1.

1 The Origins of the First

World War
The world changed in 1871

HISTORIOGRApHy

Up till 1871, Germany had not been a single country, but a

collection of many tiny states. In 1871, however, Prussia the
biggest German state defeated France in a war. Germany
took the two French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine and the
new German Empire was declared in the Palace of Versailles
near Paris.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles explicitly

blamed Germany for causing the First
World War, but during the 1920s,
when Germany regained international
respectability, the American historian
Sydney Bradshaw Fay argued that no
specific country or person was to blame.
Fay identified general forces nationalism,
imperialism, militarism and the alliances
which he said dragged the world
inevitably into war like mountain climbers
tied to the same rope.
Historians after the Second World War
were less forgiving. The British historian
A.J.P. Taylor blamed a German bid for
continental supremacy for bringing on
the war, and, in the 1960s, the German
historian Fritz Fischer argued that there
was a will to war amongst Germanys
leaders.
More recently, some historians have
blamed Austria-Hungary, and others have
blamed Russia. It is even possible to blame
the British who were openly hostile
towards Germany.

In the nineteenth century, international relations had been

dominated by two forces nationalism (the belief in my
nation, right or wrong) and imperialism (the belief that
nations had the right to conquer other lands and build up an
empire).
The English who genuinely believed that Britannia ruled
the waves had an empire which covered a fifth of the globe.
The French, too, had a huge colonial empire, and yearned
for revenge on Germany for Alsace-Lorraine. Russia ruled an
Empire stretching across all of Asia.
Even so, these nineteenth century nations believed that
they ought to co-operate to keep the peace, and the presence
of huge areas of the globe which they could easily conquer
(especially in Africa), gave them an alternative outlet for
their ambitions.

Germany arrives
The arrival of Germany onto the world stage destabilised
international relations. The new Germany was an economic
and military superpower and it frightened the other nations.
One way they responded was by forming alliances, seeking
safety by making defensive agreements with other countries.
The idea behind these alliances was that no one would dare
to attack you because they knew it would involve war, not
just with you, but with all your allies as well.

TIMELINE
1871

1882
Germany becomes
a single country

AQA GCSE B History

1894
Triple Alliance

1898
France makes an
alliance
with Russia

1902
Tirpitz starts
to increase the
German navy

Anglo-Japanese
naval agreement

The second was militarism not just building up

your armies and navies to dissuade others from
attacking you, but also the belief that a military
solution would solve the problem.

SOURCE

Tensions build
In the years up to 1914, tensions increased.
Germany resented Britains navy and empire. In
the years after 1898 Germany built up a powerful
navy to challenge Britain and give Germany as
Kaiser Wilhelm II said a place in the sun.
In 1905, and again in 1911, France and Germany
clashed in Morocco. On both occasions, the
alliance system worked and Germany was forced
to back down.
A greater worry however, was the Balkans
the area of south-east Europe which had
been conquered by the Turks. By 1878 the
Turkish Empire had become too weak to keep
control, and new Slav nation states such as
Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania had seized
independence.
Austria-Hungary, which itself ruled many Slav
peoples, was terrified by the development in the
region of independent Slav nations especially
Serbia. Austro-Hungarian generals regularly
asked to go to war.
Looking back, what seems remarkable is not that
war broke out in 1914, but that it had not broken out
sooner. The years 18701914 saw Europe stacking
up resentments and tensions, like a fireworks
manufacturer stuffing a rocket with gunpowder.
By 1914, all that was needed was something which
would light the blue touch-paper

BE An HISTORIAN!

This cartoon was drawn by a French artist.

The cartoon picks up the famous statement made by
Wilhelm II in 1901 on what he wanted for Germany: a
place in the sun.
It shows a haughty Wilhelm. He is dressed in military
uniform, and is being cheered, photographed and
painted. Wilhelm had a withered left arm from childhood,
and the artist ridicules his physical appearance.

How many different possible causes of World War

One can you find on this double-spread?

The meaning of the cartoon is that Wilhelm is a ridiculous,

militaristic megalomaniac.

1904
Entente
Cordiale

1905
First Moroccan
crisis

1907
Triple
Entente

1908
Wilhelm gives the
Daily Telegraph
interview

1911
Bosnia annexes
by Austria
Hungary

1912-13
Agadir
crisis

Balkan
Wars

The origins of the First World War

1.1a Why were there two armed camps in

Europe in 1914?
Wilhelm IIs Weltpolitik
Weltpolitik (literally world politics) is the term used to
describe the foreign policy of Wilhelm II, who became the
Kaiser of Germany in 1888.
The new nation of Germany was the strongest industrial
country in Europe. Its army was the most powerful in the
world. But because it was a new country it did not have
an empire, and many Germans felt that it was undervalued
by the other countries of Europe.
Weltpolitik envisaged a world where Germany received the
respect its power deserved. Kaiser Wilhelm said that he
wanted Germany to have a place in the sun, and his foreign
policy was aggressive (see Source A on page 3).

