WTF: The World War 1 Series
CLASS NOTES:
BALANCE OF POWER:
After Napoleonic Wars, the European powers come together in Vienna to redraw the european map
Prince Metternich of Austria comes up with the “Balance of Power” system, which kept the peace in Europe by forming strategic alliances so that there was no dominant power. One nation state wouldn’t be tempted to militarize because it would be confronted by an equally strong geopolitical “enemy” nearby.
More on the Balance of Power here
GERMANY:
German Federation unites and forms Germany in 1870, creating a new center of gravity in Europe. Potentially upsetting the Balance of Power
Prussian PM Otto Von Bismark becomes the first German Chancellor. Keeps the peace in Europe through a complex web of strategic alliances.
Germany becomes one of the most powerful economies in the world in under 20 years
KAISER WILHELM II:
Takes the throne 1888 after his father and grandfather pass away.
Personality:
Smart but impulsive and insecure = bad combo for a war leader
Probably a bratty kid
Likely had a daddy issues
Bad relationship with Bismarck, eventually fired Bismarck and was free to do what he wanted
THE ARCHDUKE:
Tensions are already brewing around Europe, particularly in the Balkans:
A peninsula with a cluster of nations including Greece, Serbia, Bosnia, and others.
At the crossroads of 3 major empires (Ottoman, Russian, Austro-Hungarian)
aka. Strategically Vital
Diverse ethnic groups & religions aka. Racial tensions
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand is shot and killed in Bosnia: known as the spark that lit the fuse for WWI
Austro-Hungarians are pissed, they want revenge, but the Serbs have Russia on their side and the Austro-Hungarians are not about to start shit with Russia. So, what do they do? They go to Germany. The Kaiser secretyl, although now infamously , gave them a so called “carte-blanche” a blank check to go to war with the full backing of the German military. So, they go back to Serbia with an ultimatum and so the spiral begins :
The Serbians call up Russia
Austria-Hungary calls up Germany and says “hey, we’re gonna have to cash in on that blank check”,
Austria-Hungary declares war
Russia hits up France and Great Britain
World War I had begun.
Part 2:
Schlieffen Plan
In Part 1 of my brief history of World War, we left off where the Austrian Archduke was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist and the Great Power Alliances at the time - the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance - created a domino effect that drew Europe into a war that no one really wanted. Now in part 2, we dive into some of the critical military mistakes that the German army made early on which left them trapped between two enemies and led to the creation of the Eastern and Western fronts. And, of course, the disastrous Schlieffen Plan which left them royally screwed. (Now you can go impress all your friends in your casual WWI converastions because you know what the Schlieffen Plan was.)
Sources:
Was Germany Doomed in World War I by the Schlieffen Plan? History.com
Why Did Britain Go To War? UK National Archives
How Did WWI Start? BBC
Part 3:
Grand finale
When we left off in our last episode, the whole world was basically a massive shit show. To wrap up the epic catastrophe that was World War 1 I cover how modern technology and colonialism changed the nature of war forever and led to a tragedy of unprecedented scale. Oh, and where TF was the US? They were chilling under President Wilson’s popular “non-intervention” strategy. The German sinking of the Lusitania couldn't spring them into action, but the now infamous Zimmermann telegram was the straw that pushed them over the edge. Learn about this and more in my 4 minute summary of the grand finale of WW1.
Sources:
