Course work
The beginning of the First World War and its causes. The goals of the powers in the war. Military campaign of 1914
Introduction
3. Military campaign in 1914
4. Results of the war
Conclusion
Introduction
At the beginning of the second decade of the 20th century, Russia found itself drawn into a chain of international crises. The spark of one of them, which broke out in the summer of 1914 in the Balkans - this "powder keg" of Europe, flared up in a fire that for the first time engulfed almost the entire planet. 38 countries participated in the First World War, the population of which (1.5 billion people) accounted for 75% of all inhabitants the globe. The battles of this war, unlike other conflicts, were fought not in one, but in a number of land and ocean theaters of war.
First World War matured as a result of the aggravation of imperialist contradictions, the underlying premise of which was the uneven economic development of various, primarily European countries. The dynamic growth of the industrial potential of the German Empire inevitably required its leadership to search for new markets and sources of raw materials. Economic expansion was closely linked to political expansion. However, the German policy of expanding "spheres of influence" more and more contradicted the interests of the powers that had previously embarked on the path of industrial development (primarily England and France). These states had already carried out the division of the world and sought to maintain the status quo that was beneficial to them, to prevent the loss of both their influence in Europe and the vast colonial systems they had created on other continents. The ever more acute question of the redistribution of the world forced the great powers to look for allies and create military-political blocs.
Objective - analyze the beginning of the First World War and its causes.
Tasks:
1. Consider the prerequisites for the First World War.
Describe the causes and beginning of the First World War. The goals of the powers in the war.
Analyze the military campaign of 1914.
Results of the war.
In accordance with the tasks set, the structure term paper consists of introduction, 4 chapters, conclusion, list of references.
first world war cause
1. Background to the First World War
The internal political difficulties experienced by Russia coincided with the inexorable aggravation of the international situation: the preparation of the great powers for war has entered a decisive phase. Main preconditionsworld conflict was the struggle for markets, sources of raw materials, trade routes and the growing uneven development different countries. Yes, young German Empire overtook England and France in terms of industrial growth. Late in capturing the colonies, she looked with envy at the wealth and vast overseas possessions of her neighbors and strove for a redivision of the world. TO late XIX- the beginning of the XX century. a whole complex of contradictions has matured between various countries and groups of countries. Chief among them was the Anglo-German conflict.
Back in 1882, Germany concluded a Tripartite Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy. England and France, uniting against a common enemy, created in 1904 an alliance called the "Entente" (from the French "consent"). Russia is facing difficult choice. The conservative German monarchy was closer to the tsar, the aristocracy, the guardian dignitaries than the English and French democracies. The Russian and German dynasties were linked by long-standing family ties. But Russia had sharp contradictions in the Balkans and the Middle East with Austria-Hungary, which enjoyed the constant patronage of Germany.
At the beginning of the XX century. weakening Turkish empire was in the sphere of German interests. German generals and officers occupied command posts in the Turkish army. Germany laid strategic railways through Turkish territory. All this seriously threatened the interests of Russia: after all, through the Black Sea straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, which belonged to Turkey, 80% its grain exports. German capital stood in the way of Russian capital, penetrating into the Middle East and Persia. By purchasing a significant portion of Russian grain and selling important industrial products in return, Germany was able to impose an unfavorable trade agreement on Russia in 1904. Duties on Russian goods were raised, on German goods they were reduced.
At the same time, England and France provided Russia with significant loans and allocated capital that was badly needed by the growing Russian industry. This pushed Russia to rapprochement with the Entente. Russia had an agreement with France on mutual assistance in case of war since 1894. The long-standing Russian-English conflicts in the East were gradually resolved. Persia was divided into spheres of influence, Afghanistan was recognized as a zone of British interests, and both powers renounced their claims to Tibet. In 1907 Russia joined the Entente. Europe split into two blocs preparing for a collision.
Russia was not as keenly interested in the war as Germany, but she had her own interests. She hoped to unite all Polish lands under her rule, to annex Galicia - Western Ukraine, establish itself in the Balkans and in the zone of the Black Sea straits. The Balkans - the "powder keg of Europe" - gave rise to a world war: In 1909, Austria-Hungary wrested from Turkey Bosnia and Herzegovina, a province with a significant Serbian population. This caused acute dissatisfaction with Serbia, which sought to expand its influence and territory. The Serbian authorities supported various kinds of secret and overt anti-Austrian movements1 .
