CW40: Twentieth-Century International Relations, 1879 1980

CW40: Twentieth-Century International Relations, 1879–1980

The making of the European alliance system and the arms race, 1879–1914 Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of Relevant interpretations decreasing tension between states states relationship between states states between states  Causes of World War One  Towards the Triple Alliance  Fear of Russia  Arms race  German aggression Three types of causes of Deep – Balance of power, Dual Alliance 1879, Triple Three Emperors’ Alliance, Causes – Kaiser’s desire to Weltpolitik, domination of World War One: deep, rigid alliance system, rise in Alliance 1882, decision not Reinsurance Treaty 1887, challenge Britain and Mitteleuropa, naval intermediate, and German power, domestic to renew the Reinsurance Second Mediterranean France, glorify war and expansion, Pan-German precipitating. (Joseph Nye) politics within Germany Treaty, German backing of Agreement 1887, British nationalism and establish League Intermediate – Policy of Austria over 1908 Bosnian alliance with Japan 1902 colonies abroad Problems of the European German government, Crisis Naval – Naval laws empires were the main factor individual personalities  Germany and Britain Land – British Expeditionary in causing World War One. Precipitating – Assassination  Towards the Triple Entente Britain’s policy of ‘Splendid Force (Fritz Fischer) of Franz Ferdinand, Russia’s alliance with Isolation’ prevents a formal Russia’s general France 1894, Entente alliance with Germany; Once mobilisation occurred, mobilisation, hesitancies of Cordiale 1904, Triple Kruger Telegram, First war was bound to happen. the British cabinet Entente 1907 Moroccan Crisis, Daily (Henry Kissinger) Telegraph Affair, Second Moroccan Crisis Alliance System to blame. (Henry Kissinger)  Britain and France Clash over Fashoda 1898, Policy of deterrence was Entente Cordiale 1904, flawed. (Hew Strachan) Anglo-French military conversations 1906 Importance of German Weltpolitik (Immanuel Geiss)

The post-war settlement and its breakdown, 1919–1939 Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of Relevant interpretations decreasing tension between states states relationship between states states between states  Causes of World War Two  Inter-war treaties and  International organisations  International crises  Inter-war ideas Belief that a strong Germany Long-term – Issues, ideas, agreements Comintern, League of Ruhr Occupation, Corfu, Communism, Fascism, was a viable defence against treaties, alliances, crises, Versailles, St. Germain, Nations Manchuria, Abyssinia, Nazism, Isolationism, Russia. (P. W. Schroeder) international organisations Neuilly, Trianon, Sèvres, Spanish Civil War, Sino- Collective Security, Medium-term – Lausanne, Rapallo, Berlin,  Italy and Germany Japan War Appeasement Four defences of Remilitarisation of the Washington Naval Rome-Berlin Axis, Anti- appeasement Rhineland, Anschluss with Conference and Treaty Comintern Pact, Pact of  Prevailing inter-war issues (P. M. Kennedy) Austria, Sudetenland, 1921–22, Dawes Plan, Steel Security, economic Bohemia and Moravia Locarno Treaty, Kellogg- depression, disarmament, Britain was experiencing a Short-term – Invasion of Briand Pact, Young Plan,  Soviet Union and Germany rearmament, reparations, dramatic decline which Poland Anglo-German Naval Nazi-Soviet Pact appeasement affected her capacity in Agreement, Munich foreign policy. (C. Barnett) Conference  Fear of Germany Stresa Front British public opinion only belatedly demanded war. (P. W. Schroeder)

Appeasement was the only course of action Britain could take. (E. H. Carr)

The origins of the Cold War Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of Relevant interpretations decreasing tension between states states relationship between states states between states  Causes of the Cold War  Military alliances  Period of tension between  Who is to blame for the  Nature of conflict during the Conflict based on geopolitical Ideological conflict – NATO, Warsaw Pact East and West Cold War? Cold War factors (Graebner and Bolshevik Revolution, The ‘German Problem’, Soviet Union – Failure to Ideological conflict – Morgenthau) Wilsonian Liberalism rise of Communism in the agree at Potsdam, Soviet Dictatorship vs. democracy, World War Two – Power Far East, European consolidation in Eastern capitalism vs. communism, Soviet Union to blame for the vacuum in Europe, different decolonisation, limits to Europe, Berlin Blockade, geopolitical factors Cold War (McNeill, Feis, views on the international De-Stalinisation, arms Cominform and Comecon, Economic measures – Schlesinger) economy, distrust and race, Berlin 1958–62, Chinese Civil War, Korean Marshall Plan, new suspicion, atomic bomb Cuban Missile Crisis War currency in Berlin, United States to blame for the Issues of tension – eastern United States – Atomic bomb, Comecon, Soviet Cold War (Williams, Kolko, European governments,  Period of thaw between Kennan Telegram, Iron international aid, US Alperowitz) Germany and Berlin, East and West Curtain speech, Truman international aid economic reconstruction Consolidation of positions, Doctrine, NATO, military- Non-cooperation – Neither side is to blame for Role of personality – death of Stalin, Beria, industrial complex Withholding information, the Cold War (Yergin, ‘Percentages Deal’, Malenkov, Peaceful Korean War, Berlin Wall, Gaddis) Truman’s anti-communism, coexistence, similar Cuban Missile Crisis Stalin’s paranoia pressures Propaganda – United States Information Agency, Soviet control of the media Espionage – Atomic bomb, KGB and CIA, U2 spy plane Arms Race – Atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb, Sputnik, Anti-ballistic missiles, MIRVs Indirect combat – Korean War, Vietnam War

