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Home , Algeciras Conference, Entente Cordiale, First Moroccan Crisis, Triple Alliance (1882), Triple Entente

Conflict and tension 1894 – 1918

Wider world depth study

Revision workbook

Acklam Grange History department

60 minutes 4 questions to answer. Total of 44 marks. Q1. This source supports …….How do you know? 4 marks Q2.How useful are sources B and C ……..12 marks

Q3. Write an account of a crisis………8 marks Q4.The main reason for………was….How far do you agree? 16 marks + 4

SPaG

Author: Mrs G Galloway

Name:

What you need to know Part One – The causes of the First World War

 The system including: The , the Franco – Russian Alliance and the relations between the Entente powers.  The crises in and the (1905 – 1912) and their effects on international relations.  Britain and the challenges to .  Kaiser Wilhelm’s aims in foreign policy, including .  Colonial tensions  European rearmament, including the Anglo-German naval race.  Slav and relations between Serbia and Austria- Hungary  The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo and its consequences  The Timeline

1870 Franco-Prussian war. was defeated. as a country was created. Alsace and Lorraine were taken from France. To try and protect Germany from a revenge attack by France Germany entered into an alliance with Austria- Hungary and (Triple Alliance)

Early Anglo-German naval race. 1906 Britain launches the HMS . All countries in also building up their arms

1905 – led to the humiliation of the Kaiser and the creation of the between Britain, France and . Although not intended as a Germany felt threatened as it was surrounded by hostile neighbours.

1905 Germany devises the . Germany was worried about being attacked on two fronts (from West and East). The plan was to attack France and defeat in 6 weeks and then turn against Russia.

1908 Balkan Crisis – Austro-Hungary took over . This angered Russia and Serbia. Russia had to back down as Germany supported Austria – but Russia began to build up its army.

1911 Second Moroccan Crisis – escalated the naval race.

1912 – 13 Lots of local wars in the Balkans. Serbia emerged as the most powerful country and Austria was looking for an excuse to crush Serbia.

28 June 1914 Assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand by the Black Hand Gang (Serbs)

July Crisis 23 July 1914 Serbia sends a 10 point ultimatum to Serbia – 9 are accepted but Serbia cannot accept the 10. Asks to negotiate

28 July 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. It has German support (Blank Cheque). This triggers off the

30 July 1914 Russia supports Serbia and begins to mobilise its troops (get ready for war) against Austria-Hungary and Germany 1 Germany declares war on Russia

At this point only the countries in the east are involved. However Germany then implements the Schlieffen Plan on 3 August and invades neutral to reach France

3 August 1914 Britain has an agreement with Belgium () that stated that Belgium was a . Therefore Britain gives Germany an ultimatum – withdraw or Britain would declare war.

4 August 1914 Britain declares war on Germany

6 August 1914 Austria declared war on Russia. The alliance system intended to keep the peace had failed

Part One

Causes of the First World War Assassination at Sarajevo

The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife was critical in setting off the chain of events that led to the First World War. Not only was it a bad day for the Archduke and his family, but also a bad day for Europe.

Sarajevo was in Bosnia, the province that - to Serbia's anger - had been occupied by Austria-Hungary in 1908. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. He was inspecting the army in Sarajevo with his wife Sophie. The royal couple arrived by train at 9.28am. Seven young Bosnian Serbs planned to assassinate Franz Ferdinand as he drove along the main road in Sarajevo, the Appel Quay. The first conspirator who tried to kill Franz Ferdinand threw a bomb at his car. He missed and was arrested. The Archduke escaped unhurt. He decided to abandon the visit and return home via a different route to the one planned. No one had told the driver the route had changed. On the way back, therefore, the driver turned into Franz Josef Street, following the published route and, when told of his error, stopped the car to turn around. Unfortunately, the car stopped in front of Gavrilo Princip, one of the conspirators, who was on his way home thinking he had failed. Princip pulled out a gun and shot at Franz Ferdinand, hitting him in the jugular vein. There was a struggle, during which Princip shot and killed Sophie. By 11.30am, Franz Ferdinand bled to death.

In order to understand why World War One broke out in 1914, you will need to understand the key events leading up to this assassination and how they contributed to the outbreak of war in 1914.

Causes of World War One Background to Europe between 1894 and 1914.

Great Britain Russia

- Wanted to maintain their imperial and naval - Had a large but ill-equipped army. supremacy. - Had a long-standing rivalry with Austria-

- Did not want to get involved in European affairs – Hungary due to the high Slavic population in they were in ‘splendid isolation’. the A-H Empire. - Was a strong trading nation, which, by 1914 had been - Fought and lost a war with in 1905 and overtaken by Germany in chemical and steel therefore could not afford another one. production.

