Imperialism, Alliances and War

Ch 26

I. European ImperialismImperialism- The policy of extending a nation’s authority by territorial acquisition or by establishing economic and political hegemony over other nations

Lenin- “Imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism.”

Believed it was the evidence that a country or system would eventually fail

Overall, Most European countries were seeking new resources and ways to expand their economy

Also helped to build (and sometimes hurt) the economies of less developed nations

I. European ImperialismCauses for European Imperialism

Europe was more technologically advanced (for the most part) than the rest of the worldIn some cases was to seek raw materials for their newly developed industriesSome countries (Germany and Italy) were practicing it because the rest of Europe was doing it

Did not benefit themSocial Darwinism

They are the superior race/culture and it was their right to conquer more territory

I. European ImperialismHow it was practiced

Britain was the leading colonial powerFor the most part, was different than the usual take over the land and kick out the nativesImproved rails, roads, communication and industry to better help their own goalsEuropean power would create favorable relations (sometimes by intimidation) with the local rulers

If it didn’t work, they would annex that territoryProtectorate Status- figurehead rule with extensive protectionSphere’s of influence- special commercial and legal privilege- No outside political involvement

I. European ImperialismBritain

Major leader in Imperial raceSuez Canal helped aid thisMajor involvement in India, Egypt and South Africa

FranceFocus was North Africa and Indo-china

Germany Southern Coastal AfricaBismarck felt that Europe was more of a concern

I. European ImperialismUnited States

Monroe Doctrine 1823Western Hemisphere became a US ProtectorateSpanish-American War 1898

Result of Cuba seeking independence from Spain

US was interested in sugarProtectorate of CubaAnnexed Puerto RicoBought Philippines and GuamEventually led to US annexing Hawaii and Samoa

II. Alliances and Powder Kegs

Jingoism- An aggressive foreign policy that is fueled by extreme patriotism/nationalism

Very strong view that one’s nation is superiorFueled arms buildups and a heightened tension

II. Alliances and Powder KegsGermany

Bismarck was the initial mastermind behind the alliance system

Sought to keep balance of power and protect German territorial holdingsGoal was to make lasting peace with former enemies

Wanted to prevent two front war against France and Russia or France and Austria

3 Emperor’s LeagueGermany, Austria and Russia

Fell apart due to Russo-Turkish War (1875)Russia hoped to eventually unite all Slavs

Some were in Austria and their Balkan territories

Congress of Berlin 1878 ended this alliance and alienated Russia

II. Alliances and Powder Kegs

Dual Alliance 1879-19185 year renewable treaty between Austria and GermanyProtect each other from RussiaNeutral when any other country was involvedBismarck thought Russia would not work with FranceEventually leads to another 3 Emperor’s league (1881)

II. Alliances and Powder KegsTriple Alliance

Italy joins Dual Alliance (1882)Feared FranceSought to isolate France

Kaiser William (Wilhelm) II (r. 1888-1918)

Dismissed (forced resignation) Bismarck (1890)

Dismissed for subverting William’s plan to alter an anti-socialist bill

Mostly over an expanded navy and colonization

Led to the end of Bismarck’s alliance system

Germany becomes the enemy

II. Alliances and Powder Kegs

Triple Entente (1890-1907)Franco-Russian Alliance (1894)- result of Bismarck’s resignationWilhelm II tried to rival British power (particularly naval)

Sought to demonstrate worthiness as an allyColonized regions of Africa near British holdings

Entente CordialA set of British agreements with France against Germany

II. Alliances and Powder KegsThe Balkans

Known as the Powder KegSlavsOriginally under Ottoman control

Areas divided between Austria and Russia in Bosnian Crisis(1908)Russia got cheated and Serbs were unhappy with being added to Austria

1st Balkan War (1911) Bulgaria, Greece , Montenegro and Serbia fought against the Ottomans and pushed them back

Serbia started to become a threat to Austria and forced Austria to try to limit their territorial gains.Serbia and Russia were both embarressd over how the Balkan’s were handled

