At the beginning of the 20th centur y, there was a climate of strong confrontation between European countries. Germany was an increasingly powerful countr y that wanted to create a colonial empire like the other great European powers. France and the UK feared that German expansionism would threaten their own empires. In this uneasy situation , tensions arose in Morocco and the Balkans. Rivalry between powers Relations in Europe were tense for various reasons: France lost Alsace-Lorraine in 1870 to Germany. France had a strong desire for revenge. The Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires disputed control of the Balkans. There was great economic rivalr y between Germany and the UK. They were the two most industrially developed states. Germany wanted to form a colonial empire to boost its industrial development. But the UK saw German imperialism as a threat to its colonies. The formation of blocs Germany, under its chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, created an alliance system with two main objectives: To isolate France. To maintain equilibrium in the Balkans. Germany's pacts were the Dual Alliance with AustriaHungar y, and the League of the Three Emperors with Austria-Hungar y and Russia . The German emperor Wilhelm II favoured a more aggressive European policy, (1) and Bismarck was replaced in 1890. This marked the beginning of the Armed Peace (1890-1914). In this period , mutual fears led to an arms race and the European powers divided into two militar y blocs: (2) The Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungar y and Italy. The Triple Entente (1907) of France, Britain and Russia. Almost ever y countr y increased the size of its army and manufactured new weapons. In this tense atmosphere, any confrontation could lead to large-scale conf lict. 1. What led to the outbreak of war? 1. Caricature of German Emperor Wilhelm II's war policy ANALYSE A HISTORICAL TEXT Read the text. who was Bismarck? What message is he trying to transmit? Sirs: The gravity of the times we live in will not escape any of you. The whole world is wondering whether war will break out. Germany has shown that it does not wish to attack any of its neighbours unless it is forced to. But to carry out this difficult and thankless mission, Germany must be powerful and armed for war. If war did break out, it would be a terrible disaster. The more powerful we are, the more unlikely war is. Bismarck's speech to the Reichstag on the principles of his diplomatic policy, 11th Januar y 1887 (Adapted) 26
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