SOURCE

Germany is a young and growing empire.

She has a worldwide trade which is rapidly
expanding, and to which patriotic Germans
refuse to set any bounds. Germany must have
a powerful fleet to protect that commerce and
her many interests in even the most distant
seas.
This comment was made by Kaiser Wilhelm to
a Daily Telegraph reporter in 1908. The article
was submitted to the German foreign office,
who agreed that it could be published.

One of Wilhelms aims was for Germany to grow into a huge

trading nation, and as part of this he wanted an empire in
Africa. To achieve this, he would need a strong navy as
strong as Britains navy. At that time, Britains empire covered
a fifth of the globe, and these aims alarmed the British.
Meanwhile, in Germany, an organisation called the
Pan-German League looked forward to the creation of
Mitteleuropa a strong state comprising all of central
Europe under the dominance of Germany, and including all
the people of Germanic race.
Wilhelms aggressive foreign policy frightened many
European countries, especially Britain, France and Russia.
Britains fears were not helped in 1908 when Wilhelm gave
an interview to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, in which he
declared that the English were mad as March hares and
admitted that the German people disliked Britain.

SOURCE

Germany, Germany above everything,

Above everything in the world,
When it always stands together
For brotherly protection and defence
This song, Deutschlandlied, became popular in
Germany after 1890.

The Alliance System, 190014

The Alliance System, which involved the Great Powers of Europe,
is often seen as a major cause of the First World War. This was
because of the build-up of tension between the Great Powers.
As relations between rival countries worsened their allies would
often support them, and so the tension would increase.
In 1882 Germany had formed an alliance with AustriaHungary and Italy known as the Triple Alliance. Under
this alliance these countries agreed to help one another if
they were attacked by any other power.
Germany also had a treaty with Russia, but in 1890
Wilhelm let this lapse.
4

AQA GCSE B History

Voice your opinion!

Looking at Sources BD, construct an
argument that Germany was to blame for
the First World War.

SWEDEN
DENMARK

ENGLAND
0
0

North Sea

300 Miles
450 km

RUSSIA
BELGIUM

Key
Triple Alliance

GERMANY

Alsace
Lorraine

Triple Entente

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

FRANCE

RUMANIA

BOSNIA
SPAIN

Black Sea

SERBIA
BULGARIA

ITALY

THE
BALKANS

TURKISH
EMPIRE

Agadir
MOROCCO

Soon after, in 1894, Russia made an alliance with France,

under which both countries agreed to help each other if
Germany attacked them.

This map shows the Triple Alliance (in

yellow) and the Triple Entente (in red).
It also shows, surrounded in brown, the
countries which the Pan-German League
wanted to be part of Mitteleuropa.

In the nineteenth century, Britain had tried to keep out of

world politics and concentrate only on its Empire (this was
called splendid isolation). However, fear of Germanys growing
navy pulled Britain into the system of alliances after 1900:
In 1902, Britain made a naval agreement with Japan.
In 1904 Britain signed the Entente Cordiale (Friendly
Agreement) with France. The two countries agreed to be on
good terms and not to quarrel over ownership of colonies.
Britain also reached a friendly agreement with Russia, in 1907,
and so the Entente Cordiale became the Triple Entente.
The Great Powers of Europe were now divided into two
opposing alliances. At the time, no one thought that this
might cause a war as the treaties were defensive. Countries
agreed to help one another only if they were attacked.
So how could they cause a war? One reason is that they were
secret treaties, so the rival powers did not know that the
alliances were defensive and feared that they were directed
against them.
This led to each alliance trying to get the better of the other
in a series of disputes between 1900 and 1914.
This had the effect of increasing the tension between the
powers, strengthening the alliances and creating a situation
in which one incident could lead to war.
This is exactly what happened when Archduke Franz
Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in 1914.
The Great Powers were also involved in a race to build up their
arms and navies. The effect was that the rival alliances grew
stronger and more aggressive and this led to war in 1914.

SOURCE D
The aim is security for the German Reich for all
imaginable time. France must be so weakened
as to make her revival as a great power
impossible for all time. Russia must be pushed
back as far as possible from Germanys eastern
frontier
Furthermore: a commercial treaty which secures
the French market for our exports and makes it
possible to exclude British trade from France
We must establish Germanys economic
dominance over Mitteleuropa
The question of colonial acquisitions, where
the first aim is the creation of a Central African
colonial empire
This list comes from a list of war-aims written
by German chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg in
September 1914.
The origins of the First World War

The build-up of armies, 190014

SOURCE

The existence of large armies in Europe was another threat

to peace. Military leaders argued that the only way to ensure
peace was to have a strong enough army to prevent an
invasion from another country. This view was supported by
the manufacturers of arms who made vast profits from the
arms race.

General von Moltke said: I believe war is

unavoidable; war the sooner the better. The
Kaiser supported this. Tirpitz said that the navy
would prefer to see the postponement of the
great fight for one and a half years.

Apart from Britain all the Great Powers increased the size of
their armies during this period (see diagram, right).

