Briana Trewitt February 22, 2012 Causes of the War 1.

Skillful diplomatic negotiations by Bismarck with Russia, Britain and Austria between 1871 and 1890 had isolated France and created a peaceful continental Europe. However, Bismarcks system has been described as crisis management and relatively short-term: while creating peace in Europe it began the process of forming alliances, which was one of the major causes of the First World War.

2. The Reichstag gave Germany a legislative body that was as democratic one. However, this whole system was held together by the Kaiser Wilhelm II, and greatly relied upon his ability to mediate between the different political bodies. In effect, this gave the Kaiser considerable political power, and Wilhelm II maximized the influence, which the constitution gave him in order to fulfill his belief in personal rule. Therefore, the political system can be blamed for the outbreak of war, or whether it was Wilhelm IIs mismanagement of the system, which led to war.

3. Much of the origin of the war was based on the desire of the Slavic peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina to no longer be part of Austria Hungary but instead be part of Serbia. In this respect, nationalism led directly to the War. But in a more general way, the nationalism of the various countries throughout Europe contributed not only to the beginning but the extension of the war in Europe. Each country tried to prove their dominance and power.

4. Once rid of Bismarck, Wilhelm II was able to implement the policies that he personally desired, including naval armament and a colonial empire for Germany. Both these policies while uplifting German national pride were in direct conflict with the interests of Germanys European neighbors and undermined the precarious alliance system that Bismarck had created during the 1870s and 1880s in order to isolate France and ensure German security.

5. With the failure to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia in 1893 and Wilhelm IIs failure to negotiate a settlement with Britain, a new system of alliances was created with Germany in a far worse position than it had been under Bismarck.

6. The Dual Alliance of 1894 between France and Russia ensuring that if war was to break out then the Germans would have to fight on two fronts, leaving them increasingly reliant on the declining Austro-Hungarian empire. Germanys reliance on Austria-Hungary drew it into the tumultuous Balkan region and into ever increasing conflict with Russia.

Briana Trewitt February 22, 2012 Causes of the War 7. The friction of an armed and divided Europe escalated into several crises in Morocco and the Balkans, which nearly ended in war. In 1905, Germany announced its support of independence for Morocco, the African colony, which Britain had given France in 1904. The British defended the French, and war was avoided by an international conference in Algeciras in 1906, which allowed France to make Morocco a French protectorate. 8. Another conflict was stirred by the Austria-Hungarian annexation of the former Turkish province of Bosnia in 1908. The Greater Serbian movement had as an object the acquisition of Slavic Bosnia, so Serbia threatened war on Austria-Hungary. Russia had

pledged their support to Serbia, so they began to mobilize, which caused Germany, allied with Austria-Hungary, to threaten war on Russia. The beginning of World War I was postponed when Russia backed down, but relations between Austria- Hungary and Serbia were greatly damaged. 9. When the Austrian Council of Ministers met on July 7, 1914 the majority favored war. To satisfy Tisza, the council agreed to present demands to Serbia, rather than declare war at once. In the belief that a diplomatic victory alone would not be enough to destroy Serbia as a threat, the demands were deliberately to be written in such extreme terms that Serbia could not accept them. Serbia's refusal to comply would then become the excuse for war.

10. The direction of German policy during the July crisis in 1914, following the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand most certainly escalated the crisis, by providing Austria-Hungary with a blank check. Moreover, ensuring that any attempts at mediation would prove fruitless does present a strong argument that Germany viewed a war as desirable. Wilhelm II stated publicly that it was now or never for Austria to deal the Serbs, which led to Austria-Hungary being pressured into declaring war on Russia on August 6.