France Serbia

- Had a long-standing - Gained feud with Germany independence as they had been from Turkey in defeated in the 1878. Franco-Prussian War - Wanted to join and had lost Alsace- with Bosnia due Lorraine. to the number of - Was not on good Serbs living there. terms with Britain as - Believed in pan- they had squabbled Slavism. The over land in Africa. biggest obstacle - Was worried about to this was the A- the growth of the H Empire where German military and Slavs lived under industry. Austro-Hungarian not Slavic rule.

Germany

- Unified in 1870 - Franco – Prussian War 1870-71. Germany won this war. They knew that France would want revenge. - Germany wanted to maintain dominance by creating alliance but wanted to weaken and isolate France. - Wanted to increase the size of their empire and navy. - Was also worried about the growing size of the Russian army

Reason one - The alliance system

One of the key factors that led to the outbreak of war was the existence of the two rival alliances in Europe as by 1914 the six most powerful nations in Europe were divided into two opposing alliances: The Triple Alliance 1882 - was arranged by the German Chancellor - Bismarck. Germany were aware that France would want revenge for its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War therefore the Triple Alliance was designed to: a) Alienate France and, b) Create a military alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy in case of invasion from a foreign power.

The Triple Entente consisted of 3 separate agreements. o The Franco-Russian Agreement 1894 – had the intention of encircling Germany. This was a military alliance but these two countries only promised to defend the other if Germany attacked either of them. o The Franco-Russian Agreement could only be signed after the between Russia and Germany had lapsed. Wilhelm failed to renew it after Bismarck was dismissed meaning that Russia was now free to form alliance with another country. o The 1904 - was signed between Britain and France. The two countries agreed to stay on good terms and settled colonial disputes in Africa. Britain was following a policy of Splendid Isolation at this time – they did not want to interfere in European affairs and therefore these agreements were seen as a way of preserving British supremacy in areas that concerned them. Although this was not a military agreement, Germany saw this a threat that needed to be tested.

The Triple Alliance (). Triple Entente. Formed 1907 Formed 1882 (See Moroccan crisis later) Germany Britain Austria-Hungary France Italy Russia

The existence of these alliances meant that tension within Europe was increased and in 1914 a local war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia escalated into World War One.

1. Make a list of the countries in:

The Triple Alliance

The Triple Entente

2. If the Triple Alliance attacked France, how could Russia’s friendship help France?

3. If Austria-Hungary attacked Russia, how could France’s friendship help Russia?

4. If Russia attacked Germany, how could Austria-Hungary’s friendship help Germany?

5. Look at the source below.

 Which countries are represented by the three boots?

 Who is being kicked?

Reason two – the Moroccan Crises

Why did the events in Morocco become an international crisis in 1905?

The events in Morocco are a really good example of rivalry over empires, tension and escalation of the alliance system and increased hostility between Germany, Russia and France.

Morocco and the Entente Cordiale

Morocco was one of the few areas of Africa that had not been colonised by a European country. As part of 1904 deal between France and Britain (the Entente Cordiale), the British agreed to supports France’s plans. However, Germany’s Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II was determined to prevent this from happening and visited to pledge his support for Morocco’s rule, the Sultan Abdelaziz.

The first crisis, 1905 – 06

The German Emperor’s support for Morocco was a direct challenge to France’s ambitions. France already had an empire in North Africa, which included Algeria and . Morocco would complete this North African Empire. As news spread of the crisis, many wondered whether this would lead to war between Germany and France. It seems that the Kaiser had several aims:  He wanted to test the French to see how far they could be pushed. Would they really declare war on Germany?  He wanted to test the Entente Cordiale. Would France’s new ally, Britain, come to France’s defence?  He wanted to demonstrate that Germany intended to become fully involved in world affairs and was very interested in the expansion of Germany’s empire.

In 1905, the Kaiser paid a visit to the Moroccan port of Tangier where he made a speech declaring that Morocco should remain independent of France. This sparked a crisis. France, supported by Britain, refused to back down. However, the French did agree to the Kaiser’s demand for an international conference to discuss the future of Morocco. This was typical of the Kaiser and Germany’s policy at the beginning of the . It was a dramatic gesture aimed at preventing France from occupying Morocco and testing the strength of the Entente Cordiale.