Notes made by the German Admiral Muller,

who had attended a naval war cabinet
meeting with the Kaiser in December 1912.

In 1913 the French raised the period of conscription

(compulsory military service) from two years to three and
the Russians raised theirs from three to three-and-a-half
years. This meant that both countries would have more
trained men.
By 1913 the German army was very powerful and only
Russia had more men in arms.
Britain was the only power that had not introduced
conscription before 1914.
Though the Russian army was the largest it was badly
equipped and much inferior to that of Germany. The
Germans took pride in their armed forces and this was
encouraged by the Kaiser who enjoyed being photographed in
military uniform (see Source A on page 3).

The build-up of armies 190014

Voice your opinion!

Dont blame Germany. Britain and France
were the aggressors Germany was just
defending itself. Are there ANY facts which
support this opinion?

Key

1,400,000

1,100,000

Remember, when working with sources, you

agree or disagree with what they tell you in
the same way you would do with a person.
You base this on two things:

1,000,000

firstly, it is true in fact

1900

1,300,000

1910

1,200,000

1914

secondly, do you trust the person telling

you.

900,000
Soldiers

Moltke was head of the army, Tirpitz was head

of the navy.

GradeStudio

1,500,000

800,000

Whether you agree or disagree with a

source is no different!

700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Russia

Germany

France

The build-up of armies, 19001914

AQA GCSE B History

Britain

Italy

Austria
Hungary

SOURCE

The naval arms race, 190614

As an island with a large overseas empire, Britain needed to
have a powerful navy, particularly since the British army was
very small. Britain had the largest navy in the world.

SOURCE

This painting by William Lionel Wyllie shows

The First Battle Squadron of Dreadnoughts
Steaming down the Channel in 1911.

In 1898, however, Kaiser Wilhelm ordered Admiral Tirpitz to

rapidly increase the German navy, so that it could challenge
Britains. The British thought that it was an attempt to
challenge Britain and its empire. These British fears were
partly responsible for Britain entering into agreements with
France and Russia.

Wyllie was a British artist and a sailor. What is

this painting trying to show?

The German navy became a real threat to Britain after

1906, when both sides began building Dreadnoughts, a new
battleship that could easily destroy all of the older type
battleships. Britains naval supremacy was in the older ships,
so the race was on to build the most Dreadnoughts.

Number of Dreadnoughts completed

SOURCE G

Great Britain

Germany

1907 1

1908 3

The naval race reached its peak in 1909. The Germans

refused to agree on the number of Dreadnoughts they would
build.

1909 3 4

The government in Britain had only planned to build four

Dreadnoughts in 190910. But many people in Britain
believed that the German fleet build-up was aimed at
challenging British naval superiority. Public pressure
demanded the government spend more money building
Dreadnoughts, under the slogan we want eight and wont
wait. The government gave way and increased spending
on the fleet to maintain Britains naval superiority over
Germany.

1912

The naval race did much to make the British resent and
fear the Germans and lead Britain into better relations with
France. However, this was not the main cause of Britain going
to war in 1914, as by then Britain had far more Dreadnoughts
than the Germans.

1910 3 1
1911 4 6
11 5

1913 2 1
1914 7 5
Total

34

22

Voice your opinion!

The nations of Europe thought they were
avoiding war, but everything they did only
brought war closer. Do the facts support
the thesis?
The origins of the First World War

Rivalry increases
Between 1905 and 1914 the Great Powers were involved in a
series of crises in Morocco (in North Africa) and the Balkans
(Eastern Europe) which increased tension.

Events in Morocco, 19056

In 1905, on a visit to Morocco, Kaiser Wilhelm II promised to
support Moroccos independence. This upset the French, who
were interested in occupying Morocco as a colony. Wilhelm
was also testing the strength of the new friendship between
Britain and France.
In a conference held at Algeciras in 1906 Britain and Russia
stood by France and it was agreed that Germany should have
no say in Morocco.
This strengthened Frances alliance with
Britain who shortly afterwards made a
colonial agreement with Russia, in 1907, so
forming the Triple Entente with France. The
Germans sensed they were being surrounded
and the Kaiser became even more resentful.

SOURCE H

Morocco again the Agadir crisis 1911

In 1911 there was a rebellion against the
Sultan of Morocco which was put down with
French help. This was an opportunity for the
French to take Morocco. They were prepared
to grant compensation to countries such as
Germany and Spain who were concerned by
the French action. But the Germans sent a
gunboat, the Panther to Agadir, a port on the
Atlantic coast of Morocco, to challenge the
French. The Kaiser hoped to force the French
into giving Germany a share of Morocco.
The British feared that Germany was going
to set up a naval base in Agadir to challenge
Britains naval supremacy.
Germanys aggressive action in Morocco seemed to confirm
Britains worst fears: that Germany was aiming to dominate
Europe.
So Britain made a naval agreement with France, promising
to defend the north coast of France if it was attacked from
the sea. The French took over Morocco, and the Kaiser was
forced to back down. Germany was given 100,000 square
miles of the French Congo in compensation, but the land was
mostly swamp and jungle.
The Agadir crisis was a clear victory for France and the
Entente. The Kaiser was determined not to be the loser in the
next crisis.

