Causes of World War One: After the assassination

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Causes of World War OneAfter the assassination

• Why were these alliances formed? Colonial and
  Economic rivalry

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Colonial RivalryMorocco, 1905 1911

• Background France and Britain agreed that
  Britain could have freedom to control Egypt and
  that Britain would help France to take over
  control of Morocco.

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1905 The First Moroccan Crisis

• Kaiser William made his infamous Tangiers Speech.
  Wishing to frustrate French efforts to take over
  Morocco, William sailed to Tangiers and made a
  menacing speech.
• He supported the independence of Morocco and
  demanded an international conference to discuss
  Morocco's future.
• Clearly this was provocative to the French. The
  French suspected the German leader of trying to
  break up the Entente Cordiale.
• The conference to discuss Morocco's future met in
  Algeçiras in 1906. At the conference Britain
  fully supported France - to the disappointment of
  Germany.

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1911 The Second Moroccan Crisis

• Following disturbances in the country the Sultan
  asked the French to send in troops to 'restore
  order'.
• Germany was alarmed at this growth of French
  power and sent a gunboat, the Panther, to the
  port of Agadir.
• They claimed this was to protect German
  interests. Lloyd George, in his Mansion House
  speech, once again supported France Britain
  would prefer a war to a European pacification
  achieved at the cost of her honour. Once again,
  Germany had to back down.

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Question

• Do you think Germanys actions were motivated by
  growing confidence or by a lack of confidence?
  Explain your answer.

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Economic Rivalry

• Background There was also growing tension
  between Germany and Britain economically. Britain
  was the first country to industrialise and for
  many years dominated Europe economically.
  However, Germany rapidly caught up after her
  unification in 1871. By 1900 it rivalled the
  more-established British economy as the world's
  largest.

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Primary Industries

• German coal production, about one-third of
  Britain's in 1880, increased sixfold by 1913,
  almost equaling British yields that year.
• German steel production increased more than
  tenfold in the same period, surpassing British
  production by far.
• She soon had England on the defensive through the
  production of cheap and poorer-quality, though
  eminently more saleable, industrial goods for a
  world market.

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Secondary Industries

• Germany also took an early lead in the chemical
  and electrical industries.
• In chemistry, companies like BASF became renowned
  for their discoveries, and in electricity, by
  1914 the country was producing half the world's
  electrical equipment.

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Question

• In what ways were economic and colonial rivalry
  connected? Explain your answer.