Lead-up to WWI

* 19th Century Europe

- Post-Napoleonic Europe dominated by 6 nations

-> France, England, Russia, Spain, Austria-Hungary, & the Ottoman Empire

- nationalist unifications add new powers

-> 1867 Germany united by Bismark

=> small German-speaking states unite, dominated by Prussia

=> rapid economic and social integration

=> anti-France and anti-Austrian expansionism makes Germany dangerous

-> 1871 Italy unites (Garribaldi as leader)

=> small states come together, led by Piedmont

=> a less united group of people than the Germans, unification proceeds in a more incomplete fashion

-> Serbia and Bulgaria were carved out the Ottoman Empire

* An unsteady balance

- France and Prussia/Germany mutually suspicious

-> defeat in war in 1867 had left France resentful

- Austria Hungary was weak and disunited

-> a tempting target and unstable local bully

- secret "defensive" alliances create trip wires

-> Triple Alliance = Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

-> Triple Entente = Great Britain, France, Russia

-> any war between any of the powers is programmed to suck the others in

- the Balkans was a smoldering mess (sound familiar?)

-> decline of Ottoman power in the region had created new small states

-> many disputed borders and jealous little states

=> ethnic groups mixed together and divided by new borders

=> complex and multi-various nationalisms swirling

-> Serbia and Austria-Hungary both eyeing the province of Bosnia

-> Russians also desirous of the entire region

=> wanted to unify all "Slavs"

=> wanted access to a warm-water port on the Mediterranean

- the imperial race was also uneven

-> England and France building enormous world empires

-> Germany was especially jealous, worried about falling further and further behind

* Militarism and the modern arms race

- new inventions constantly yielding new weapons

-> dazzling possibilities of military superiority tempt generals

- a naval arms race between Germany and England raised stakes

-> Germany seeing navy as first step to empire

- railroads and transport improvements make sudden war a likelihood

-> need for constant state of mobilization

- threats thus build a need for larger, more ready military apparatus

- alliance trip wires also add to need to readiness

* Nationalist pressures

- French and Germans hate each other

- Serbia wants to grow, unify Serbs

- Austria-Hungary wants to avoid Serbian uprising amongst own people, sees Serbia as a threat

- Russians and Ottomans hate each other

- Italians are pumped up by unification and want to claim parts of Austria-Hungary and the Adriatic East Coast

- Austria-Hungary riven by multiple internal ethnic groups all curious about independence

-> Hungarians, Austrians, Croats, Slovenians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Bosnians, Poles, Germans, Italians