AQA GCSE B History

SOURCE H
This British cartoon was published in 1905.
Haselden was a patriotic British cartoonist.
This cartoon shows Britain and France dancing
the hornpipe (a sailors dance) to celebrate
Germanys defeat. Behind them in the harbour
are the ships of the Royal Navy. Wilhelm
dressed like the villain in a pantomime, and
with the German eagle on his hat accepts
that he is beaten, but vows to try again.

The Bosnian crisis, 190809

SOURCE

In the Balkans in south-east Europe, the two

empires there Austria-Hungary and Turkey were
weak, and the Slav peoples there (especially the
new nation of Serbia) tried to take advantage of this
to create new Slav nations.
The Austro-Hungarian empire was particularly
worried by this growth of Slav nationalism. The
Austro-Hungarian empire included no fewer
than fifteen different nationalities. If the idea of
nationalism caught on in Austria-Hungary like it
had in the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian empire
would fall apart. Austro-Hungarian politicians and
generals were, therefore, eager to destroy Serbia,
and to destroy Serbian nationalism in the Balkans.
All this made the Balkans politically unstable and
very dangerous.
Bosnia was a Slav state in the Balkans. Although part
of the Turkish Empire, it had been administered by
Austria-Hungary since 1878. In 1908, there was a
revolution in Turkey, and Austria-Hungary took the
opportunity to annex Bosnia (take it into the AustroHungarian empire).
The annexation was opposed by Serbia, which had
ambitions to include the Slavs of Bosnia within it.
But Serbia was too small to do anything about it on
its own, so it looked to Russia for support. Russia
sympathized with Serbia but backed off in 1909
when Germany made it clear that if Russia declared
war on Austria, Germany would declare war on
Russia.
The crisis was important because:
It made Austria-Hungary feel that it could rely on
German support.
Russia backed down in 1909, but by 1914 it had
built up its armies and was determined not to
back down again when the next crisis came.
Serbia had to accept the loss of Bosnia but now
looked for an opportunity to get its own back on
Austria-Hungary.
This helps explain why all three countries acted as
they did in 1914 (see pages 2223). The situation
worsened in the Balkan Wars of 191213 when
Serbia defeated the Turks and doubled in size. The
Serb Prime Minister Pasic said: the first round is
won; now for the second round against Austria.
Austria-Hungarys fears increased.

This cartoon by the British artist Leonard Raven-Hill, 1912,

shows the great powers (left to right: Russia, Britain,
Germany, France, Austria-Hungary) trying to balance on
the boiling Balkans pot.
Raven-Hill was political cartoonist for the British humorous
magazine Punch. He was a great supporter of British
imperialism. The message of the cartoon is that the
troubles in the Balkans are destabilising international
politics and threaten to plunge the great powers into war.

GradeStudio
Many of the events in this module involved conflict
between Britain and Germany. Go through this topic
and look through the factors that led to this conflict.
Can you define them as social, economic and political
causes?

BE An HISTORIAN!
Using an encyclopaedia or the Internet, research:
1. The Algeciras Conference of 1906 and its
consequences
2. The Pig War of 19061909.
The origins of the First World War

1.1b Why did war break out in 1914?

Lighting the blue touch paper
When Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914,
few people thought that it would cause a world war.
What was different about June 1914 different to all the
other crises that Europe had got through without a war was
that, this time, Austria-Hungary decided that it HAD to act.
The Austro-Hungarian government confirmed Germanys
support, issued a formal ultimatum and then when the
ultimatum was not met in full declared war on the country
they blamed for the atrocity. For this reason, some historians
have blamed Austria-Hungary for starting the war; certainly
they set the ball rolling.
The Russians were bound to Serbia by treaty, and what is
more, as Serbias ally did not want to let Serbia down as
they had done in 1909. Tsar Nicholas knew that Russia was
not ready for war; Russia had humiliatingly lost a war with
Japan in 1905. Ironically, this convinced him that he HAD to
act; he did not feel he could survive yet another humiliation.
So he mobilised, sending his cousin Wilhelm a telegram
asking him not to regard it as an act of war towards Germany.
Russian mobilisation threw the German army into a panic.
Their war plan the Schlieffen Plan envisaged only a war
against Russia and France. It assumed that Germany would
have six full weeks to defeat France before Russia was ready;
but now the Russians were preparing before war had been
declared. So Germany took the gamble of a pre-emptive
(first) strike, declared war on Russia and France, and attacked
France as planned.
Britain entered the war last of all, because the Schlieffen Plan
took the German army through Belgium.