Détente, 1969–1980 Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of Relevant interpretations decreasing tension between states states relationship between states states between states  Causes of détente  International Treaties  US and USSR relations  Disguise of détente Détente was a positive step Fear of War – Cuban Missile 1972 Basic Treaty SALT I, Helsinki Extension of Soviet by the United States (Nixon, Crisis, Mutually Assured Agreement, SALT II influence in Iran, Angola, Kissinger) Destruction  US and China relations Afghanistan Needs of the USSR – Priority Vietnam War, visit of Détente was beneficial for of consumer goods over Nixon, issue of Taiwan, both sides (Craig, George) industry, need for western permanent seat on the UN technology Security Council Détente was a sign of Needs of the USA – Backlash  European détente weakness from the United over Vietnam, prevalence Oder-Neisse Line, Access States (Pipes, Reagan) of social issues routes to West Berlin Position of China – Atomic bomb, pursued cooperation with the United States European needs – Invasion of Czechoslovakia, general strike in France, Ostpolitik

Factors (Part A) Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between states Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of states decreasing tension between between states relationship between states states Assess the impact of German What was the short-term Assess the short-term impact of What was the short-term Assess the short-term impact of foreign policy in bringing about significance of the Triple Entente? Anglo-French cooperation on the significance of the economic Weltpolitik on the relations between World War One. relations between Germany and Depression? Germany and Britain. Britain.

The role of individuals (Part A) Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between states Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of states decreasing tension between between states relationship between states states Assess the short-term impact of What was the short-term Assess the short-term impact of What was the short-term Assess the short-term impact of Kaiser Wilhelm II on Germany’s significance of Lord Grey? Kaiser Wilhelm II on the relations significance of Josef Stalin? Woodrow Wilson on relations relations with Europe between Germany and Britain. between European states.

Key events (Part A) Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between states Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of states decreasing tension between between states relationship between states states Assess the short-term impact of the What was the short-term Assess the short-term impact of the Assess the short-term impact of the What was the short-term assassination of Franz Ferdinand. significance of the Entente Fashoda Incident on relations Berlin Blockade on relations significance of the U2 spy plane Cordiale? between Britain and France. between the United States and the being shot down? Soviet Union.

Factors (Part B) Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between states Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of states decreasing tension between between states relationship between states states Assess the significance of military To what extent would you agree Assess the impact on the balance of Assess the significance of the arms To what extent would you agree that conflict in affecting the balance of that the most significant influence power in the period 1879–1980 of races and attempts to disarm in the the most significant influence on the power in the period 1879–1980. on the changing relationships the United States’ changing changing relationships between the changing relationships between the between the powers in the period relationships with other states. powers in the period 1879–1980. powers in the period 1879–1980 1879–1980 was alliances? was ideological conflict?

The role of individuals (Part B) Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between states Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of states decreasing tension between between states relationship between states states Assess the significance of the role Assess the significance of the role Assess the significance of the role Assess the significance of the role Assess the significance of the role of individuals in changing the of individuals in changing the of individuals in changing the of individuals in changing the of individuals in changing the relationships between the powers in relationships between the powers in relationships between the powers in relationships between the powers in relationships between the powers in the period 1879–1980. the period 1879–1980. the period 1879–1980. the period 1879–1980. the period 1879–1980.

Key events (Part B) Reasons for increasing and Agreements and alliances Relationships between states Issues which affect the Behaviour and beliefs of states decreasing tension between between states relationship between states states In considering the process of In considering the process of In considering the process of In considering the process of In considering the process of change in relationships between the change in relationships between the change in relationships between the change in relationships between the change in relationships between the powers and the ways in which this powers and the ways in which this powers and the ways in which this powers and the ways in which this powers and the ways in which this affected the balance of power in the affected the balance of power in the affected the balance of power in the affected the balance of power in the affected the balance of power in the period 1879–1980, how far can period 1879–1980, how far can the period 1879–1980, how far can the period 1879–1980, how far can the period 1879–1980, how far can the World War One be seen as a key Versailles Treaty be seen as a key Vietnam War be seen as a key Potsdam Conference be seen as a construction of the Berlin Wall be turning point? turning point? turning point? key turning point? seen as a key turning point?