II. Alliances and Powder KegsSerbia

Archduke Franz FerdinandWent to Sarajevo (Bosnia) on a PR tourAssassinated by Gavrilo Princip (Black Hand) 6/28/1914Austria sought to punish Serbia

Russia vowed to back up their “Slavic Brothers”Germany vowed to back up Austria-Hungary

Had no choiceAustria waited a month before declaring war on 7/28

Resulted in Russia mobilizing its forces

III. The WarThe War Plan

Every country had pigeon-holed war plan arrangement

Depending on what happened, you would open another section of the planExtensive planning (overconfident) on both sides led to an overall stalemate

Germany had a 2 front warSchlieffen Plan- Quickly overwhelm France and Britain and move on to Russia while they are still trying to mobilize

Russia had a less developed rail systemDidn’t work- led to a stalemate

III. The WarWarfare

Millions died with little or no progressEntente- Dead 5,712,379 Wounded 12,809,280Central – Dead 4,010,241 Wounded 8,419,533New Weapons caused high casualties- Old War TacticsDiseases caused high casualties

GallipoliTried to open supply route to RussiaGain control of Constantinople

III. The WarRussia

High number of casualtiesAristocratic officersPoorly trained peasantsLack of coding in communications

Nicholas II tried to take control of armyHe gets blamed

Had to bail on Entente due to Communist uprisings at home

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918) Russia officially pulls out of the war

Gives up Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States

III. The WarRussia

March 1917Workers marched on Petrograd and the troops refused to fire on the workers

Nicholas II abdicates his throneDuma is put back in controlWorkers and soldiers organized into SovietsExecuted by Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918

April 19Germany sends Lenin from Switzerland to Petrograd to undermine the Russian Government

III. The WarRussia and the Bolsheviks

Lenin takes over Russia as a dictator after dispersing the newly elected Constituent Assembly

Officially pulls Russia out of the war, sacrificing significant territorial gains

In order to gain stronger control over RussiaCivil War

Between Red Russians (Communist) and White Russians (anti-communist)

1921- Communism and Lenin had defeated their opposition

III. The WarHome-fronts

Government takes over key industriesShortages of food and fuel

RationingWomen in the workforce

Women had to do the job of menSuffrage in US

Extreme NationalismPropagandaCitizens were very zealous

III. The WarColonies

Fought on the side of their colonial rulersSupplied large amounts of raw materialsJapan

Allied with Britain to expel Germany from Shangdong Peninsula Became an imperial power themselves

East Africa and Ottoman Empire sided with Germans

Ottoman Empire fell apart as a result

III. The WarUnited States

Joins in 1917 Helped break the stalemateBrought into the war after German sub sinks the Lusitania

And the Zimmermann Telegram (1917)

The EndGerman made a huge advance (March 1918)

Turning point- 2nd Battle of the MarneTanksSpanish FluGerman Surrender (shocked German people)

Armistice Day- Nov 11, 1919Versailles Conference 1919- blamed Germany

III. The AftermathTerms of peace created by Woodrow Wilson (US), Georges Clemenceau (France) Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (Italy) and David Lloyd George (Britain)France (Clemenceau) wanted to punish Germany

Take away territory and pay reparations

Wilson- Wanted peace and self-determination for people who wanted freedom

Wanted League of NationsDid not want to punish GermanyLeague of Nations

III. The AftermathPeace of Paris

Germany had no say- Representatives forced German territory broken up

Forced to pay reparations- collapsed economyAustria-Hungary split upLeague of NationsIgnored Japan and its encroachment of Chinese territoryUS vetoed League of Nations and made separate treaty with Germany- Even though Wilson signed the Treaty of Versailles

V. ConclusionWWI was the war to end all wars but actually brings about WWII

Germany felt like they were unfairly punished for the war

After all, they were not the ones who started the warGives Hitler a chance to come to power

Communism gained a firm hold in RussiaWomen gained more rightsWhite Supremacy looses hold in colonized holdings