SHORT TERM CAUSES - WW1 - Revision Cards in A Level and IB History

BOSNIAN CRISIS 1908

Austria had occupied the two Balkan provinces of Bosnia & Herzegovina since 1878
Sept 1908 - Russia & Austria agreed that at some point Austria might absorb these provinces into their empire
In return Austria would support Russia to use route for warships through Turkish straits which they had been banned from using in 1841
Oct 1908 - Austria went ahead with annexation without keeping to their side of the agreement
Germany stepped in to back Austria
Russia forced to accept and humiliated because they can't support their ally Serbia
Serbia annoyed by annexation

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Serbia = independent country that posed a threat to Austria
1912 - Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece & Montenegro formed the Balkan League aiming to drive Turks from Europe
Chose 1912 because Ottoman Empire are distracted by war with Italy and internal struggles
Oct 1912 - Balkan League attacked the Turks & began Balkan Wars
Rapid success of the League worried Great Powers
Settlement negotiated in Treaty of London - some Balkan states unhappy which led to friction between Balkan allies
Bulgaria felt most cheated so declared war on Greece & Serbia, but was badly defeated
Territorial changes resulted in expansion of Serbia into Kosovo region and northern & central Macedonia
Austria insisted on an independent Albania so that Serbia's access to the Adriatic Sea was restricted, therefore they couldn't build up a big national power
MAJOR CONSEQUENCES:
- Austria saw Serbia as a threat & an enemy
- Serbia resented having to give up its gains & the creation of the new state of Albania so nationalist feelings against Austria ran high

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1905 - Kaiser William II issued a statement of support for Moroccan independence which seemed to be challenging the colonial friendship treaty of 1904 between France and Britain
The second crisis occurred in 1911, when a German gunboat arrived in Agadir, seemingly to protect German economic interests during a local uprising
Anti- European rioting in Morocco had caused France to send in more troops and the German naval action seemed to challenge this
French objected and made preparations for war, as did Britain – which was horrified to see a German naval presence on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, as this threatened British approaches to the Mediterranean
France given rights to a formal protectorship over Morocco
Left Germany isolated and made Britain and France distrustful

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national feeling – support for fellow Slavs in Serbia ran high
military power and preparation – Russian military expansion had given its statesmen the con dence to act, and military planning required early mobilisation
the alliance network, which offered the chance of France and possibly Britain giving support
the need to support the Russian Empire, which depended on the prestige and power of the tsar
humiliation in foreign affairs in 1904–05 had led to revolution; success in war would strengthen the empire and unite the country behind Tsar Nicholas II
the willingness of Russian leaders to take a risk and their expectations of a quick victory, with overwhelming numbers of troops, better railways and improved weapons

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German militarism and nationalism = enthusiasm and support for war, as well as strong military forces
Detailed plans existed - led to hopes that the war would be quick and decisive
Security of the German Empire seemed to depend on war - imperialism had increased conflicts with other powers and there may have been plans to expand Germany’s imperial territory by conquests in Russia, where the Ukraine offered a tempting prospect of food supply for a growing German population
The 1879 alliance with Austria was a major consideration - Germany could not let Austria be defeated
German statesmen took a number of risks - risked supporting Austria in the hope that action against Serbian terrorism would not lead to general war, risked war against France and Russia on the basis that a well-trained and well-equipped German army following a careful plan would bring a swift victory

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France had been concerned by Germany’s challenge to its empire
It had been building up its military power
The French hoped for support through their country’s alliance with Russia
and its friendship with Britain
Nationalism was strong – opinion in France supported the return of Alsace-Lorraine
Confidence in France’s plan of attack made war a risk worth taking

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Treaty obligations – even if these were not directly linked to firm alliances, they were important
National feeling could be counted on - patriotic crowds rallied to ‘King and Country’
The security of Britain – the chance to end the threat of the German fleet and the need to avoid any one power controlling the coastline of Europe from Germany to western France
Military power – in Britain’s case naval power, which would prevent any invasion and enable Britain to wage war with limited casualties
The need to maintain a balance of power in Europe without one power being dominant
An acceptable risk – both France and Russia had very large armies; Germany would be encircled and it seemed unlikely that large British forces would need to be involved on land

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Immediate trigger to the outbreak of WW1 - heir to Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria responded with a series of demands that Serbia perceived as compromising its independence - demanded that Austrian troops police Serbia, system of alliances means this localised dispute could escalate to full-scale European war
Military plans of the major powers involved quick mobilisation which was hard to stop after it started
Germany declared war on Russia
France declared war on Germany

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