2. The beginning of the First World War and its causes. The goals of the powers in the war
The reason for the start of the world war was the assassination of Prince Franz Ferdinand by the Serbian nationalist Gavriil Princip on June 28, 1914, on the Serbian territory occupied by Austria-Hungary in the city of Sarajevo. states. Russia advised Serbia to accept all the conditions of the ultimatum in order to avoid war and only try to negotiate on the issue of bringing Austrian troops into Serbian territory. Austria, however, used this pretext to declare war on Serbia. Germany pushed Austria to war in every possible way, hoping that Russia would stand up for her friendly Serbia. In the days Bosnian crisis France and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to oppose the Triple Alliance. England until the last moment concealed her true position, declaring her peacefulness, giving Germany a reason to hope for her neutrality and thereby pushing her to start a war. To a large extent, this is why
Wilhelm II defiantly rejected the requests of Nicholas II to peacefully resolve the conflict. And only when military preparations could no longer be stopped, England announced that she would take the side of her allies in the Entente.
August 1914 Germany declared war on Russia, on August 3 - France, and on August 4 England declared war on the Triple Alliance. Austria-Hungary, already at war with Serbia by this time, declared war on Russia on August 6. The First World War began, lasting four years and claiming millions human lives. 38 countries with a population of one and a half billion people were drawn into the orbit of the war.
So the main causethe First World War were formed by the beginning of the XX century. contradictions between European and world powers. These contradictions were the result of a new correlation of forces that had taken shape as a result of the uneven development of countries, the lag in the development of some and the outstripping development of others.
In general, the first world war on the part of most of the participating countries was of an imperialist, predatory nature. The purpose of the war on the part of the states of the Triple Alliance, the Entente and their allies was the redistribution of territories, the seizure of colonies, the struggle for markets, spheres of influence. Only Serbia, Montenegro and Belgium, as well as other peoples of the occupied territories, waged a just struggle for their liberation.
What were the powers fighting for? Germany wanted to take over most Europe and the Middle East, including allied Turkey, to take away from England, France and Belgium their colonies, and from Russia - Ukraine and the Baltic states. Not surprisingly, the Russian Foreign Minister Sazonov noted: "The main goal of the three allies should be the destruction of German power, as well as Germany's claims to "military and political dominance."
Austria-Hungary intended to subjugate the independent Slavic states - Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro, to establish its dominance in the Balkan Peninsula, as well as in the Black, Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
England fought for the preservation of its colonial empire and the weakening of its main competitor - Germany. In addition, England intended to seize Mesopotamia and Palestine from Turkey and firmly establish itself in Egypt.
France sought to return Alsace and Lorraine, taken from her by Germany in 1871, and also to capture the coal-rich Saar basin and other areas of Germany located on the left bank of the Rhine.
Russia wanted to crush German and Austrian influence in Turkey and the Balkans, as well as to achieve a favorable and advantageous regime of the straits, which ensured its strategic interests, protected the Black Sea coast and promoted the development of trade. The plans of the tsarist government also included the capture of Galicia - part of Austria - Hungary.
3. Military campaign in 1914
In the Western European theater of operations began with the invasion of German troops in Luxembourg (August 2) and Belgium (August 4), which rejected the German ultimatum to let German troops through its territory. The Belgian army, relying on the fortified areas of Liege and Namur, put up stubborn resistance to the enemy at the turn of the river. Maas. Leaving Liège after fierce fighting (August 16), she withdrew to Antwerp. German command, putting up about 2 corps against it (80 thousand people, 300 guns), sent the main grouping of its armies to the south - west to the Franco-Belgian border. The French armies of the left wing (3rd, 4th and 5th) and the British army were advanced to meet the German troops. On August 21-25, the Border Battle of 1914 took place<#"center">4. Results of the war
World War I ended with the defeat of Germany and its allies. After the conclusion of the Compiegne armistice, the victorious powers began to develop plans for a post-war "settlement". Parisian peace conference 1919-20 <#"center">Conclusion
As a result of the war, the so-called. Versailles system - a set of unequal peace treaties imposed by the victors on the countries of the German bloc. To a large extent, the contradictions Versailles system spawned political crisis late 1930s, leading to World War II. Serious changes have taken place in the global balance of power. The United States, having turned from a debtor of European countries into their creditor, more and more actively claimed the role of a great power.
Germany, having lost not only its colonies, but also a number of European territories that belonged to it, disarmed, lined with reparations, was losing this status. Austria-Hungary collapsed, Turkey lost its significance.
The war hit hard on the monarchy as a species political system. Number of European ruling dynasties decreased from 41 in 1914 to 17 by the beginning of the 20s. A number of new independent states(Hungary, Poland, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, etc.).
The First World War brought unprecedented sacrifices and hardships. So, only the cost of destruction on the fields of war exceeded 58 billion rubles. gold. The losses of the warring countries were colossal. And from total number 10 million dead. Russia's losses amounted to 5 million.
Unfortunately, in connection with subsequent turbulent events, the graves of these soldiers and officers, who laid down their lives not so much for the Faith and the Tsar, but for the Fatherland, remained unknown.
List of used literature
1. Vert Nikola
Russian history. Russia in world civilization: a course of lectures: textbook / comp. and resp. ed.A. A. Radugin. - M.: Biblionics, 2004. - 349 p.
Keegan John
Fundamentals of the course of the history of Russia: textbook / A.S. Orlov, A.Yu. Polunov, Yu.Ya. Tereshchenko; under the editorship of A.S. Orlov. - M.: Prostor, 2006. - 637 p.
World War I: Controversial Problems of History / RAS. Inst. stories; Rep. ed. Yu.A. Pisarev, V.L. Malkov. - M.: Nauka, 1994. - 302 p.
World War I: politics, ideology, historiography: (To the 75th anniversary of the start of the war): Interuniversity collection / Ed. B.D. Kozenko and others - Kuibyshev: Publishing house of KGU, 1990. - 155 p.
Russia and the First World War: (materials of the international scientific colloquium) / S. - Petersburg. Phil. In-ta Ros. ist. RAS [and others]; editorial board: N.N. Smirnov (responsible ed.) [and others]. - St. Petersburg: Dmitry Bulanin, 1999. - 562 p.
Terrain John
Filyushkin A.I.
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To solve which historians are trying today.
Many point out that the connection between the assassination by Serbian nationalists on June 28, 1914 of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand, and the beginning of a terrible and bloody massacre does not seem at all obvious. Even if we consider the murder of the heir not as a reason, but as a pretext for war, this does not bring clarity. What insoluble contradictions existed between Russia and Germany that forced them to plunge into the abyss of war? Neither Russia nor Germany showed signs of territorial disputes that were unresolvable. political issues, mutual claims, however, each of the countries was drawn into opposing blocs, which were destined to clash on the battlefields.
Among the causes of the First World War, it is customary to point to:
- struggle for territories and spheres of influence;
- German militarism;
- disruption of the balance of power in Europe;
- the military plans of each side;
- nationalism.
none of European politicians I did not expect that the war would become so bloody, everyone believed that on Christmas Day 1914 the soldiers would celebrate the victory at home. This assumption was unfounded, since on a continent literally stuffed with weapons, war could not be an easy walk for trophies under any circumstances.
On the eve of the war, there were still opportunities for maintaining peace - they were provided by a wide the international cooperation in all areas of life - in politics, economics, culture. dense network railways connected the most remote corners of Europe and brought them together like never before. Before Europe opened the prospect of unprecedented prosperity, at the turn of the century the standard of living of people became much higher than before, which deprived the war of any meaning. Politico-legal guarantees for the preservation of peace were taking shape: the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 approved on the initiative of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II. determined the rules for resolving military conflicts. The practice of relations between states began to include arbitration, mediation and impartial examination of conflict situations by third countries or the International Court of Justice.
International rivalry gave rise to the beginning of the 20th century. a lot of problems in the relationship between different states. Chief among them was the Anglo-German rivalry on the world stage. Great Britain was losing its leading position, while Germany, meanwhile, was increasing its power and quickly turning into one of the leading powers in the world.
Since the war of 1870-1871. tensions persisted in Franco-German relations. Germany sought to further weaken its continental rival, while France waited for an opportune moment to return Alsace and Lotharingia. The establishment of a German military mission in the capital of the Ottoman Empire threatened the vital interests of most powers, and primarily Russia, for which foreign control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles was unacceptable. Russia's interests were also affected by the strengthening of the positions of Austria-Hungary in the Balkans, which had long been the sphere of Russian interests. The irreconcilable opponents of Austria-Hungary among the Balkan peoples were the Serbs, who turned into the main obstacle to the Austrian expansion.
Many historians call the First World War imperialistic, because the powers that started it had imperialist interests: the complete military defeat of the enemy, undermining his economic power, seizing the most strategically important territories. But there was also a deeper problem behind this: who would dominate Europe - Germany or the Entente? To solve this problem, war was inevitable.
Most of the discussions of politicians and historians about the decisions that paved the way for the war are focused on strategic calculations, they do not take into account the enthusiasm of the masses, which served as an impetus for all countries to mobilize. The patriotic upsurge, the romantic enthusiasm for the war, the emotional pressure in all countries in August 1914 were unprecedented. The German emperor Wilhelm II, undoubtedly, took into account public sentiments, agreeing to support Austria-Hungary. The harsh Austrian ultimatum to Serbia, following the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, was met in Berlin with enthusiastic demonstrations in support of the ally. During the seven crisis days at the end of July, there were continuous nationalist rallies in front of the Kaiser's residence. When the latter returned from Potsdam to Berlin, his motorcade was overwhelmed by a crowd calling for war. In such an atmosphere, key decisions were made to start it.
