ON I T C ASE IDEOLOGY AND CONFLICT What impact did the treaties which concluded World War I have on nations and people? PAGES What were the dominantSAMPLE ideologies of the period? What impact did the post-war treaties, the development of ideologies and the economic crisis have on the events leading to World War II? TWENE TI TH CENTURY 1: BETWEEN THE WARS 1 SNAPSHOT KEY POINTS INTRODUCTION THE WORLD BEFORE 1914 SOURCE 2 • At the start of the twentieth On 20 May 1910, the gun carriage HistORIAN BARbaRA TUCHMAN REFLects ON THE Death century, vast areas of the world Barbara Tuchman: ‘The muffled tongue of Big Ben tolled bearing the coffin of King Edward OF KING EDWARD VII were part of European empires. nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but VII of the United Kingdom of There was a general sense as of an anchor slipping away and of a recognized order • In 1914, Britain had 55 colonial of things gone. People somehow felt that the familiar royal bulk had stood between on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the Great Britain and Ireland was territories; France 29; the taken from Buckingham Palace England and change, between England and outside menaces ... When he died people old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor Netherlands 21; and Germany 10. expected times would now get worse. “I always felt,” said one Edwardian, “that he to Westminster Hall. The funeral kept things together somehow.’” 1 never to be seen again.’ • Germany was a relative procession marked a significant Barbara Tuchman, The Proud Tower: A portrait of the world before the war 1890–1914, latecomer to European power, moment in history, one of the (Papermac, 1966), 391. only unified in 1871. largest gatherings of European Ac Y royalty. Nine European monarchs TIVIT CHE CK YOUR UNDERSTANDING KEY TERMS rode with the casket, along with 1. What does Tuchman mean when she described the death numerous princes and dukes, Empire of King Edward VII as ‘an anchor slipping away’? A group of states or countries ‘forty more imperial or royal highnesses.’2 It was the last time 2. According to Tuchman, what security had King Edward VII ruled over and ‘owned’ by another provided during his reign? country. that so many royal families met before their world was shattered by Colony World War I and its aftermath. EUROPE AFTER rulers and the right to form their Foreign territory ruled by another own nations. Nationalism also country. Although it was 1910 rather than NAPOLEON motivated people who identified 1900, the funeral of Edward VII Imperialism The Napoleonic Wars ended in as ‘Italian’ or ‘German’ and wanted in some ways marked the end The practice of building an empire. 1815 with Napoleon’s defeat to form one united ‘Italy’ or of the nineteenth century. For at Waterloo, and the Congress ‘Germany.’ Old World Europe, the last century seemed of Vienna sought to rebuild The countries of Europe, which one of peace and certainty. The peace and order in Europe. The Liberalism—the belief that people were considered to have old PAGESnew century promised hope, but should be equal under the law dominant powers at Vienna were customs and traditions. change and uncertainty. Within Austria-Hungary, Russia and and have individual liberties— New World eight years of Edward VII’s funeral Prussia, which were determined to encouraged demands for a share Countries such as Australia and the procession, many of the kings, re-establish the rule of monarchs in government. These forces United States of America, which emperors, princes and dukes who across Europe. They were united helped make 1848 ‘the year of were not bound by old customs and attended no longer ruled empires; in their ambition to suppress any revolutions’, with revolutions in traditions. some of those empires had attempts to question their rule. almost every country in Europe. disappeared, and several of the The Congress saw France as the In every case, the ‘middle class’ men themselves were dead. main threat to ‘peace and order,’ played a prominent part, as they so the map of Europe was redrawn felt particularly frustrated by the to ensure France’s power was lack of liberty. limited while the powerful empires The attempted revolutions of 1848 SAMPLE SOURCE 1 retained a balance of power. Photographs from the funeral were quickly suppressed. By 1849 of King Edward VII, 20 May 1910. However, the Congress of Vienna all of the revolutions had been failed to halt two strong sentiments defeated and European monarchies that were developing during the reasserted their dominance over nineteenth century: nationalism the political systems in their and liberalism. Nationalism— empires. Nevertheless, nationalism or pride in belonging to one’s did not die, and continued as a country—was demonstrated in the dominating influence throughout Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian the latter half of the nineteenth FUNERAL OF KING empires, where ethnic groups century and up to and including EDWARD VII The Congress of Vienna, 1819. wanted freedom from their foreign World War I. 2 SECTION A: IDEOLOGY