TIMELINE
1905

28 June 1914
Schlieffen
Plan
completed

10

Germany gives Austria

Hungary the blank cheque
5 July

Franz Ferdinand
assassinated

AQA GCSE B History

23 July

SOURCE

We muddled into war The nations slithered

over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war
without any trace of apprehension or dismay...
not one of them wanted war; certainly not on
this scale.
Statement from David Lloyd Georges War
Memoirs, written in 1934. Lloyd George was
a government minister in 1914, and became
Prime Minister during the war.

Austrian ultimatum
to Serbia
28 July
Austria-Hungary
declares war on
Serbia

Germany declares
war on Russia
30 July

1 August
Russia
announces
mobilization

Britain declares
war on Germany
3 August

4 August

Germany declares war

on France. German
troops enter Belgium

SOURCE

Historiography

SOURCE

In 1969, in his book War by Timetable, the British historian

A.J.P. Taylor argued that railway timetables caused the war.
He argued that the plans for calling up millions of soldiers in
particular working out the train timetables involved were so
complicated, that once mobilization had begun they could not
be altered to suit changing situations.
Thus the Germans HAD to implement the Schlieffen Plan it
was the only plan they had even though they really wanted
to confront Russia. Also, the German army HAD to go through
Belgium, even though it brought Britain into the war. And
when Kaiser Wilhelm tried to pause the German mobilisation
to give Russia time to back down, his generals told him that he
couldnt; 11,000 trains were on the move, and war could not be
stopped.

This cartoon A Chain of Friendship

appeared in the American newspaper the
Brooklyn Eagle in July 1914. The caption read:
If Austria attacks Serbia, Russia will fall upon
Austria, Germany upon Russia, and France and
England upon Germany.

GradeStudio
The importance of an event depends primarily on the 3Rs:
1. How much did its Results affect the future?
2. How much do people still Remember it?

The cartoon shows Austria which is

threatening Serbia being threatened by
Russia, which is being threatened by Germany,
which is being threatened by Britain and
France. In the event, things did not happen
exactly as the cartoon predicted Germany
attacked France as well as Russia, and Britain
entered the war to defend Belgium, not Russia.

BE An HISTORIAN!
This spread presents the 1914 slide to
war as a timeline, as written text and as a
cartoon. As an historian, what other useful
ways could you present the events?

3. How Relevant was it to the issue you have been asked

about?
The origins of the First World War

11

The Black Hand

The Black Hand was a terrorist group, formed in 1911,
which wanted to unite all the Serbs in the Balkans into a
Greater Serbia. It was led by a Serb Colonel called Dragutin
Dimitrijevic (code name: Apis). It organised groups of
bandits, and trained assassins (for example, the group tried to
assassinate the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef in 1911).
In 1914, the Black Hand decided to assassinate the Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary
to destabilise the Austro-Hungarian empire, and to publicise
their opposition to Bosnia being part of Austria-Hungary.
Ironically, Franz Ferdinand was known to favour increased
civil rights for Slavs, and the Black Hand feared that if he
succeeded it would weaken support for a Greater Serbia
(Serbs would be happy to stay part of Austria-Hungary).

Assassination at Sarajevo
On 28 June 1914, Franz Ferdinand visited the Bosnian capital
of Sarajevo. The Black Hand made two attempts to kill him.
In the first, a bomb was thrown at the Archduke but he
deflected it so that it fell behind the car, where it exploded
and injured several people in the following car.
The Archduke cancelled the visit but insisted on visiting
the injured in hospital. The driver of the royal car took
a wrong turning. As he stopped to reverse, one of the
assassins, Gavrilo Princip, fired two shots: the first one hit the
Archduke, the second hit his wife. The Archdukes wife died
immediately and he died on the way to hospital

This artists impression of the assassination

of Franz Ferdinand was drawn in 1914 by Felix
Schwormstaedt, illustrator for the German magazine
Illustrite Zeitung.

Austria attacks Serbia

Such a murder would normally have been a matter for the
two countries involved alone.
But relations between the alliances of Great Powers were
so strained in 1914 that it led to the outbreak of the First
World War. Some politicians in Austria-Hungary saw the
assassination as an excuse for attacking Serbia and solving the
problem of the Serbs within the Austrian Empire (see page
17). On 23 July, the Austrians issued an ultimatum to Serbia
to comply with ten conditions, even though they had no
proof that the Serbian government had anything to do with
the assassination.
The Serb reply to the Austrian ultimatum indicated they
did not want a war. They were prepared to accept help from
Austria-Hungary in getting rid of all the societies in Serbia
engaged in propaganda against Austria-Hungary, but could
not accept one of the points because it involved delegates
from Austria-Hungary taking part in the inquiry against those
involved in the murder of the Archduke and his wife.
This would mean the Serbian courts would be influenced
by a foreign country, and this would be a threat to Serb
independence. Although it did not accept this point, the
12

AQA GCSE B History

SOURCE

An unjust war has been declared on a weak

country. The anger in Russia shared fully by
me is enormous. I foresee that very soon I shall
be overwhelmed by the pressure forced upon
me and be forced to take extreme measures
which will lead to war. To try and avoid such
a calamity as a European war I beg you in the
name of our old friendship to do what you can
to stop your allies from going too far.
Nicky.
This telegram was sent from Tsar Nicolas to
his cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm, on 29 July, the day
before Russia announced mobilisation.

