia to withdraw from the war after signing the Peace of Brest-Litovsk
The help of the American troops and weapons allowed the Allied forces to advance on the Western Front
Exhaustion and an ever-increasing lack of resources drove the Central Powers to seek peace
Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, and on 11 November 1918, the Armistice was signed
Economy and society during the war
The countries involved established a war economy when they realised that the war was going to go on for a long tim
It was called a war economy because all economic activity was directed towards the war effort
The industrial sector concentrated on the production of military equipment and supplies
Agricultural and consumer goods production decreased because there weren't enough labourers
There were shortages of some products and prices increased
Governments intervened to control the distribution of basic goods and food such as bread and potatoes
The war forced people to change their customs and take on new jobs
Most young men were conscripted or recruited into the armed forces
Women had to leave the home to fill the positions the men had left
The peace settlement
Representatives of the victorious countries met at the Paris Peace Conference to decide on the peace conditions
That would be imposed on the defeated countries
The United States President Woodrow Wilson had proposed a peace agreement during the war
Called the Fourteen Points
Intended as a basis for peace negotiations
The plan was rejected by the Allied countries
Who had been devastated during four years of war
France in particular insisted on severe conditions for the defeated countries
It considered Germany to be responsible for the war and wanted it to pay for the damage it had caused
After long negotiations between the representatives of the victorious countries at the conference
The Paris Peace Settlement was agreed on
Austria
Hungary
Germany
Bulgaria
Ottoman Empire
Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Saint Germain
Treaty of Trianon
Treaty of Neuilly
Treaty of Sèvres
In December 1919
During the negotiations for the Paris Peace Settlement, the League of Nations was created
Proposed by President Wilson
The consequences of the WWI
Social and economic
Decrease in population
Destruction of the cities
Incorporation of women in the workplace
Loss of Europe's economic power
Redistribution of the colonies
The new map of Europe