On the same days, similar manifestations took place in London, Paris, St. Petersburg, and Vienna. Much of the crowd's enthusiasm was fueled by the feeling that the war meant the long-awaited national unity and the overcoming of the split between bourgeoisie and proletarians, Protestants and Catholics, workers and peasants. “No one knows anyone, but everyone is embraced by one all-consuming impulse: war, war and a sense of unification,” an eyewitness of those events described the feeling of the crowd in Berlin. material from the site
The public of each of the powers contributed to the outbreak of war, and politicians at the most crucial moment did not find the courage to resist the onslaught of the crowd. Violent nationalism, which stimulated the creation of gigantic armies and fleets, which considered war not a catastrophe, but a confirmation of masculinity - this is precisely the mood that became dominant at the beginning of the 20th century. Children played soldiers, and for adults, military service was considered a matter of honor, giving life a new meaning.
Soldiers of the First World
“Everyone is looking for and not finding the reason why the war began. Their search is in vain, they will not find this reason. The war did not start for any one reason, the war started for all reasons at once" (Thomas Woodrow Wilson). The First World War covers the period from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. It was a large-scale armed conflict. War divided world history for two eras, opening a completely new page of it, filled with social explosions and upheavals.
This name of the war was established in historiography after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Prior to this, the name "Great War" was used (eng. TheGreatWar, fr. La grande guerre), in Russian Empire it was called the "Second Patriotic War", and also informally (both before the revolution and after) - "Germanic"; then in the USSR - "imperialist war".
For almost the entire 19th century, the main powers were heading towards open conflict, as a result of which the fate of not just Europe, but the whole world, was to be decided. England, France, Russia, a little later Germany and Austria-Hungary were not going to compromise.
The threat of war could not be prevented either by the numerous alliances formed, since almost all of them turned out to be fictitious, or even by the close relationship of almost all the reigning families. In fact, future enemies - the rulers of Russia, England and Germany - were cousins. But national interests for them they stood above reason and family ties.
38 independent states out of 59 that existed at that time were involved in a military conflict on a global scale. And each side had its own reasons for participating in the war.
The First World War is a war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, the USA, etc.).
World at the turn of the century
On the turn of XIX-XX c.c. capitalism has grown into imperialism. The world was almost completely divided between the major powers. But this section could not be final. There were always parts of disputed territories, remnants of crumbling empires (for example, Portuguese possessions in Africa, which, according to a secret agreement concluded by Great Britain and Germany in 1898, were subject to division between the two powers; Ottoman Empire slowly fell apart throughout the 19th century and were tidbits for young predators). Having colonies means not only having markets and sources of raw materials, but also being a great and respected power.
The beginning of the 20th century was also marked by the emergence of a number of unifying tendencies: Pan-Germanism, Pan-Slavism, and so on. Each of these movements demanded for itself a vast homogeneous space and sought to break up the existing heterogeneous formations, primarily Austria-Hungary, a mosaic state, united only by the belonging of each of its parts to the Habsburg dynasty.
The global confrontation between the great powers, primarily England and Germany, escalated, and the struggle for the redivision of the world, including the redistribution of colonies, began.
Contradictions manifested themselves in certain regions: the confrontation in the Balkans between Russia and its ally Serbia and Austria-Hungary, along with allied Bulgaria, became especially acute. The situation was aggravated by the fact that England, Germany, France and Italy also pursued their interests here. By 1914, Germany had become the dominant military power in the Balkan region, taking control of the army. Ottoman Empire. Russia's desire to master the Black Sea straits was now blocked not only by England, but also by the German-Turkish military alliance.
in the Middle and Far East the new superpowers the United States and Japan sought to spread their influence.
In Europe, the political and economic rivalry between Germany and France was obvious, fighting for hegemony in the field of production and marketing in Europe.
Country interests
Great Britain (as part of the Entente)
She was afraid of a potential German threat, so she switched to the policy of forming an anti-German bloc of states.
She did not want to put up with the penetration of Germany into areas that she considered “her own”: East and South-West Africa. She also wanted to take revenge on Germany for supporting the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Therefore, in fact, she was already waging an undeclared economic and commercial war against Germany and was actively preparing for a war with her.