Serbian government stressed it was prepared to refer the

matter to an international court.
Serbias long-term aim was still to bring all the Slavs in the
Austro-Hungarian empire into a greater Serbia. However,
in 1914 Serbia did not want war as it was recovering from
the Balkan Wars which had been fought between 1912 and
1913. The Serb government was not officially linked in any
way to the Black Hand Group, which was responsible for
the assassination. Serbia could therefore see no reasons for
Austria-Hungary to declare war on it in 1914.

SOURCE M
I no longer have any doubt that Britain, Russia
and France have agreed among themselves to
wage war to destroy us. The encirclement of
Germany has already been achieved.
This comment was made by Kaiser Wilhelm
speaking in 1914 before the outbreak of war.

Russia mobilizes against Austria-Hungary

Although the Serbs had accepted the majority of the
Austrian ultimatum, the war party in Austria-Hungary
was determined to deal with Serbia militarily. On 28 July,
Austria-Hungary rejected the Serb reply and declared war.
The Austrian declaration of war on Serbia was the first step
towards general war in 1914.
During the Bosnian crisis of 19089, Russia had let down its
Slav allies in the Balkans, so the Tsar was determined not
to fail Serbia again. The Russians checked that they had the
support of France, and on 30 July they mobilised their army
and prepared for war.
Austria-Hungary, however, had not acted alone. On 5 July
Austrian delegates had visited Germany to see where the
Kaiser stood, and had been assured that Germany would
support them. This has been called by historians the blank
cheque a promise to support Austria-Hungary whatever the
cost.
Now that Russia was mobilising, the Austro-Hungarians
expected Germanys help. In addition, Germany argued that
allowing your neighbour to mobilise against you was like
letting an enemy put a gun to your head. By the end of July,
the Germans had decided to go to war.

Voice your opinion!

Germany fuelled the tension; AustriaHungary was the first to attack. But it was
Tsar Nicholas of Russia who turned the
crisis into a world war. Do you agree?

SOURCE N

SOURCE N
A Russian cartoon of 1914, showing Kaiser
Wilhelm terrified by Russian forces mobilising
towards him.
The Kaiser is shown as lying in bed, hiding
under the sheets but unable to stop the Russian
forces marching on. The message of the
cartoon is that Germany is terrified by Russian
mobilisation
The origins of the First World War

13

NETHERLANDS

BRITAIN

Key
Schlieffen Plan

s
gli
En

h
hC

l
ne
an

Antwerp
Calais

Boulogne

Ypres

BELGIUM

Brussels

Mons

R.

Actual route of
German armies
Furthest German
advance in 1914
Allied counter
attacks

Liege

Main French
armies

Somme

Amiens

N
RA

CE

R.

Ai sne

Germany supports Austria-Hungary

Plan 17

Lo

80 km

ac

AN

ine
R. Se

ls

i ne

50 Miles

ra

Verdun

R M fence
e

Paris

GE

R. Marme

LUXEMBOURG

This diagram shows the Schlieffen Plan as it was

planned and as it was carried out in 1914.

Since the Franco-Russian Treaty of 1894, Germany had faced

the problem of a war with France and Russia at the same time.
The German Head of General Staff was Count Alfred von
Schlieffen, and his answer to this war on two fronts was to
defeat France first before Russia was ready. Once the French
were defeated, the Germans could then turn east and defeat
Russia. In 1905 von Schlieffens plan was to defeat France
within six weeks by attacking through Belgium. He believed
that it would take the Russians at least six weeks to be ready
for war because of Russias size and the size of the country
and its poor transport.
The plan depended on the right wing of the German forces
attacking France through Belgium and Holland, leaving with
only a few troops left to hold the French attack on Germany
in Alsace and Lorraine. The plan was changed in 1914 by
General Moltke: he only attacked through Belgium and
strengthened the forces in Alsace and Lorraine at the expense
of the right wing.
The Russian mobilisation in July 1914 threw the Germans
into a panic. Their war plan depended on France and Russia
declaring war at the same time, and on defeating France
before Russia was ready to fight. Now Russia was getting
ready to fight, and every day that passed was a day less to
defeat France. When the German Chancellor BethmannHollweg asked General Moltke: Is the Fatherland in danger?
the reply was: Yes.
14

AQA GCSE B History

GradeStudio
When you have to answer a question about
an historical source, before you start to
think about the actual question, spend a
little time to SWIPE it, by thinking:
1. What does it say on the Surface?
2. Who wrote it (and how might that
have affected what it says?)
3. Its underlying opinion what is it
Inferring?
4. Its Purpose what was it trying to
achieve?
5. When it was written and what Events
were happening at that time (and how
might that have affected what it says?)

SOURCE O

SOURCE O
A photograph of British people lining up to join
the British army fighting in France.
The outbreak of war was immensely popular in
all the countries of Europe.

