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| Europe in 1914 Although World War I did not officially begin until July 28, 1914, the fires that sparked it had been burning since the early 1800's. Peoples controlled by rulers who often did not even speak their language were developing nationalist feelings. Powerful nations were allied together to advance their own aims. Competition for colonies, resources and access to trade routes was often fierce. By 1914 those relatively small fires had been sufficiently flamed to cause a continent-wide conflagration. Nationalism After the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, diplomats at the Congress of Vienna drew the boundaries of Europe to suit their rulers. They often separated people of the same nationality, and many groups of people found themselves ruled by people who had little to no knowledge of local culture and often did not even care to know the native language. In 1871, following the Franco-Prussian War, Germany annexed the province of Alsace and most of Lorraine from France. Austria-Hungary controlled lands that many of its neighbors thought should belong to them. Serbia wanted the provinces of Bosnia and Hercegovina because many Serbs lived in those regions, and because it wanted an outlet to the sea. Italy wanted the Trentino and Trieste regions because many Italians lived in them, and the Czechs and Slovaks sought to free themselves from Austrian and Hungarian control. People of many different nationalities -- Estonians, Finns, Latvians, Lithuanians, and Poles -- lived under Russian control, and they, too, wanted freedom. In the Balkan Peninsula, many small wars were fought by the Bulgarians, Greeks, Romanians and Serbs seeking independence from the Ottoman Empire. Military Alliances In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy signed the Triple Alliance, designed to protect its members against attack by France or Russia. But while the Triple Alliance formed a powerful bloc in central Europe, it was not always a peaceful one, as Austria-Hungary and Italy frequently quarreled over territory claimed by both nations. Responding to the threat posed by the Triple Alliance, France signed a defensive alliance with Russia in 1894. In 1904, Great Britain and France reached an Entente Cordiale (cordial understanding), in which they settled their many disagreements about colonies and became diplomatic partners. The Triple Entente was formed in 1907, when France, Russia and Great Britain singed the Anglo-Russian Entente. Europe was now divided into two major camps, each attracting a variety of relatively minor allies, all primed and ready for war with each other. Territorial Conflicts One major dispute concerned control over Morocco, a large and very valuable region of North Africa jointly claimed by France and Germany. Meanwhile, Russia and Austria-Hungary quarreled over the Balkan Peninsula and, in particular, control of the Straits at Constantinople. France was not willing to support Russia in this quarrel, however, but Germany was more than willing to assist Austria-Hungary. Left without an ally, Russia gave up its hopes for a resolution to the conflict, and chose to encourage the Serbs in their desire to seize Bosnia and Hercegovina from Austria-Hungary. Russia's encouragement led to the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, which left Germany's ally, the Ottoman Empire, weak and doubled the size of Austria-Hungary's enemy, Serbia. In addition, as Europe became increasingly industrialized, competition between the great powers over access to overseas resources and markets also increased, and this competition added even more fuel for the coming fire. The fires that had been smoldering since the early 1800's flared into full-scale war following the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, of Austria-Hungary, by a group of nationalist Serbs on June 28, 1914. Sources F. Lee Benns Europe Since 1914 In Its World
Setting New York: F.S. Crofts & Co., 1946 See Also Napoleonic
Wars |
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