KEY QUESTIONS

 Why did the Alliance System develop in

Europe?
 What was the importance of militarism and
the naval race?
 Why was there instability in the Balkans?
 What were the reasons for the outbreak of
war?
THE DOMESTIC SCENE: 1890-
1914
Economic and Social Trends
 Population Growth – 1850-1914 – 226m to
468m with major increases in poorer areas
 Industrialisation and urbanisation – western
and northern Europe more industrialised
than eastern and southern, Germany
overtook Britain in coal and iron production
and later steel, chemicals and electricity.
Europe’stowns and cities grew with
industrialisation
THE DOMESTIC SCENE: 1890-
1914
Economic and Social Trends
 Agriculture – still mainstay of economy.
Farming methods unchanged in S/E Europe.
Food prod increased yet cont’d to import
 Communications – Railways, trams, steamships.
Automobiles -1890s and Aeroplanes – 1914.
Marconi – first radio signals across Atlantic
 Education – by 1914 – primary education was
free and compulsory. Most people in industrial
areas were literate leading to popularity of
newspapers and magazines
THE DOMESTIC SCENE: 1890-
1914
Economic and Social Trends
 Women’s status – slowly changing, few
women had franchise, upper and middle
class women had more freedom, delaying
childbirth, expansion of women’s education
example, Madame Curie. However, peasant
and working class women still tied to the
home and factory hands
THE DOMESTIC SCENE: 1890-
1914
Political Trends
 Monarchy – most popular excepting France.
Most powerful ones Russia, Germany, A-H
 Elite – Wealthy elites (landowners or new
industrialists) possessed great political power.
Leading positions in army, judiciary and civil
service
 Parliamentary democracy – Russia, Turkey, and
Montenegro no parliaments until 1900. Finland
and Norway – women had franchise. Spain,
Sweden shared Britain’s 2 party system
Problems and Challenges
 Nationalities – increase in nationalist feeling,
many minority ethnic groups clamoured for
home rule or complete indep
 Anti-semitism – Russia (pogroms), R/Jews
emigrated to USA, Germany, A-H, France
and Britain – Jews became scapegoats
 Rise of Socialism – Karl Marx influenced
spread. Workers’ unions took it up -
Syndicalists
Problems and Challenges
 Anarchism – P.J. Proudhon – all property is
theft, opposed all forms of government
 Intellectual Challenge – philosophers
preached the need to abandon society ruled
by tradition, superstition and religion
 Right vs Left – deep political divisions , Left
(Anarchists, socialists and radical liberals)
MAJOR POWERS - GERMANY
 Federal State – Imperial government and 25
other states
 Prussia – the largest state, 2/3 territory, 60%
pop., King was emperor, controlled armed
forces, foreign policy, banking, taxation
 Had a parliament (Reichstag) controlled by
emperor
 1871-1890 – Bismarck wielded so much power
cos of his closeness with Kaiser
 Bismarck’s aim: Isolate France
MAJOR POWERS - GERMANY
 Bismarck relieved of his post by new Kaiser
Wilhelm II in 1890
 Wilhelm II aim: Make Germany great, feared
being encircled by France and Russia
 By 1914 – Authoritarian Monarchy with political
power in hands of old elites
 However, Imperial govt could not ignore
Reichstag and had to patch up majorities in
order to pass legislation
 Criticism of Kaiser common as free press
MAJOR POWERS – A-H
 Created 1867 as a result of defeat to Prussia
in 1866
 Contained over 40m people from 11
nationalities
 Two states with same monarch: Franz Joseph
– Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary
MAJOR POWERS – A-H
 Multinational problems
 Only 20% of Austrians lived in towns
 Most people were poor peasants
 In 1914 – Czechs wanted home rule, south
Slavs (Croats, Serbs and Slovenes) were
divided among themselves
MAJOR POWERS - Turkey
 Ottoman Empire governed by absolute
monarchy
 Sick man of Europe
 Lost territories in Balkans
 Britain wanted to help to avoid its territories
been taken over by A-H and Russia
MAJOR POWERS - France
 Made rapid recovery after defeat to Germany
in 1871
 By 1890 its army size similar to that of
Germany, navy second to Britain, large
overseas empire
 Some Frenchmen aimed to recover Alsace-
Lorraine
 Others were more concerned with winning
allies against the German threat
MAJOR POWERS - Russia
 Population by 1900 – 129m
 Largest country, difficult communication
 Absolute monarchy, less than half of
population non Russian
 1890s govt wanted to force non Russians to
adopt Russian language and customs
 Formed alliance with Germany in 1870s but
this changed when Wilhelm refused to renew
MAJOR POWERS - Britain
 Britain an island, empire over 20% of world’s
land surface and Britain also had the world’s
largest navy
 Small army, No conscription
 Parliamentary monarchy
 Considered Russia and France as threats to
its overseas empire
BISMARCK’S LEGACY
 Germany dominated Europe after unification in
1871
 Germany pop. over 40m, industrialised
economy, and strong army
 Bismarck’s main obj was security – possibility of
French revenge (to recover A-L)
 However, danger would only arise if France
allied with A-H or Russia
 If these two countries went to war over their
interests in the Balkans, France would benefit
BISMARCK’S LEGACY
 The Eastern Question – ‘sick man of
Europe’, empire in decline
 Russia (traditionally anti-Turkish) – assist
European areas under Ottoman rule,
Supported Pan-Slavism, profit from Turkey’s
weakness esp, control of the straits
BISMARCK’S LEGACY
 A-H – profit from Turkish weakness,
opposed to expansion of Russian power in
Balkans, suspicious of slav nationalism
 Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia – annex Turkish
territory but lacked military strength,
competing ambitions made it difficult to
become allies
BISMARCK’S LEGACY
 Dreikaiserbund 1873
 Dual Alliance 1879
 Dreikaiserbund 1881
 Triple Alliance 1882
 Reinsurance Treaty 1887
BISMARCK’S LEGACY
Conclusion
 France was kept isolated but highly
embittered
 By 1890, the alliance system appeared fragile
 Reinsurance Treaty contradictory and
dangerous
 Dual Alliance limited Germany’s options
Germany’s ‘New Course’
 Caprivi(1890-1894) aimed to simplify
Bismarck’s complex commitments
 Rejected Russia’s proposal to renew RT bc
incompatible with arrangements with A-H
and anger Britain whom Germany hoped to
add to TA
 1890 – Anglo-German agreement – Germany
gained Heligoland (North Sea) Britain
received Zanzibar and East Africa
European Relations 1890-1907
 This drove Russia and France together for
fear of being isolated
 Franco-Russian Alliance – French initiative
through financial aid – process was slow due
to different interests
 Two separate agreements – 1891 (political
agreement, anti-British, aligned France in
Russia imperial disputes, 1892 (military
convention) – implications for France and
Germany
European Relations 1890-1907
 Anglo-German relations 1890-1896
 Hoped FR alliance might force Britain into
TA
Reference(s)
 Modern European History 1890-1990,
Alan Farmer
 Rivalry and Accord: International
relations 1870-1914, Lowe and Pearce