Causes of WWI: The Long Term Causes
Background
The Effects of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)
The Battle of Mars la Tour, 16 Aug. 1870
The Rise of Germany
The aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) left a deep gash in the relationship between France and Prussia. The most obvious outcome of this war was the unification of over 30 German-speaking principalities of Central Europe into a newly-formed and ambitious state of Germany.
Under the leadership of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's (1815-1898) shrewd consolidation and display of military might towards the smaller Germanic states in Central Europe, Prussia defeated Denmark and its rival Austria (1864) and dealt a decisive blow to France in 1871.
This is the phenomenon by which Germany united in 1871 under Prussian leadership, taking territory from Austria-Hungary, Denmark, and France in the process. Between 1890 and 1914, Germany’s population grew from 49 million to 66 million. By 1914 its steel production was bigger than Britain, France and Russia put together. Its coal production was second only to Britain’s and it had a strong, modern army and navy. Germany’s neighbours could not help but felt threatened by this.
The aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) left a deep gash in the relationship between France and Prussia. The most obvious outcome of this war was the unification of over 30 German-speaking principalities of Central Europe into a newly-formed and ambitious state of Germany.
Under the leadership of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's (1815-1898) shrewd consolidation and display of military might towards the smaller Germanic states in Central Europe, Prussia defeated Denmark and its rival Austria (1864) and dealt a decisive blow to France in 1871.
This is the phenomenon by which Germany united in 1871 under Prussian leadership, taking territory from Austria-Hungary, Denmark, and France in the process. Between 1890 and 1914, Germany’s population grew from 49 million to 66 million. By 1914 its steel production was bigger than Britain, France and Russia put together. Its coal production was second only to Britain’s and it had a strong, modern army and navy. Germany’s neighbours could not help but felt threatened by this.
Overall, the effects of the Franco-Prussian War can be summarized in the following manner:
In France...
In Germany...
In France...
- France lost Alsace and Lorraine
- France had to pay 5 billion Francs
- Prussian occupation in France until the indemnity had been paid
- The humiliation renewed and increased French hostility towards Germany, eventually manifesting in the political revanche movement in France
In Germany...
- On January 18, 1871 in Versailles, the new German Reich (the second Reich) was proclaimed, with the king of Prussia as its Kaiser
- Bismarck eventually succeeded in uniting the south with the north
- Patriotism in the south led to pressures for the rulers to unite with the north
- The rise of German military, territorial and political aggression
The Long Term Causes of WWI
In order to understand why the Great War took place in 1914, it is essential to study the causes that led to the event in the first place. The causes of the first world war are numerous and varies accordingly. It is easier to analyze the causes in terms of time frame. Thus, the causes are divided into three distinct periods: 1) Long term causes; 2) Short term causes and; 3) Immediate causes. In this section, we will study how the long term causes have contributed to WWI.
The long term cause of WWI can be divided further into 3 distinct areas: Imperialism, Military and Political. Although they are categorized into these three areas, they are by no means not necessarily independent of one another. An imperialistic reason or cause could have political motives or vice versa or that of a military one with imperial and/or political incentives.
The long term cause of WWI can be divided further into 3 distinct areas: Imperialism, Military and Political. Although they are categorized into these three areas, they are by no means not necessarily independent of one another. An imperialistic reason or cause could have political motives or vice versa or that of a military one with imperial and/or political incentives.
Imperialism
Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule. By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa. With the rise of industrialism countries needed new markets. The amount of lands 'owned' by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to acquire colonies late and only had small areas of Africa
Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule. By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa. With the rise of industrialism countries needed new markets. The amount of lands 'owned' by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to acquire colonies late and only had small areas of Africa
Militarism
Militarism means that the army and military forces are given a high profile by the government. The growing European divide had led to an arms race between the main countries. The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled between 1870 and 1914 and there was fierce competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas.
The British had introduced the 'Dreadnought', an effective battleship, in 1906. The Germans soon followed suit introducing their own battleships.
Militarism means that the army and military forces are given a high profile by the government. The growing European divide had led to an arms race between the main countries. The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled between 1870 and 1914 and there was fierce competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas.
The British had introduced the 'Dreadnought', an effective battleship, in 1906. The Germans soon followed suit introducing their own battleships.
Political
The settlement at the end of the Franco-Prussian war left France angry at the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and keen to regain their lost territory. Large areas of both Austria-Hungary and Serbia were home to differing nationalist groups, all of whom wanted freedom from the states in which they lived. The rise of nationalism is further complicated when numerous alliances had been signed by between various countries from the years 1879 and 1914. These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies declared war first. An example of such an elaborated and complex alliance system that gripped the European superpowers prior to World War I is shown below.
The settlement at the end of the Franco-Prussian war left France angry at the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and keen to regain their lost territory. Large areas of both Austria-Hungary and Serbia were home to differing nationalist groups, all of whom wanted freedom from the states in which they lived. The rise of nationalism is further complicated when numerous alliances had been signed by between various countries from the years 1879 and 1914. These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies declared war first. An example of such an elaborated and complex alliance system that gripped the European superpowers prior to World War I is shown below.
The MAIN Causes of World War I
In addition to the above areas, many historians also utilize the acronym MAIN to describe the pre-dominant causes of World War I.
Militarism - The glorification of one’s military. Also the belief of a nation or its people to build and maintain a strong military, with the intention to use it whenever it is felt necessary.
Alliances - An agreement between two or more countries to work together for the benefit of each country.
Imperialism - Domination by one country over another in terms of the political, economic, or cultural life of the dominated country or region.
Nationalism - Extreme pride in one’s nations or state. Often seen by the use of flags, national anthems, and other signature items.
In addition to the above areas, many historians also utilize the acronym MAIN to describe the pre-dominant causes of World War I.
Militarism - The glorification of one’s military. Also the belief of a nation or its people to build and maintain a strong military, with the intention to use it whenever it is felt necessary.
Alliances - An agreement between two or more countries to work together for the benefit of each country.
Imperialism - Domination by one country over another in terms of the political, economic, or cultural life of the dominated country or region.
Nationalism - Extreme pride in one’s nations or state. Often seen by the use of flags, national anthems, and other signature items.
Tasks
- Read pages 13 to 29 from the text History - 20th Century World: Causes, Practices and Effects of War and chapter 1 of the text "Modern World History (blue text)".
- Download and Analyze the five PDF files (on the right).
- Categorize (or highlight) each crises into the following: Long term cause, Short term cause or Immediate cause.
- Using the readings from the text AND the information from the five PDF files (along with the link below), Complete the following worksheet titled "WWI Simulation Log.doc" (below).
Resources
- Causes of WWI Simulation Austria-Hungary.pdf Download File
- Causes of WWI Simulation Britain.pdf Download File
- Causes of WWI Simulation France.pdf Download File
- Causes of WWI Simulation Germany.pdf Download File
- Causes of WWI Simulation Russia.pdf Download File