The conference 1906

War between Germany and France was looming – but it never happened. An international conference, attended by all the major European nations, was held in Algeciras (southern ) to settle the conflict. However, the conference was humiliating for Germany. Only Austria-Hungary supported the Germans and it was decided that France could have special rights in Morocco. Although the French were stopped from colonising Morocco and including it as part of their empire, they gained a foothold in the country by being given joint control of the Moroccan police. More importantly, Britain and Russia had stood firm against Germany in their support for France. The Kaiser could now be in no doubt that the Entente Cordiale was more than just a “friendly understanding”. Furthermore, in the wake of this crisis, the relationship between Britain and Russia improved and soon Britain, France and Russia formed the Triple Entente. The first Moroccan crisis of 1905:

France already had an empire in North Africa and believed ……………………. would complete this Empire. The …………………, however, decided to interfere. He wanted to test the strength of the ………………………………..and hoped to split it apart. He did not believe ……………………………… would stand by France over Morocco and he did not want to see France extend her North African Empire. In 1905, the Kaiser paid a visit to the Moroccan port of ………………………… where he made a speech declaring that Morocco should remain ……………………………. of France. This sparked a crisis. France, supported by Britain, refused to back down. However, the French did agree to the Kaiser’s demand for an …………………………………………………………….. to discuss the future of Morocco. The conference took place at Algeciras in Spain in ……………… and was a disaster for the Kaiser. Only ……………………………………. supported his demands for Moroccan independence. Britain and ………….. fully supported the French. The crisis had important effects on the alliances: France was in effect given a free hand in Morocco and was …………….. to Britain. The Kaiser’s attempts to break up the Entente Cordiale had backfired. His interference had ………………………. relations between Britain and France. Britain entered into secret military talks with France and began to take more of an interest in …………………………… matters. Anglo-German ……………… intensified as the Kaiser blamed the British for his humiliating ……………… defeat, 1906, Russia, strengthened, Kaiser, Tangier, rivalry, Morocco, international defeat, 1906, Russia, strengthened, Kaiser, Tangier, rivalry, Morocco, international conference, Austria-Hungary, independent, Entente Cordiale, Britain, grateful, conference, Austria-Hungary, independent, Entente Cordiale, Britain, grateful, European European

1. Explain why the was humiliating for Germany.

2. Why was this a problem for Germany?

3. How did the conference benefit Britain, France and Russia?

The Second Moroccan Crisis 1911

Five years later there was a second crisis in Morocco. In 1911 a rebellion against the ruling Sultan of Morocco broke out in Fez, the capital city. The Sultan asked the French for help and the French government sent 20,000 soldiers to fight the rebels. Germany’s Kaiser accused the French of invading Morocco and sent warship named the Panther to the port of Agadir as a show of strength. The use of a gunboat was another example of over-reaction by the Germans. It was seen as a warlike action by other countries, especially Britain. The British government were greatly alarmed by the arrival of the Panther in Agadir. Britain had an important navy base nearby in Gibraltar and they feared that Wilhelm would make Agadir into a rival base for the German navy.

A series of meetings between German, French and British politicians were held and eventually a peaceful solution was found. Britain and France again stood firm against Germany, and the Kaiser decided to back down and order the warship to leave Agadir. Other countries, such as Italy, also opposed the Germans. After a tense few weeks, the French took control of Morocco, but Germany was given some land in central Africa as compensation.

The crisis had several important effects:

 Germany was humiliated – and was unlikely to back down again from an international crisis.  Many German people fully supported the Kaiser and his actions. When he talked of war, they would support him on this matter too.  Britain was now convinced that Germany was a threat to European peace. It is no coincidence that Britain began to build more battleships after this crisis.  Britain and France grew closer. They reached a secret agreement that French warships would patrol the Mediterranean Sea while British warships would defend the north coast of France.  Italy had not supported Germany, and this weakened the Triple Alliance. From now on, Germany would look to Austria-Hungary as their main ally in the Triple Alliance.

The second Moroccan crisis of 1911:

In ……………, Moroccan rebels attacked the town of Fez. The ……………………. government sent 20, 000 ………………. to drive them out. …………………………. accused the French of invading ………………………….. and sent a warship, the …………………………., to a small port called Agadir on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. The use of a gunboat was seen as a warlike action by other countries, especially …………………………….. who were alarmed by the arrival of the Panther in Agadir. Britain had an important navy base nearby in ………………………………. and they feared that Wilhelm would make …………………… into a rival base for the German …………………… However, Germany’s actions backfired. Britain was determined to support France as both countries believed that Wilhelm was trying to set up a German naval base in Morocco. …………………………, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, made a speech in which he directly warned the Germans that Britain would back the French, by …………. if necessary. Britain’s fleet was even prepared for war. In the end, Germany ……………………………. rather than risk war. The crisis had several important effects: It greatly increased ……………….in Europe. It strengthened the …………………………………………………………….. due to British support for the French. The Kaiser had suffered another humiliating ………………………… and was unlikely to back down a …………….. time. It increased …………………………………….rivalry. The Kaiser once again blamed his humiliation on the …………………………………………. defeat, Agadir, Kaiser Wilhelm, Anglo-German, Panther, tension, 1911, war, Gibraltar, navy, soldiers, French, Morocco, Britain, Lloyd George, backed down, British, Anglo-French Entente, third,

1. Why was the Algeciras Conference: A success for France? A humiliation for Germany?

2. How was the Entente Cordiale affected by events in Morocco between 1905 and 1911?

3. Study this German cartoon drawn in 1911 and answer the following questions:  Who is the man swimming in the sea?

 Which sea is he swimming in?

 What is the name of the boat in the bottom right hand corner of the cartoon?

 Why do you think the cartoonist has drawn the swimmer wearing a large mailed glove? (a glove made from iron)

 Do you think the cartoonist agreed or disagreed with what the swimmer was doing? Give reasons for your answer.

4. How might both Moroccan crises contribute to the cause of the First World War.? Explain your answer.

Reason three – Kaiser Wilhelm II’s aims

When Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II came to power in 1888, he was determined to build up the country’s military strength and turn Germany into a global power.

The aims of Kaiser Wilhelm II Weltpolitik A large and powerful navy  The Kaiser believed that Germany should  The Kaiser wanted a large navy because: be a global power.  It would help build an empire  As part of this, he wanted an empire that  He wanted to be a rival to Britain could rival those of Britain and France.  Huge sums of money were spent; taxes  In the late 1800s, Germany began to were raised and the country went into conquer nations in Africa. debt. Consequences The Kaiser’s policies increased tensions between European nations:  The other European powers were concerned that Germany would try and take their colonies.  In response to the increase in the German navy, other countries built up their own navies and prepared for war.

1. How might the aims of Kaiser Wilhelm contribute to the cause of the First World War.? Explain your answer.

Reason four – European rearmament (militarism)

The arms race

By 1907, Europe was divided into two groups: the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. Each side was highly suspicious of the other. For example, the Germans felt that the friendship between Russia (to Germany’s east) and France (to Germany’s west) was an attempt to surround and threaten them. France and Russia, however, felt that the Kaiser’s aim of becoming a world power was a direct threat to them. These fears led to all major European nations building up their armed forces.

The arms race on land

An arms race is when rival countries build their armed forces in a bid to become bigger and stronger than the other. In the years before the outbreak of the First World War, the major European powers took part in an arms race, as shown by the amount of money spent on the military.

• In 1870, Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Italy spent over £90 million on the military between them. • By 1914, this spending had quadrupled to almost £400 million. • Germany increased spending the most – by 73%, compared to France’s increase of 10% and Britain’s increase of 13%. • Russia’s spending also increased by more than a third, mainly in response to their defeat by the Japanese in 1905. • Except for Britain, every major European power introduced – or increased – conscription. This is when governments pass laws that force men to join the armed forces.

Military plans

The European powers were worried about possible future conflicts, so they made detailed plans about where and how their armies would attack if war broke out:

• Britain – A highly trained army unit would travel to France at short notice to help the French. • France – French troops would march through Alsace and Lorraine, capture these areas, and then continue onto Berlin. This was known as Plan 17. • Russia – Millions of Russian troops would attack the eastern borders of Germany and Austria- Hungary. This was known as Plan 19. • Germany- Planned to attack France first, defeat it quickly, then turn and fight the Russians in the east. This was known as the Schlieffen Plan. • Austria-Hungary – Developed several different war plans that related to whether different countries joined in or not. This was known as Plan B and Plan R.

Anglo-German naval race

Britain’s justification of their naval supremacy:

1) They were an island nation and therefore needed to be able to protect itself from attack from the seas. 2) They had a large empire which they needed to be able to control. 3) Britain was far from self-sufficient; they relied on imports from colonies. (58% of food consumed came from overseas). 4) For years, Britain’s foreign policy had been based on the idea that no one power should be able to dominate the continent.

In the 1800s, Britain had built up a huge navy to protect its trade routes and colonies around the world and, by 1900, was the world’s greatest naval power. However, in 1901, Germany’s Kaiser announced that he wanted an empire to rival Britain’s. He needed a large navy to achieve this, so began a huge shipbuilding campaign, financed through a series of Navy Laws.