SOURCE

On 1 August 1914, Germany supported its ally Austria-Hungary

by declaring war on Russia, and, two days later, on France.
The Schlieffen Plan was critical in the outbreak of war
because it was a plan of attack. Germany could not, like
Russia, mobilise as a threat of and a preparation for war.
When the German army mobilised, the fighting started. It
is arguable that the Schlieffen Plan, more than any other
individual thing, brought war.
On 3 August 1914 the Germans launched the Schlieffen Plan
and attacked France from the north through Belgium.

Britain enters the war

The British government was not keen to join the war. At first
the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, said Britain
would remain neutral unless Germany attacked the north
coast of France. And even after Germany declared war on
Russia, the British cabinet stated on 2 August that they would
only go to war if the neutrality of Belgium was violated.
When the Germans invaded Belgium, however, Britain
declared war on Germany on 4 August.
Why did Britain enter the war? It was partly because the
neutrality of Belgium had been guaranteed by Britain in
1839. Treaties that had been agreed had to be kept. The
invasion of Belgium by Germany was against international
law. Also, Britain wanted to prevent the coastline opposite
Britain from falling into the hands of a possible enemy.
Belgium and the north coast of France could be used to
launch an attack on Britain.
But there were other reasons that brought Britain into the
war. Britain also wanted to prevent Germany from becoming
too strong in Europe, and did not want the whole of Europe
to fall under the control of one power. Another important
factor was public opinion. People in Britain overwhelmingly
supported Belgium and wanted war; the invasion of Belgium
ensured that Britain was united in going to war.

This cartoon, from the British humorous

magazine Punch, was published in August
1914.
The cartoon caricatures Germany as a grumpy
old man, sausages hanging from his pocket,
taking a cudgel to a young boy. Belgium is
symbolised as a young boy, armed only with a
stick, but nevertheless determined to defend
his right of way. The caption sums up the
British support for Belgium at the time.
Do you agree with this interpretation of
Britains reasons for going to war in 1914?

Voice your opinion!

A peaceable, sensible mass of 500 million
Europeans was hounded by a few dozen
incapable leaders into a war which in no
way was destined or inevitable. Do you
agree?
The origins of the First World War

15

GradeStudio
Preparation describe
1. For each of the events in the panel on the right, read
the textbook and write a short paragraph describing
it in general terms.
2. For each, using the textbook, an encyclopaedia or
the internet, find out two extra details you could
GO DEEPER, finding out about some aspect in more
detail, or you could GO BROADER, putting the event
in its wider context.
3. Write up ONE event as a Describe essay of three
paragraphs.

The Triple Alliance

The Triple Entente
Kaiser Wilhelms foreign policy
The Moroccan crises of 1905 and 1911
The Bosnian Crisis of 1908
The military arms race
The naval arms race
Austria-Hungarys aims in the Balkans
The Black Hand
Serbias aims in the Balkans
The assassination at Sarajevo
The events of 28 June to 4 August 1914
The Schlieffen Plan

Preparation why
1. Working in a small group, for each of the questions in the panel on the
left, think of TWO reasons why it happened.
Why...
did Britain fear Germany?
did Austria-Hungary fear Serbia?
did Germany intervene in Morocco?
did Princip assassinate Franz Ferdinand?
did Russia mobilise?
did German troops invade Belgium?

did Germany resent Britain?

did Russia support Serbia?
did Austria-Hungary annex Bosnia?
did Austria-Hungary declare war on Serbia?
did Germany declare war on Russia? did Britain enter
the war?

Preparation how
1. Working as a whole class, for each of the issues, think of TWO ways
how the factor on the left worked to create the situation on the right.
HOW did this
The system of alliances
The naval arms race
The Moroccan crises, 1906 and 1911
The Bosnian crisis of 1908
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Alliances
The Schlieffen Plan
Austria-Hungary
Russia
Germany

16

cause this?
greater international tension
hostility between Germany and Britain
tension between Germany and France
tension between Russia and Austria-Hungary
the First World War
the slide to war, 28 June to 4 August 1914
the outbreak of fighting in August
the First World War
the First World War
the First World War

Source H (see page 8) suggests that Wilhelm II was responsible for the
Moroccan crisis of 1905. Do you agree with the interpretation that
Wilhelm II was the main cause of the crisis?
Explain your answer by referring to the purpose of the source, as well
as using its content and your own knowledge.
(6)

Describes
the cartoons
interpretation

Refers to the
cartoons
provenance

Explains how
the provenance
has affected
the cartoons
interpretation
of the event

Refers to the
cartoons
content

Compares
the cartoons
content in
detail to the
actual facts,
seeing whether
it is true or false

Conclusion,
assessing
the cartoons
interpretation

Source H shows Britain and France backed by the

British navy, stopping Wilhelms schemes in Morocco.
Wilhelm dressed like the villain in a pantomime
accepts that he is beaten, but vows to try again. The
cartoon blames Wilhelm, and makes out that he is
wickedly trying to take more power.