France (as part of the Entente)
She wanted to recoup the defeat inflicted on her by Germany in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. She wanted to return Alsace and Lorraine, separated from France in 1871. She fought with Germany for sales markets, but at the same time she was afraid of German aggression. It was also important for France to keep its colonies (North Africa).
Russia (as part of the Entente)
The main interest for Russia was control over the Dardanelles, she wanted to have free passage for her fleet in the Mediterranean.
In the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway (1898), Russia saw an unfriendly act on the part of Germany, an encroachment on its rights in Asia, although in 1911 these differences with Germany were settled by the Potsdam Agreement.
In the Balkans, the influence of Austria was growing, which Russia also did not want to put up with, as well as with the fact that Germany was gaining strength and began to dictate its terms in Europe.
Russia considered itself the main Slavic peoples, anti-Austrian and anti-Turkish sentiments of the Serbs and Bulgarians tried to support.
Serbia (as part of the Entente)
She wanted to establish herself in the Balkans as the leader of the Slavic peoples of the peninsula, to form Yugoslavia, including all the Slavs living in the south of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Unofficially supported the nationalist organizations that fought against Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
German Empire (Triple Alliance)
Strived for military, economic and political dominance on the European continent. She sought to gain equal rights in the colonial possessions of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal.
In the Entente, she saw an alliance against herself.
Austria-Hungary (Triple Alliance)
Due to its multinationality, it played the role of a permanent hotbed of instability in Europe. She fought to keep Bosnia and Herzegovina captured by her in 1908. Opposed to Russia, because Russia took on the role of defender of all Slavs in the Balkans, and Serbia.
USA before World War I they were the world's largest debtor, and after the war they became the sole world creditor.
Preparing for war
The preparations for a world war as a means of resolving external and internal contradictions of the state were carried out for many years, the creation of a system of military-political blocs began. This was initiated by the Austro-German treaty of 1879, the participants of which pledged to assist each other in case of war with Russia. In 1882, Italy joined them, seeking support in the fight against France for the possession of Tunisia. Thus arose the Triple Alliance of 1882, or the alliance of the Central Powers, directed against Russia and France, and later against Great Britain. In opposition to him, another coalition of European powers began to take shape. The Russo-French alliance of 1891-93 was formed, which provided for the joint actions of these countries in the event of aggression from Germany or aggression from Italy and Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany. The growth of the economic power of Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. forced Britain to gradually abandon the traditional policy of "brilliant isolation" and seek rapprochement with France and Russia. Anglo-French agreement of 1904. disputes between Great Britain and France on colonial issues were settled, and the Anglo-Russian agreement of 1907 consolidated the agreement between Russia and Great Britain regarding their policy in Tibet, Afghanistan, and Iran. These documents formalized the creation triple consent, or Entente- a bloc of Great Britain, France and Russia, opposed to the Triple Alliance. In 1912 the Anglo-French and Franco-Russian maritime conventions were signed, and in 1913 negotiations began on concluding an Anglo-Russian maritime convention.
In preparation for the world war, the states created a powerful military industry, the basis of which was large state-owned factories: weapons, gunpowder, shell, ammunition, shipbuilding, etc. Private enterprises were involved in the production of military products: in Germany - Krupp factories, in Austria-Hungary - Skoda , in France - Schneider-Creusot and Saint-Chamond, in the UK - Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth, in Russia - the Putilov Plant, etc. Achievements in science and technology were put at the service of preparing for war. More advanced weapons appeared: store-bought rapid-fire rifles and machine guns, which greatly increased the firepower of the infantry; in artillery, the number of rifled guns of the latest systems has sharply increased.
Of great strategic importance was the development of railways, which made it possible to significantly speed up the concentration and deployment of large troop masses in theaters of military operations and to ensure the uninterrupted supply of active armies with human reinforcements and all types of material and technical support. More and more important role began to play road transport. arose military aviation. The use of new means of communication in military affairs (telegraph, telephone, radio) facilitated the organization of command and control. The number of armies and trained reserves increased rapidly. In the field of naval armaments, there was a stubborn rivalry between Germany and Great Britain. Since 1905, ships of a new type have been built - dreadnoughts. By 1914, the German fleet had firmly taken second place in the world after the British fleet. Other states also sought to strengthen their navies.
An ideological preparation for war was also carried out: the peoples were inspired by the means of propaganda that it was inevitable.
It is known that the reason for the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 was the assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife by a Serbian nationalist, a member of the Young Bosnia organization Gavrilo Princip. But that was just an excuse. As one of the historians put it, this murder can be called setting fire to the fuse, behind which was a barrel of gunpowder.
