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Events Leading Up to World War I
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Kaiser Wilhelm I takes the throne of The German Empire
After the assasination of Frederick II, Kaiser Wilhem I was crowned German emperor. When Kaiser Wilhelm II took the throne of Germany, he opposed Bismarck's pragmatic foreign policy and felt that a more aggressive approach was needed to secure Germany's "place in the sun". Wilhelm also wanted to make his government more autocratic, thus giving him more power. Bismarck was dismissed that same year. -
The Dual Alliance
The Dual Alliance was an alliance formed by Germany and Austria-Hungary. They promised to help each if attacked by Russia. If Russia aided another power at war with either Germany or Austria-Hungary. This alliance, unlike others, lasted until war in 1914. -
Austro-Serbian Alliance
Austria-Hungary and Serbia aggreed to an alliance in order to prevent Russian aggression in Serbia.The Austro-Serbian Alliance was made to stop Russia from trying to gain control of Serbia. Like the Duel Alliance, they were both made for protection against Russia. -
The Triple Alliance
The Triple Alliance was an alliance between Germany, Austria–Hungary, and Italy agianst Britain, France and Russia (The Triple Enente). They promised support to eachother if any great powers attacked them and this alliance lasted until the begining of World War 1. -
The Austro-Romanian Alliance
The Austro-Romanian alliance is barely known between people since both countries were not “dangerous” to others. When Serbia and Romania joined the triple alliance, Romania and Austro-Hungary had alliances with each other, because Austro-Hungry wanted to take over Romania, and Romania needed protection. Eventually, the triple alliances broke and everything fall apart even before Austro-Hungary could do anything to Romania. -
The Berlin Conference
Portugal called together Otto von Bismark and the major western powers of the world to talk about and negotiate the control of Africa. Bismark wanted to force Germany's rivals to struggle with one another for territory. At the time of the conference, 80% of Africa remained under traditional and local control. Which resulted into Africa being divided into fifty irregular countries. -
Tsar Nicholas was crowned king of Russia
Was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russia. Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until his abdication on 2 March 1917. His reign saw Imperial Russia go from being one of the greatest powers of the world to economic and military collapse. Enemies nicknamed him Bloody Nicholas because of the Khodynka Tragedy, the anti-Semitic pogroms, Bloody Sunday, the violent suppression of 19. -
The Anglo-German Naval Race
By 1914, Britain had long viewed their navy as the key to their status as the leading world power. While their army was small, the navy protected Britain’s colonies and trade routes. There was huge pride in the navy and Britain invested a great deal of money and effort to hold to the ‘two-power’ standard, which held that Britain would maintain a navy as large as the next two greatest naval powers combined. -
Queen Victoria dies, King George V takes over
He became King George V on the death of his father Edward VII in 1910, and Mary became Queen consort. They toured India in 1911 as Emperor and Empress of India. During World War I he made several visits to the front, and Mary visited wounded serviceman in hospital. -
The Entente Cordiale
The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Third Republic. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial expansion addressed by the agreement, the signing of the Entente Cordiale marked the end of almost a millennium of intermittent conflict between the two nations and their predecessor states, and the formalisation of the peaceful co-existence that had existed since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. -
The Triple Entente
Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. The three countries agreed to support each other if attacked by either France or Russia. France felt threatened by this alliance. Britain was also concerned by the growth in the German Navy and in 1904 the two countries signed the Entente Cordiale -
Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia
On October 6, 1908, the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary announces its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dual provinces in the Balkan region of Europe formerly under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Though Bosnia and Herzegovina were still nominally under the control of the Ottoman Sultan, Austria-Hungary had administered the provinces since the Congress of Berlin -
Turkish-Italian War
The Turkish - Italian War was initiated by Italy in Libya as a step toward acquiring a modern empire. The diplomatic ground for this move was prepared by reaching secret bilateral agreements with Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, all of which gave Italy a free hand in Libya in exchange for reciprocity elsewhere. -
The First Balkan War
The First Balkan War was started by an alliance made up of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro. It was a desire to liberate their kinsman and a response to repressive policies of the Young Turks. The Balkan League agreed to ally themselves to take the offensive. -
The Second Balkan War
After 30 years of ambitious planning and fighting to control the fate of Macedonia, Bulgaria had every reason to be displeased with the outcome of the First Balkan War. The signing of an alliance between Greece and Serbia in May 1913 and the surprise Bulgarian attack against the new allies in mid-June resulted in the Second Balkan War. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary assassinated in Sarajevo.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six Bosnian Serb assassins coordinated by Danilo Ilić. The political objective of the assassination was to break off Austria-Hungary's south-Slav provinces so they could be combined into a Greater Serbia or a Yugoslavia.