Then in 1906, the British announced the creation of a new, improved type of warship called the Dreadnought. The new ship was so much faster, stronger and more powerful than any other battleship ever built that older, German ships were referred to as funf minute. This translated to “five minutes” – the amount of time that Germans thought it would take a dreadnought to sink one of their ships. However, almost immediately, the Germans began work on their own version of the dreadnought – known as Rhineland. The British responded with an improved version of a dreadnought – the super-dreadnought. A “naval race” had started. Key word: Choose the correct definition

Anglo-German The idea that the British navy would be equal in size to the two strongest navies in the rest of naval race Europe put together.

Funf-minuten A British battleship launched in 1906. It was faster and had a longer range than the older ships.

Two- power The Kaiser believed that Germany should have global (world) power. standard

Admiral The name given to older German battleships after the Dreadnought was launched because it was estimated they would only last five minutes if faced by a Dreadnought.

Dreadnought The most senior commander of a fleet or navy.

Weltpolitik Rivalry between Britain and Germany to have the biggest and the best navy.

1. Suggest reasons why the major European powers each built up their armed forces in the years before the First World War.

2. Why did Germany want a bigger navy?

3. Why do you think that Britain was concerned about Germany building up their navy?

4. What effect do you think the increase in the size of the German navy had on Britain’s relationship with Germany?

5. How might European armament contribute to the cause of the First World War.? Explain your answer.

Reason five – The Balkan Crisis: Bosnia 1908

Problems in the Balkans

The map shows a region of south-eastern Europe known as the Balkans. In the years leading up to the First World War, the Balkans became the focus of great tension between some of the most powerful nations in Europe. This tension was one of the main reasons why the war eventually broke out in 1914.

The end of an empire

The Balkans consisted of many small countries. For many years, Turkey controlled these countries and they were part of the Turkish Empire – also known as the . However, by the early 1900s, the Turkish Empire was weak and different countries within the Balkans had rebelled against Turkish rule. Some, such as and Serbia, had won their freedom and become independent of Turkish rule. Others, such as Bulgaria, had become semi-independent. This meant that Bulgarian politicians controlled everything WITHIN Bulgaria, but the country itself had to support Turkey in times of war. As a result of Turkey growing weaker, some of the larger nations that surrounded the Balkans, such as Austria-Hungary and Russia, saw this as an opportunity to gain land themselves and increase their influence.

The Balkans Crisis, 1908 - 09

In 1908 there was rebellion in Turkey. Austria-Hungary took advantage of this and seized control of Bosnia and Herzegovina, two of the smaller Slav states that had been under Turkish control. Nearby Serbia was angered by Austria-Hungary’s invasion of a fellow Slav nation and asked Russia to take action. This led to a serious international crisis. Russia had strong cultural and religious links to Serbia and had been a supporter of Serbia for a long time. Russia called for an international conference to discuss Austria-Hungary’s actions.

The German position

Germany and Austria-Hungary were close allies, but the German Kaiser was unhappy that Austria-Hungary had taken over Bosnia. However, he promised to fully support Austria-Hungary. After all, Austria-Hungary had fully supported Germany at the Algeciras Conference in 1906. Now Russia faced a dilemma: stand up for Serbia and Bosnia and take on both Austria-Hungary and Germany, or back down?

For now, Russia backed down. It was not prepared to risk war at this time because it felt that it was not strong enough to take on the Germans. The of 1908 – 09 (often known as the Balkan Crisis) had a major effect on the countries involved: • Most people in Bosnia resented Austro-Hungarian rule and wanted to join with Serbia. • Several secret societies were formed in Serbia and Bosnia. Their main aim was to get rid of Austro-Hungarian influence in the Balkans. Many were prepared to use violence to achieve this. In 1911 ten men formed the Black Hand in Serbia. This group was a secret society aimed at uniting all Serbs in a Greater Serbia. By 1914 it had around 2,500 members, some of whom were leading officials in the Serb army. To show their opposition to Austria-Hungary, they planned to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, when he visited Sarajevo in Bosnia in 1914. • Russia had been forced to back down against Germany. They vowed that this would not happen again and began building more weapons. • Austria-Hungary felt it now had the full support of Germany, which would affect how Austria- Hungary acted in the years to come. • Italy was unhappy with Austria-Hungary’s expansion into the Balkans. As a result, this weakened the relationship between the two countries – and the Triple Alliance.

