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Belgium Guarantees Neutrality
A treaty was created so that every European power (France, Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain) recognizes that Belgium is its own state and is neutral in any surrounding conflict. Belgium, now an independent state, was square in the middle and was a passageway between Germany and other countries in Europe. European powers felt that the treaty, pulling powers into the conflict. http://goo.gl/V0JKC -
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Events Leading Up to World War I
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The Franco-Prussian War
The German States, lead by Prussia, defeated the French forces in this war. Prussia’s leader, von Bismarck, was able to unify Germany under Prussian control and take a step forward towards the elimination of France. The Treaty of Frankfurt ended the conflict between France and Germany, giving Germany 1 million francs and French territories. Youtube Video
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The German Empire is created
After the Franco-Prussian war in 1870, Bismarck proclaimed the German Empire in the Hall of Mirrors. This was Germany’s way of getting revenge for the humiliation made by Louis XIV and Napoleon. Prussia, the German Empire, looked to expand and become one of the powers of Europe, like France and Russia. With the growth of the German Empire, it unified all of the separate states of German control and influence under German rule. http://goo.gl/KrXgT -
The Austro-German Treaty
Stuck between Russia and Austria-Hungary, Bismarck wanted to bind Austria to the German Empire in case Russia became a threat or conflict. After the resolutions of the Austro-Prussian War during 1866 and the cultural connections that these two states share, it made unifying easier. The result was the formation of the Dual Alliance, where both nations guaranteed military support in case of a Russian attack. http://goo.gl/ILtGy -
The Triple Alliance established between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
In 1882, Italy would be brought into the previous alliance of Austria-Hungary and Germany, making the Triple Alliance. Instead of just counterbalancing Russia, France was also counterbalanced. The same tactics from the Dual Alliance were applied. The main goal of the alliance was to stop any conflict between Austria-Hungary and Italy as there were many territoriy disputes between the two. http://goo.gl/lVMKC -
The Austro-Romanian Alliance
Bismarck foresaw future conflict between Austria-Hungary and Romania. Knowing that this should be avoided, he decided to bring Romania into the Triple Alliance. Now constituting more countries, the Triple Alliance placed protection to plenty of European states of an attack. The main focus besides Romania was to keep Russia away from the Balkans and prevent war within the European states. http://goo.gl/vJtuq -
Wilhelm II becomes Emperor of Germany
Wilhelm became emperor of Germany after the death of Frederick II. He was an overly militaristic man and wanted to strengthen the armed forces. He was the last German emperor, or kaiser. His generals dictated policy during World War I with little regard for the civilian government. An ineffective war leader, he lost the support of the army, abdicated in November 1918, and fled to exile in the Netherlands. http://goo.gl/WlCQG
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The Anglo-German Naval Race
The U.K. had the biggest naval base in the world at the time. Because Wilhelm had such a strong desire for a large military, Alfred Von Terpitz, the Secretary of State, expand the German High Seas Fleet. The naval race between Britain and Germany generated huge public support on each side. It kick-started the toxicity of the competitive nature that carried into WWI. http://goo.gl/mwFle -
The Franco-Russian Alliance
A military alliance between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire that ran from 1892 to 1917. The alliance ended the diplomatic isolation of France and undermined the supremacy of the German Empire in Europe. France would remain the principal ally of Russia until 1917, from an economical, financial and military point of view. http://goo.gl/h3L0i -
The Franco-Italian Agreement
The French and Italian governments signed a treaty which addressed their conflicting interests in Africa during Premier Pierre Laval's visit to Rome. In order to win the support of the Italian government against Germany, the French government made concessions to the Italians including defining the official status of Italians in Tunisia and part ownership of the Ethiopian Railway. The agreement gave the Italians a free hand in Ethiopia. http://goo.gl/Ar4P2 -
The Russo-Japanese War, in which Russia loses
This war grew from rivl ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Japan Empire over Manchuria and Korea. The major areas were southern Manchuria, mainly the area around the Liaodong Peninsula and the Seas around Korea, Japan and the yellow sea. After 1904, the Japanese Navy attacked the Russian base at Port Arthur, a naval base in the Liaotung, starting war. Russia was badly organized and the Japanese defeated them on land and sea. http://goo.gl/t76vg -
The Entente Cordial, agreed between France and Britain
Fixed a number of long colonial disputes, and established a diplomatic understanding between the two countries, which stopped short of binding either to any military support of the other. France wanted to build a buffer against Germans so they signed the agreement in a bid to encourage an Anglo alliance with France. Britain encouraged cooperation between the two countries with an eye on Germany's choice to expand her naval strength. http://goo.gl/y2Oxk -
Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia
Austria-Hungary announces its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovia, provinces that, in the past, were contolled by the Ottoman Empire. The announcement of the two Balkan territories hugely upset the balance of power in Europe, enraging many. Russia had to submit and veiwed the actions of Austris-Hungary as very aggressive. http://goo.gl/e2eHy -
Turkish-Italian War
Fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy, Italy was able to capture present day areas of Libya. During the war the Italy had control of Dodecanese Islands. The Italians agreed to a treaty to surrender the Dodecanese Islands back to Turkey, but some vague writing allowed Italy to get control of the islands. During this war there were many technology advances, the biggest being airplanes. http://goo.gl/kVaXo -
The Second Balkan War
War broke out when Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece. The Serbia and Greece armies were able to counterattack the Bulgarian army and enter Bulgaria. The Ottoman Empire took advantage of the situation to regain some lost territories. When Romanian troops entered Sofia, Bulgaria asked to end war, resulting in the Treaty of Bucharest, in which Bulgaria had to cede portions of its First Balkan War gains to the other states involved. http://goo.gl/BHF4e -
The Liman von Sanders Affair
Liman Von Sanders was a German general, adviser, and military commander for the Ottoman Empire. Liman Von Sanders was responsible for transforming the efficiency of the Ottoman army in the months prior to WWI. In August of 1914, Liman worked to improve the Turkish army's fighting capabilities. He was nevertheless highly uncomfortable in finding himself in the role of diplomat and soldier. His influence upon Turkish affairs was diminshed. <a href='http://goo.gl/B6yGc ' >http://goo.gl/B6yGc </a