Introduction
1. Causes, nature and main stages of the First World War
1.1 Economic causes of the First World War
1.2 Political reasons
2. Socio-economic situation in Russia during the First World War
3. Treaty of Versailles
4. Results of the First World War
Bibliography
Introduction
Much has gone forever from history with the volleys of the "salute of nations" that sounded on November 11, 1918 - too much for the historian's thoughts not to turn again and again to the events of the World Crisis.
The point is not only and not so much in the human victims of the Great War, it is not in the huge material and financial losses. Although these losses were many times greater than the conservative estimates of pre-war theorists, calling them "incalculable" or "beyond the human imagination" is unjustified. In absolute terms, human losses were less than from the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, and material losses were inferior to the consequences of the 1929 crisis. As for relative figures, the First World War cannot bear any comparison with medieval plague epidemics. Nevertheless, it is the armed conflict of 1914 that is perceived by us (and was perceived by contemporaries) as a terrible, irreparable catastrophe that led to the psychological breakdown of the entire European civilization.
In this work, we will try to consider what economic and political motives allowed the world massacre to break out at the beginning of the last century and summarize this grandiose event.
1. Causes, nature and main stages of the First World War
Economic causes of the First World War
The world entered the 20th century under the conditions of a crushing industrial crisis of 1900-1901. It began almost simultaneously in the US and Russia, and soon the crisis became general, engulfing England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium and other countries. The crisis hit the metallurgical industry, then affected the chemical, electrical and construction industries. It led to the ruin of a mass of enterprises, causing a rapid increase in unemployment. A serious shock for many countries that had barely coped with the consequences of the crisis at the turn of the century was the crisis of 1907.
Monopolies in the pursuit of profit influenced the sphere of pricing, which led to the creation of disproportions within the national economy of individual countries and intensified international economic contradictions. Thus, economic crises were associated not with failures in the sphere of commodity and money circulation, but with the policy of monopolies. This is what determined the peculiarities of the course of crises, their cyclical nature, depth, length and consequences.
Looking carefully at the pre-war political map of Europe, we will see that it is impossible to explain the nature and origin of the World Crisis of 1914 starting from the geopolitical interests of the countries participating in the conflict. Germany plays the role of the attacking side in the World War, having no meaningful territorial claims at all. France, acting under the banner of revenge and the return of lost territories, on the contrary, is on the defensive. Russia, which is destined by historical fate for the southern direction of expansion (the Straits and the Middle East), is planning operations against Berlin and Vienna. Perhaps only Turkey is trying (albeit unsuccessfully) to act in some way in accordance with its geopolitical goals.
Orthodox Marxism, which explains the origin of the First World War by economic reasons - primarily by the sharpest competitive struggle between Germany and Great Britain, is probably closer to the truth than the geopolitical concept. In any case, the British-German economic rivalry did take place. A sharp increase in industrial production in Germany (with a relatively low cost work force) seriously undermined the position of the UK in the markets and forced the UK government to move to a protectionist trade policy.
By the beginning of the XX century. the struggle of the capitalist powers for markets and sources of raw materials has become extremely acute.
1.2 Political reasons
Russia's foreign policy after 1905.
Russo-Japanese War and Revolution 1905-1907 worsened the situation in the country. The army was demoralized and incapacitated, finances were in disorder. Domestic political problems made it difficult for tsarist diplomacy to pursue such a foreign policy that would allow the country to avoid participation in international conflicts. But the rivalry between the great powers took on too sharp forms. Anglo-German antagonism came to the fore. Under these conditions, back in 1904, London agreed with Paris on the division of spheres of influence. This is how the Anglo-French Entente took shape. Allied to France, Russia was in no hurry to get closer to England. Germany actively sought to involve Russia in the wake of its policy and split the Franco-Russian alliance. In 1905, during a meeting between Nicholas II and Wilhelm II in Björk, the Kaiser persuaded the tsar to sign an agreement on mutual assistance in the event of an attack on one of the parties. Despite the indignation of Wilhelm II, the Bjork agreement, which was in conflict with the alliance treaty with France, had no practical results and in the autumn of 1905 was essentially annulled by Russia. The logic of the development of international relations pushed the autocracy in the direction of the Entente. In 1907, a Russian-Japanese agreement on political issues was signed. The parties agreed to maintain the "status quo" in the Far East. At the same time, Russian-English conventions on Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet were concluded. Persia was divided into three zones: northern (Russian sphere of influence), southeast (English sphere of influence) and central (neutral). Afghanistan was recognized as a sphere of influence of England.