1. Write out the following events in chronological order:

• Austria-Hungary takes over Bosnia • The Turkish Empire begins to break apart • Russia calls for an international conference to discuss the invasion. • Russia backs down, unprepared to take on Germany. • There is a rebellion in Turkey. • Serbia asks Russia to take action against the invasion of Bosnia.

2. Look at the source opposite

The cover of a French magazine in 1908; the Emperor of Austria-Hungary (on the left) and the Russian Emperor (in the centre) are shown seizing parts of the Balkans, whilst the Turkish Emperor looks on powerless. • Who are the three men pictured in the source?

• What are each of the men doing?

• Why do you think the figure on the right is so unhappy?

3. Why were Austria-Hungary and Russia so keen to take over parts of the Balkans? Try to divide these reasons into categories. Can you identify?

- Political reasons for wanting to control the Balkans - Military reasons - Economic reasons?

4. How did both the Moroccan Crises and the tensions in the Balkans

• Weaken the Alliance system • Strengthen the Alliance system?

5. How might the Balkan crisis contribute to the cause of the First World War.? Explain your answer.

Reason six - The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

A serious consequence of the Balkan crisis was that Austria-Hungary were looking for an excuse to deal with Serbia as it had emerged as the most powerful country in the Balkans. This was very serious for Austria. Serbia had a strong army and it was a close ally of Russia. The excuse occurred on 28th June 1914 when a group of Serb nationalists called the Black Hand, led by Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne.

Austria-Hungary, Serbia and the Black Hand

In the late 1800s, a strong nationalist movement had grown in Serbia that wanted to unite all of the Serb areas in the Balkans into one unified country. In 1908, Austria-Hungary took over Bosnia, a country that included a large Serb population. This went against the nationalists’ aims. Secret Serb groups began to plot to drive the Austro-Hungarians out of Bosnia. One of these groups was named the Black Hand. The Black Hand was led by a man named Dragutin Dimitrijevic (known as “Apis”), and included a number of influential figures, including the military. In 1911, the Black Hand made their first attempt to kill Austria-Hungary’s Emperor Franz Josef but this was unsuccessful, as was a plot to kill another senior Austrian official.

How did Austria-Hungary respond to the assassination attempts?

The Austro-Hungarian government was angered by the assassination attempts, and especially by the rumours that the Serbian government was involved in the plots. Many advisors encouraged Franz Josef to deal with Serbia and any potential rebels very harshly. The Emperor decided to send his nephew and heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. This was to be a show of Austria-Hungary’s power and authority, especially as it coincided with Serbia’s National Day.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand, 28 June 1914.

Preparations: Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie’s plan to visit Sarajevo was seen as an insult by many Serbs. The Black Hand wanted to seize this opportunity to carry out an assassination. They recruited seven students, trained them in Serbia and then got them across the border in time for the visit.

A failed attempt: The Archduke and his wife arrived at the train station at 9.28am and were driven to the town hall to meet the mayor. Crowds lined the streets and the car drove slowly to allow people to see the royal couple. Black Hand assassins were among the crowd. The first assassin threw a bomb but it was deflected and exploded underneath the car behind. The Archduke’s car quickly sped up towards the town hall.

A wrong turn: The Archduke cancelled the rest of his visit but planned to visit those wounded by the bomb before he left. A new route was planned but the driver was not told. He stopped the car to turn around outside Schiller’s Café. Coming out of the same café was Gavrillo Princip, one of the assassins who believed the plan had failed.

The plan succeeds: Not believing his luck, Princip took out his gun and fired twice, killing both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. Princip and the other assassins were arrested but this murder went on to create shockwaves across Europe.

1. Why did the Black Hand want to kill Franz Ferdinand? Write as many reasons as you can think of.

2. Highlight the reasons you think are the most important and briefly explain why you have chosen each one.

3. How might the assassination of the Archduke contribute to the cause of the First World War.? Explain your answer.

4. Create a storyboard on the next page of the events leading up to the assassination. You should aim to have six boxes and could use the following titles for each box:

 The rise of Serbian nationalism

 The Archduke’s visit

 The Black Hand’s plan

 The first attempt

 The wrong turn

 The assassination

Each box should contain an illustration and a brief summary of what happened.

Reason seven - The July Crisis and the countdown to war.

Most people in Europe assumed that the assassination was just a local issue involving Austria-Hungary and Serbia. However, following the successful takeover of Bosnia in 1908, Austria now felt confident that Germany would support it in future disputes. Some historians believe that this made Austria too confident and encouraged them to make trouble with Serbia and Russia. Therefore, the events of 28 June 1914 gave the Austrians the opportunity to humiliate Serbia. However, they needed to be wary of provoking the Russians unless they had the full support of the Germans. On 5 July 1914 the Kaiser gave the Austrians full support to deal with Serbia as they saw fit. This is known as the Blank Cheque and was a crucial turning point on the road to war.

