Transcript Causes of WWI - hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
•
He was a philosopher whose
political ideas influenced the
French Revolution, the
development of both liberal and
socialist theory, and the growth of
nationalism.
•
Rousseau saw a fundamental
divide between society and human
nature. Rousseau contended that
man was neither inherently good
nor bad when in the state of
nature (the state of all other
animals, and the condition
humankind was in before the
creation of civilization and
society), but is corrupted by
society.
Karl Marx/Communism
• Communism is an ideology
that seeks to establish a
classless (Everyone was equal
and carried out the same
work.), stateless social
organization based on
common ownership of the
means of production.
• It is usually considered a
branch of the broader socialist
movement that draws on the
various political and intellectual
movements that trace their
origins back to the work of Karl
Marx.
Communist Manifesto
• The Communist Manifesto, was first published on
February 21, 1848, and is one of the world's most
influential political tracts. Commissioned by the
Communist League and written by communist theorists
Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, it laid out the League's
purposes and program.
• The Manifesto suggested a course of action for a
proletarian (working class) revolution to overthrow the
bourgeois social order and to eventually bring about a
classless and stateless society, and the abolition of
private property.
Congress of Vienna
• The Congress of Vienna was
a conference between
ambassadors from the major
powers in Europe that was
chaired by the Austrian
statesman Klemens Wenzel
von Metternich and held in
Vienna, Austria, from late
September, 1814, to June 9,
1815.
• Its purpose was to settle
issues and redraw the
continent's political map after
the defeat of Napoleonic
France the previous spring.
Germanic Europe/Otto von Bismarck
•
Germanic Europe is the part of
Europe in which Germanic
languages are predominant.
Countries or areas in which such
language is officially recognized
and/or de facto spoken as a
minority language are sometimes
included.
•
As Minister-President of Prussia
from 1862 to 1890, he engineered
the Unification of Germany. From
1867 on, he was Chancellor of the
North German Confederation.
When the second German Empire
was declared in 1871, he served
as its first Chancellor, gaining the
nickname "Iron Chancellor".
Otto von Bismarck
• Bismarck held conservative (favor tradition and gradual change )
monarchical views (Head of State in a nation ) in the tradition of
Clemens von Metternich, the Austrian statesman who devised the
diplomatic arrangements which governed Europe after the
Napoleonic Wars–arrangements which Bismarck upset.
• Bismarck's primary objectives were to ensure the supremacy of the
Prussian (most recently, a historic state originating in Brandenburg,
an area that for centuries had substantial influence on German and
European history. The last capital of Prussia was Berlin. ) state
within Central Europe, and of the aristocracy within the state itself.
• His most significant achievement was the creation of the modern
German state, with Prussia at its core, through a series of wars and
political maneuvering in the 1860s. The final act, the FrancoPrussian War of 1870–1871, saw Prussia break France's power on
the European continent.
Causes of WWI
Competition for Colonies
• 1800’s and early 1900’s, European nations carved
nearly all of Africa and much of Asia into colonies.
• The race for colonies was fueled by Europe’s
increasing industrialization.
• Colonies supplied European nations with raw materials
for factories, markets for manufactured goods, and
opportunities for investment.
• The competition for colonies strained relations among
European countries.
• Incidents between rival powers flared up almost every
year.
• Several of the clashes nearly led to war.
Nationalism
• The French Revolution and the Napoleonic era had spread
throughout most of Europe the idea of political democracy,
with the resulting idea that people of the same ethnic origin,
language and political ideals had the right to independent
states.
• The principal of national self-determination, however, was
largely ignored by the dynastic and reactionary forces that
dominated in the settlement of European affairs at the
Congress of Vienna in 1815.
• Several peoples who desired national autonomy were made
subject to local dynasties monarchs or to other nations.
• These movements helped to facilitate the notion of selfdetermination and sovereignty of the nation-state.
Examples of nationalist movements in Europe
–
German People: The Congress of Vienna divided
the people into duchies, principalities, and
kingdoms fostering a struggle for unification that
lasted the majority of the 19th century.
–
Italian People: These people were divided into
many parts, some of which were under foreign
control causing Giuseppe Garibaldi to lead a
nationalist movement.
–
French-speaking Belgians of the Austrian
Netherlands: These people were placed under
Dutch rule hence denying self-determination and
autonomy.
Competition for Colonies
• Revolutions during the 19th century nullified much of the antinationalist work of the Congress of Vienna.
• 1831: Belgium won independence from the Netherlands
• 1861: Italy was unified
• 1871: Germany was unified
• At the close of the century, the problem of nationalism was
still unresolved in other areas of Europe.
• This resulted in tensions between various European nations.
The Entangled Alliances
• 1871: Chancellor Bismarck (German Leader) united
his country with the defeat of France. After the war
against France, Bismarck created a system of
international alliances designed to prevent France
from finding future alliances.
• The occupation of Alsace-Lorraine created a
longstanding animosity between France and
Germany 1870-1914.
• 1879: Bismarck negotiated a Dual Alliance with
Austria.
• 1882: Bismarck allied with Italy.
• 1882: The Triple Alliance was created (Germany,
Austria, & Italy)
• 1887: Bismarck created the Reinsurance Treaty
with Russia. This was renewed every three
years.
• Only Britain resisted Bismarck’s web of
alliances.
The Entangled Alliances
• 1887: Bismarck felt secure on all sides and confident that Germany
need never go to war again.
• 1890: Major Problem: Kaiser Wilhelm II dismissed Bismarck and did
not renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia.
• 1894-1895: Due to the actions of Wilhelm II, Russia drew closer to
isolated France and the two countries signed a military treaty.
• 1904-1907: The British government made cautious agreements with
France and Russia settling old differences and indicating there was
to be a friendly understanding --- or entente--- between all three
countries. The Triple Entente was established (France, Russia, &
Britain)