These agreements became an important stage in the process of forming an anti-German coalition. In 1908, Minister of Foreign Affairs A.P. Izvolsky, during negotiations with his Austrian colleague A. Erenthal, agreed to annex Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austria-Hungary, occupied by the Austrians after the Berlin Congress (1878), having received in exchange a promise not to object to the opening of the Black Sea straits for Russian military ships. However, England and France did not support the claims of tsarist diplomacy 2 . Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany sent an ultimatum to Russia in March 1909, demanding recognition of this act. The tsarist government was forced to yield. The Bosnian crisis turned into a "diplomatic Tsushima" for the autocracy. A.P. Izvolsky was dismissed in 1910, S.D. was appointed instead. Sazonov. Despite the deterioration of Russian-German relations, Germany still tried to draw Russia into the orbit of its policy. But she failed to achieve the desired results, and only in the summer of 1911 an agreement was signed concerning only the Persian question (the Potsdam Agreement), which in fact did not lead to the settlement of disputed problems 3 .
The prologue to the First World War was the attack on Turkey by Italy in 1911 heralded another aggravation of the Eastern question. Without waiting for the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Italian government decided to carry out its colonial claims to Tripolitania and Cyrenaica by force of arms. And the Balkan wars of 1912-1913. In 1912, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece, united as a result of the active efforts of Russian diplomacy, started a war against Turkey and defeated it. Soon the winners quarreled with each other. This was facilitated by Germany and Austria-Hungary, who viewed the formation of the Balkan Union as a success for Russian diplomacy 4 . They took measures aimed at its collapse, and pushed Bulgaria to act against Serbia and Greece. During the second Balkan war, Bulgaria, against which Romania and Turkey also began hostilities, was defeated. All these events significantly exacerbated the Russian-German and Russian-Austrian contradictions. Turkey more and more submitted to German influence. German General L. Von Sanders in 1913 was appointed commander of the Turkish corps, located in the region of Constantinople, which was rightly regarded by St. Petersburg as a serious threat to Russian interests in the strait zone. Only with great difficulty did Russia succeed in moving L. Von Sanders to another post.
The tsarist government, realizing the country's unpreparedness for war and relying on the (defeat) of a new revolution, sought to delay an armed clash with Germany and Austria-Hungary. At the same time, in the context of the progressive deterioration of relations with its Western neighbors, it tried to conclude an alliance with England. But the latter did not want to bind herself with any obligations. At the same time, the allied relations between Russia and France by 1914 were significantly strengthened. In 1911-1913. at the meetings of the chiefs of the Russian and French general staffs, decisions were made that provided for an increase in the number of troops deployed against Germany in the event of war, and an acceleration of the time for their concentration. The naval headquarters of England and France concluded a naval convention entrusting the protection of the Atlantic coast of France to the English fleet, and the protection of England's interests in the Mediterranean Sea to the French.
The Entente as a coalition of England, France and Russia, directed against the Triple Alliance, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (the latter, however, had already actually moved away from its partners, it was replaced by Turkey), was becoming a reality, despite the fact that England was not connected with Russia and France by an alliance treaty 5 . The formation of two blocs of great powers hostile to each other, which took place against the backdrop of an intensified arms race, created a situation in the world that threatened at any moment to turn into a military conflict on a global scale.
Events in Sarajevo. On June 15 (28), 1914, a Serbian student from the national-terrorist organization "Black Hand" Gavrilo Princip shot the heir to the Austrian throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife 6 . This happened in the Bosnian town of Sarajevo, where the Archduke arrived at the maneuvers of the Austrian troops. Bosnia at that time still remained part of Austria-Hungary, and Serbian nationalists considered part of the Bosnian territory, including Sarajevo, to be theirs. The assassination of the Archduke, the nationalists wanted to reassert their claims.
As a result, Austria-Hungary and Germany received an extremely convenient opportunity to defeat Serbia and gain a foothold in the Balkans. The main question now is whether Russia, which has patronized Serbia, will stand up for Serbia. But in Russia, just at that time, a major reorganization of the army was going on, which was planned to be completed only by 1917. Therefore, in Berlin and
Vienna hoped that the Russians would not risk getting involved in a serious conflict 7 . But still
Germany and Austria-Hungary discussed the plan of action for almost a month. Only on July 23, Austria-Hungary gave Serbia an ultimatum with a number of demands, which boiled down to the complete cessation of all anti-Austrian actions, including propaganda. Two days were allotted for the fulfillment of the conditions of the ultimatum.
Russia advised its Serb allies to accept the ultimatum, and they agreed to fulfill nine of its ten conditions. They only refused to allow Austrian representatives to investigate the murder of the Archduke. But Austria-Hungary, pushed by Germany, was determined to fight even if the Serbs accepted the entire ultimatum. On July 28, she declared war on Serbia and immediately began hostilities by shelling the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
son with a proposal to conclude a truce on all fronts. On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, which put an end to World War I.