Steps to war – the July Crisis

23 July – Austria-Hungary with the support of Germany sent a ten point ultimatum (10 demands) to Serbia. The demands required Serbia to take full responsibility for the assassination and to get rid of any Anti-Austrian groups (while being supervised by the Austrian police). Serbia was given 48 hours to respond. Shortly before the deadline, the King of Serbia agreed to all of the demands except the one that stated they must allow the presence of Austrian police in the country. Serbia offered to negotiate on this point but the Austrians refused and declared war on 28th July.

This triggered the alliances.

28 July – Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and begins bombing Belgrade, its capital city.

29 July – Russia, an ally of Serbia, gets its troops ready to attack Austria-Hungary.

30 July – Germany’s alliance with Austria-Hungary is triggered. The German Kaiser calls on the Russian Tsar to back down.

1 August – The Tsar refuses Germany’s request. Germany declares war on Russia. The French prepare to join in on Russia’s side.

2 August – Germany begins the first part of the Schlieffen Plan. This plan details how Germany will fight both Russia and France in a war, and assumes Russian troops will take longer to mobilise than French troops. It involves the invasion of France through Belgium, a swift defeat of France within six weeks, and a redeployment of troops after this to fight Russian troops to the east. Germany sends troops towards the Belgian border, and asks for passage through Belgium to France; Belgium refuses.

3 August – Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium. This triggered an 1839 Treaty of London, in which Britain promised to protect Belgium. The British send a message asking the Germans to withdraw.

4 August – Germany did not reply so Britain declared war on Germany.

5 August – France declares war on Germany.

6 August – Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. In just over a week, all of the major powers (except Italy) are at war.

1. Create a timeline of the events that led to war, starting with the assassination. You may wish to illustrate your timeline to help you remember when and why each country became involved.

Now let’s see what you can remember

Question Answers 1 What is an empire? 2 Name the person in charge of Germany between the years 1888 - 1918 3 Which country had the largest overseas empire in 1914? 4 What is an alliance? 5 What did Britain mean by “splendid isolationism”? 6 Which countries formed the Triple Alliance? 7 Which countries formed the Triple Entente? 8 What does the word “Weltpolitik” mean? 9 Give TWO reasons why the Kaiser became involved in the affairs in Morocco. 10 What did the Germans do in Morocco in 1911? 11 Give TWO consequences of how events in the Balkans became a crisis in the years 1908 and 1909 12 What is a Dreadnought?

13 What is the definition of “nationalism”? 14 Who was assassinated in June 1914?

15 What was the Anglo- German naval arms race? 16 Who did the Serbians ask for help following the assassination? 17 What was the Blank Cheque?

18 What was the name of the plan devised by the Germans to defeat France within six weeks? How to master source questions

Here are the steps to consider when answering the question that asks you how you know the opinion of a source.

Content

Look at the source carefully. You could label what you can see, or circle anything that you think is important. This might help you to break the source down and work out what it is about.

Provenance

Look at the date and other information in the source caption. The caption will give you a clue about what event(s)/issue/topic it is about. Think carefully about the events you have studied. Which one is the source about?

Contextual knowledge

Think back over your own knowledge. What features of the source content or provenance fit with what you know about the statement given in the question (such as source A opposes or supports something)? What historical facts can you use to support your answer?

Comment

Make sure you use your own knowledge and information from the source to explain how the statement given in the question (such as source A opposes or supports something) is shown. Spend about five minutes on this 4 mark question.

Source A is critical of the formation of the Triple Alliance. How do you know? Explain your answer using Source A and your contextual knowledge. 4 marks.

A French cartoon published in 1882, titled “The Triple Alliance”. The three figures in the cartoon represent Germany, Austria- Hungary and Italy

Source A is critical of the actions of Britain and Germany. How do you know? Explain your answer using Source A and your contextual knowledge. 4 marks.

A cartoon from the British magazine Punch, published in 1908. The figure on the right is , a character often used to represent Britain. The figure on the left is the Kaiser. The text below the cartoon reads” Poker and Tongs; or, how we’ve got to play the game. Kaiser: I go three ”. John Bull: “Well, just to show there’s no ill feeling, I raise you three”.

How to master “how useful are the sources” questions Content

Read both sources and underline or circle any detail that helps you work out what they are about.