AND CONFLICT TWENTIETH CENTURY 1: BETWEEN THE WARS 3 SNAPSHOT Between 1859 and 1870, the France was sympathetic to Polish THE AGE OF EMPIRES China), and the Pacific. By the markets would greatly improve various Italian kingdoms and states independence, which led to end of the nineteenth century, their trading power; that they had GERMANY IN THE The first European colonies were united to form the new Kingdom increasing tension between Russia European powers controlled large a moral or religious obligation to NINETEENTH CENTURY established along the coastlines of Italy. In 1871, Germany was and France. areas on all inhabited continents bring ‘civilisation’ and Christianity of Africa, Asia and the Americas At the end of the eighteenth also unified with the capture and on numerous islands. to Africans; and that colonial Nationalism and rivalry between from the sixteenth century, initially century, the area of Germany of Alsace-Lorraine from France expansion brought national power powerful empires also marked to provide ports for trade and From 1880, Britain, France, was divided into more than and the proclamation of German and prestige. the Balkans, the area where the replenishing food supplies. Over Germany, Belgium, Italy and 300 independent states, emperor Kaiser Wilhelm. which often had differences Ottoman Empire and the Austro- the next three centuries, these Portugal made a ‘scramble for At the end of the nineteenth in religion and language, as Although Western Europe was Hungarian Empire intersected. colonies were extended and the Africa’, and in fifteen years they century, this colonial expansion well as in culture and social relatively peaceful in the forty years People of Slavic ethnicity resented colonial powers moved inland. ‘took’ over 90 per cent of that created tensions. Each colonial structure. But the Napoleonic prior to the outbreak of World being subject to one or other During the nineteenth century, this continent. They were motivated power was anxious to improve— expansion concentrated on further Wars had helped develop a War I, underlying tensions of these empires and became by several beliefs: that Africa’s or at least maintain—its area of parts of Africa and Asia (including raw materials and subsequent dominance and felt threatened sense of German unity, and persisted, with much antagonism increasingly determined to have by other European powers this was strengthened during and rivalry between European their own nation. At the same time, other empires, especially the eyeing their areas of influence. the nineteenth century. There powers. After 1815, parts of Russian Empire, saw this as an For example, Britain and France was a series of agreements the former Poland had been opportunity to reduce the power Source 3 wanted to maintain their colonies and special relationships incorporated into Prussia, of Austria-Hungary. EUROPEAN COLONIES IN AFRica in Africa, and resented German between the German states, Austria and Russia, and Polish attempts to establish its own ‘place such as the Zollverein, a type nationals naturally maintained These dreams of nationalism EUROPEAN COLONIES IN AFRICA in the sun.’ In the South Pacific of customs union that reduced their nationalism; Russia, in and the rivalries between once- barriers to commerce and region, Australia was concerned by particular, tried to suppress any powerful empires intensified in the German expansion into countries trade within the union. Polish nationalist rebellions. years prior to World War I. The Prussian Chancellor, such as New Guinea. Otto von Bismarck, is particularly identified as PAGES CESOUR 4 the leader of the ideal of GERMAN histORIAN, German unification. German HANS DELBRÜCK, 1896 nationalism was stimulated In the next decades vast tracts of by the unification of Italy, land in very different parts of the and encouraged by improved world will be distributed. The nation transport—especially railway which goes away empty-handed will lose its place in the next generation development. from the ranks of those Great Powers In the earlier part of the which will coin the human spirit. Did we found the German Empire to see it nineteenth century, Austria disappear under our grandchildren? dominated central Europe, Harry Mills, The Road to Sarajevo, but Prussia challenged (Macmillan, 1983), 15. this dominance. Growing SAMPLE German unity, especially AcY TIVIT under Prussian leadership, increasingly challenged SOURCE ANALYSIS Austria’s position. German 1. What value does Hans states were united when Delbrück see in a nation Prussian troops defeated controlling vast tracts of the French in 1871, and land? Wilhelm was proclaimed 2. What would have been Hans Kaiser—German Emperor—in Delbrück’s attitude towards Versailles Palace. the map depicted in Source 5? 4 SECTION A: IDEOLOGY AND CONFLICT TWENTIETH CENTURY 1: BETWEEN THE WARS 5 SNAPSHOT PEACE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY? From 1871, most of Europe was at peace, and improvements in agriculture and industrialisation brought improved living standards to many people in Western Europe.