Balance of Power

1
Balance of Power WWI

• Chapter 3

2
Power

• ability to achieve ones purposes or goals
• ability to influence others and get the outcome
  one wants
• ability to get others to do what they otherwise
  would not do (Robert Dahl)
• Associated with the possession of certain
  resources
• - pop, territory, military, economy, resources

3
Power (continue)

• holding the high cards in a poker game
• most fold, give in to your power
• - appeasement
• - risks (refuse to fold)
• - Japan Iraq
• Which is more effective in getting others to do
  what they otherwise would not do, soft or hard
  power?

4
Balance of Power Instability

• Alliances- formal or informal arrangements that
  sovereign states enter to ensure mutual security
• - ideology military
• Uni, Bi multipolar
• Distribution of power
• - who controls the power resources?
• - red-rover
• - one state can tip the balance of power

5
Balance of Power as Policy

• States will act to prevent any one state from
  developing a majority of power or resources
• Two basic assumptions
• 1) Anarchic system
• 2) states value independence above all else
• WWII / Gulf War
• Exception bandwagon approach
• Pursue or Join the aggressor?
• - Ideology alliances

6
Origins of WWI

• killed more than 15 million people
• - battle of the Somme
• destroyed 3 European empires
• How did the great war begin?

7
Individual level

• German state- Kaiser William II
• - emotional panic stricken (inferior complex)
• Russia- Czar Nicolas II
• - resisted change / corrupt cabinet

8
International System (structure)

• Rise of German Power
• - led the way in Industrial strength
• - passed Britain in the 1890s
• - focused on hard power
• - transformed industrial to military power
• - spawned an arms race

9
Mobilization Alliances(structure)

• - Russia an army of 1.3 million
• - France and Germany, 900k
• - Britain, Italy, Austria (250k-500k)
• Set off formation of alliances
• Triple Entente Alliance

10
Europe in 1914
11
Nationalism Outbreak of war

• Serbias struggle for nationalism
• Conflict with Austria/ Russias impact
• Assassination heard round the world
• Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and
  Sophia, June 28, 1914
• Black Hand
• Austria turns to Germany
• Austrian demands to Serbia/ dec. of war July 28,
  1914
• Russia mobilizes/ German reaction(8.1.14)

12
reaction to alliances widening of the War

• Germanys Schlieffen Plan/ 2-front war
• Germany dec. war on France (8-3-14)
• Great Britain dec. war on Germany (8-4-14)
• western front stalemate
• eastern front revolution

13
Americas entry bandwagon or Ideology?

• 3 factors
• Lusitania
• Germany submarine warfare
• zimmerman note

14
End of War

• US breakup western front stalemate
• Germany sues for peace
• Treaty or Versailles (6-28-1919)
• - German war guilt clause

15
Analysis of WWI

• WWI resulted at all levels of analysis
• Individual leaders
• States (nationalism)
• International system (bi-polar structure of
  alliances)