Provenance

Next, look at the provenance for each source; is there anything about the time, author, purpose, audience or site (place it was created) (TAPAS) that makes the source more or les useful?

Contextual knowledge

Now think back over your own knowledge. For each source, write about whether the content and caption fit with what you know. Does it give a fair reflection of the person, event or issue it describes?

Comment

You now need to make a judgement about how useful the sources are. Make sure that you use the sources together – DO NOT say which one is better. What could a historian use them to find out about? For each source, make sure that you explain what is suggested by the content – and link this to your own knowledge to explain your ideas. You should also explain how the provenance makes the source useful. This question is worth 12 marks so spend about 15 minutes on answering it.

Source C: Adapted from a letter from Sir Edward Grey, the British Ambassador to France, written in January 1906

The French Ambassador said that he did not believe that the German Emperor desired war, but that His Majesty was pursuing a very dangerous policy. There was a risk that matters might be brought to a point in which a peaceful outcome would be difficult. I could only state that if France were to be attacked by Germany, public opinion in England would be strongly in favour of France.

Source B: A cartoon from the British magazine

Punch, published in March 1906

How useful are Sources B and C to an historian studying the Moroccan crises? Explain your answer using Sources A and B and your contextual knowledge. 12 marks.

Source C: Sir Edward Grey, British , in a speech to Parliament in 1909.

There is no comparison between the

importance of the German navy to Germany, and the importance of our navy to us. Our navy is to us what their army is to them. To have a strong navy would increase Germany’s prestige and influence, but it is not a matter of life and death to them as it is to us. Source B: A cartoon from the British magazine Punch, published in 1908. The figure on the right is John Bull, a character often used to represent Britain. The figure on the left is the Kaiser. The text below the cartoon reads” Poker and Tongs; or, how we’ve got to play the game. Kaiser: I go three dreadnoughts”. John Bull: “Well, just to show there’s no ill feeling, I raise you three”. How to master “write an account”

How useful are Sources B and C to an historian studying the naval arms race between Britain and Germany? Explain your answer using Sources A and B and your contextual knowledge. 12 marks.

How to master “write an account” questions

Here are the steps to consider for answering the “write an account” question. This question involves telling the key moments of an event in relation to the topic of the question. You need to describe, explain and analyse how one development led to another.

Select the key moments

What will you include in your story? Spend one minute to work out 3-4 key moments that are relevant to the question. Make sure that you organise the moments in chronological order (starting with the earliest). You must include 1-2 specific historical facts for each key moment and plenty of specific historical detail.

Explain the connections

Write your answer based on the key moments you identified, and explain how the moments link together to cause the event to develop. A top level answer will also include an explanation of how the tension rises with each event. Spend around 10 minutes answering this 8 mark question, but remember that this needs to include planning time. Use phrases such as “this led to….” And “as a result….” To help you link back to the question and keep your ideas focused.

Write an account of how tensions between Bosnia, Serbia and Austria-Hungary led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. 8 marks.

Write an account of how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to war in 1914. 8 marks.

Write an account of how events in Morocco became an international crisis in 1911. 8 marks.

How to master “how far do you agree” questions

Read the question carefully

What statement is the question asking you to consider? The statement is located within the quotation marks. Underline key words in the statement to help you focus your answer.

Plan your essay

You could plan your essay by listing other reasons that caused the event / issue:

Stated reason 1 Another reason 2 Another reason 3

Write in anything you could use as evidence for the different reasons, but remember that you only have about 2-3 minutes to plan and between 15 – 17 minutes to write your paragraphs. For each reason, choose 2 historical facts you are most confident about and highlight these.

Context

Now that you have planned which reasons to discuss, start writing your answer, which needs to link to your knowledge as well. Aim for 4 paragraphs – one that explains the reason named in the statement and your own facts to back up the statement, two other paragraphs that explain two other reasons and facts to back them up. Finally, write a conclusion that explains your overall judgement.

Conclude

This question asks you “how far…..” you agree with the statement, so make sure you come to a clear conclusion. If you want to reach a level 4, you will have to reach an overall judgement. Is there one reason that you think is definitely more important than the others? Why?

Check your SPaG

Don’t forget that you get up to 4 marks for your SPaG in this answer. It’s a good idea to leave time to check your SPaG. This question is worth 16 marks. Spend around 20 minutes on it, but this needs to include time to plan and to check your SPaG.

“The response of Austria-Hungary to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the main reason why war broke out in 1914”. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer using your contextual knowledge. 16 marks, 4 SPaG