Table No. 3. Chronology of important events in the First World War.
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The course of hostilities |
Features of the war |
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On August 4, the Germans invaded Belgium. Continuing the offensive, the Germans crossed the Marne River and on September 5 stopped along the Paris-Verdun line. The Battle of Verdun was attended by 2 million people, 5 German and 6 million people. Anglo-French soldiers. The war was oppositional. On August 4, the Russian army invaded the aisles of Germany. The German army is defeated. Japan starts the war on August 23. New fronts were formed in Transcaucasia and Mesopotamia, on the Sinai Peninsula. |
The war is waged on 2 fronts and takes on a positional character (i.e. protracted). |
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On the western front near Ypres, chemical weapons, namely chlorine, were used for the first time. In total, 15 thousand people died. |
The use of chemical weapons. |
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Germany shifts its efforts to the western front. The main theater (place) of hostilities was the city of Verdun. The operation was called the Verdun meat grinder. It lasted from February 21 to December, and 1 million people died. There is an active offensive of the Russian army, the strategic initiative was in the hands of the Entente. |
Bloody battles that depleted the resources of all warring countries. The situation of the workers worsened, the revolutionary actions of the soldiers grew, especially in Russia. |
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The US enters the war. In October, Russia withdrew from the war. |
Revolution in Russia. |
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By the spring of 1918, the Anglo-French troops had a significant advantage under the German armies. Entente troops used tanks for the first time. German troops were ousted from the territory of France, Belgium, the soldiers of Austria-Hungary refused to fight. On November 3, 1918, a revolution took place in Germany itself, and on November 11, the Peace Treaty was signed in the Compiègne forest. |
The use of tanks. The strongest revolutionary uprisings took place in all the belligerent countries. |
And the parties of Russia. 5. Results first world wars. Conclusion. Introduction reasons why did it start first world war a lot, but ... the actions of the commanders. emergence positional front during the Russian-Japanese wars regarded as a coincidence...
First world war (7)
Abstract >> HistoryAnd victorious war with Serbia. but war became in a matter of days world. Causes and character first world wars First world war arose in ... this thesis are occurrence and the spread of fascism. Conclusion First world war- one of...
First world war causes and consequences
Abstract >> HistoryInformed Wilhelm II that the conditions occurrence wars do not meet the conditions in the contract ... cause deaths of at least 20 million people - this is the result wars. LITERATURE Zaionchkovsky A. " First world war" ...
(one thousand nine hundred and fourteen - one thousand nine hundred and nineteen)
About the main causes of World War 1 by points in brief in the table
- About the nature, causes and participants of World War I very briefly
- German "throwing" preconditions for war
- Reasons for different countries…in the table
So, what are the grounded causes (cause) of World War I ....
Briefly studying the history of the causes of the outbreak of the First World War, point by point, it is worth mentioning the main one among them, namely the sharpest contradictions that arose during the division of spheres of influence in the world between the major world powers. Simply put, each of them tried to snatch the most profitable and fat piece of the pie. However, in reality, the problems and contradictions between the countries lay much deeper.
About the nature and causes of World War I very briefly
German "throwing"
In a brief review of the causes and preconditions of the First World War, the first point should be noted Germany's dissatisfaction with its position and the small number of its own colonies.
The German Empire, which was formed as a result of the Franco-Prussian war, initially did not at all claim hegemony in the world. However, with the rapid development of the economy, it needed additional markets. And the creation and rapid strengthening and the increase in the armed forces made possible the struggle of the German Kaiser for power on the continent and in the world.
To solve this problem German authorities either they tried to conclude an alliance with England against France, or they “incited” other states to a continental blockade of Great Britain.
Subsequently, having learned about the conclusion of the Franco-English secret agreement, Germany made an attempt to win Russia over to its side. 
But all these political moves turned out to be fruitless. Since England and France were in this period of history in friendly relations. In addition, the Russian Empire also figured in the sphere of French interests.
In order not to be completely alone, Germany, located in the very center of Europe, was forced to look for allies among the weaker countries. These were Austria-Hungary and Italy.
At the same time, the only way to solve their problems, the German government saw a new redistribution of spheres of influence in the world by crushing England, France and Russia.
Reasons for participation of different countries…
TABLE by country
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Causes of the entry of the British Empire ... England had many reasons for not accepting Germany. |
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... France ... |
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… Russia… |
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... Austria-Hungary ... |
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… and Turkey (Ottoman Empire) |
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As for other countries, for them the war was a means to achieve their plans. Serbia's aspirations... |
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… Bulgaria… |
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… Poland… |