Examiners
verdict
This earns no marks,
but defines what
you believe the
interpretation is in
case you get it wrong.

Looking at the provenance, I see that the cartoonist

is Haselden, a patriotic British cartoonist. He drew
the cartoon in 1905, so it is topical, but being British
he would have been biased, and this makes his
interpretation unreliable. A German cartoonist would
have interpreted the incident in a very different way.

TWO ideas, using the

PROVENANCE
This gets 1 mark.

Haselden makes Britain seem jolly and nice; a German

cartoonist would have shown him as a greedy bully who
already owned a fifth of the world. Similarly, Haselden
shows Wilhelm as a troublemaker; a German cartoonist
might have shown him as a noble hero trying to secure a
place in the sun for Germany and her traders.

TWO ideas,
developing the
explanation.
This earns up to
another 2 marks.

When I look at the content of the source, I see that it

is generally true. In a conference at Algeciras in 1906
Britain and Russia stood by France and it was agreed
that Germany should have no say in Morocco.
Other facts support the cartoons interpretation. Britain
and France dancing together refers to the Entente
Cordiale of 1904. Showing Wilhelm saying: a time will
come is a prophecy of the Agadir crisis of 1911.
However, some things about the cartoon are not true.
It is NOT true that Wilhelm was the villain of the crisis
France was trying to take over Morocco, and Wilhelm
tried to defend Moroccos independence. And it is NOT
true that Britains navy undisputedly ruled the waves
in 1898, Wilhelm ordered Tirpitz to increase the German
navy, so that it could challenge Britains.
The cartoon is not a correct interpretation of the crisis
it is a British interpretation, produced to give only
facts that would reassure the British public that the
French alliance and the Royal Navy would protect Britain
against Germany.

CONTENT statement
+ fact
This gets 1 mark.

Develops ideas FOR

and AGAINST for
interpretation.
This earns up to
another 2 marks.
(By explaining
both content and
provenance, I can
reach a low A.)

Notice how I refer to

the purpose of the
source.

57

17

GradeStudio
Which was the more important reason for Great Britain entering World War I:
The Naval Race with Germany, 1906-1914;
The Schlieffen Plan?
You must refer to both reasons when explaining your answer.
Describes the
Naval Race

Explains how it
caused tension/
and conflict

Assesses how
important this
was

Describes the
Schlieffen Plan

Explains how it
caused tension/
and conflict

Assess how
important this
was

18

(10)

In 1898, Wilhelm ordered Tirpitz to increase the

German navy. After 1906 both sides began building
Dreadnoughts; 1907-1914 Britain built 19, Germany 13. The
race reached its peak in 1909, when Germans refused
to agree how many Dreadnoughts to build and public
pressure in Britain demanded: we want eight and
wont wait.
The Naval Race helped bring Britain into the war. As
an island with an empire, Britain needed a bigger navy,
particularly since the British army was very small. The
British believed the German fleet build-up was aimed at
challenging British superiority and the empire; the naval
race made the British resent and fear the Germans.
These British fears caused Britain to make a naval
agreement with Japan (1902), and join the Dual Entente
with France (1904).
The naval race was not the main cause of Britain going
to war in 1914, by which time Britain had won the race.
The alliances with Japan and France came BEFORE the
naval race, not because of it. Also, the height of the
naval race came in 1909, long before the war, without
causing a war.

Examiners
verdict
an opening
statement
TWO extra details
This paragraph is
worth 1 mark.

TWO ideas
If done properly,
this will earn 1-2
additional marks

notice how I
prove it was that
important by using
facts.
This will earn 1-2
additional marks

The Schlieffen plan (1905) was Germanys answer to

a war on two fronts. It was to defeat France in the 6
weeks it would take Russia to mobilise. The right wing
of the German forces would attack France through
Belgium and Holland, leaving only a few troops to hold
the French attack on Germany in Alsace and Lorraine.

an opening
statement
TWO extra details
This paragraph is
worth 1 mark.

The Schlieffen Plan brought Britain into the war on

4 August because the neutrality of Belgium had been
guaranteed by Britain in 1839. Also, Britain wanted to
prevent the coastline opposite Britain from falling into
the hands of a possible enemy. Belgium and the north
coast of France could be used to launch an attack on
Britain.

TWO ideas
Now I have
explained BOTH, I
have secured a C.

But other reasons brought Britain into the war, which

reduces the importance of the Schlieffen Plan. Britain
also did not want the whole of Europe to fall under
the control of one power. Also, public opinion in Britain
overwhelmingly supported Belgium and was united
supporting going to war.

Assessing the
importance of
BOTH reasons
secures a grade A.

Examiners
verdict
Conclusion

However, the Schlieffen Plan was more important. The

Naval Race created underlying tensions, but still in
1914 the British government did not want war. Even
after Germany declared war, the British stated on 2
August that they would only go to war if the neutrality
of Belgium was violated. And the invasion of Belgium
caused Britain to declare war.

to get to A*
I have made
a judgement,
explained my idea
and included a fact.

57

19