Why was there a war in

1914?
Lesson Resources for Week 2

1
How to use this booklet
This booklet will contain all the notes and tasks for the first five weeks of the
course. All the information here will help you to work out why war broke out in Europe
in 1914 and why that war was to involve so many countries in Europe.

The information and tasks should follow your lessons exactly. The idea here is that
you ‘use the notes; don’t make the notes. This means that we would rather you engage
in the lessons, ask and answer questions, highlight key bits of information, complete
tasks rather than copying down the information from the ppts.

It also means that we can introduce something called ‘flipped learning’. This is where
we ask you to read/watch some new information that we will be looking at the
following week and complete some tasks based on this. This should make the Learn
lessons less overwhelming for you. You will already have met the information before,
you can check your answers (and correct if need be) and you can also ask if you don’t
understand anything or want to know more. This way of learning should help to make
sure that you have a firm understanding of the content before we move onto the
Explore lessons. It is crucial that this flipped learning is completed.

The textbook that we have asked you to buy will still be a valuable aide. It will offer
further detail to extend your understanding of the subject.

Please make sure that you have this booklet with you for each lesson and then you can
follow the lessons seamlessly. You can print it out and write on it or save it to your
computer, whichever works best for you.

2
Week 2 Learn Lesson: Why had Europe split into two armed
camps by 1907?

The Alliance System

As you can see there was a mixture of fear, suspicion, and rivalry between the largest and
strongest countries in Europe. This forced them into TWO main ‘gangs’ – The Triple Entente
and Triple Alliance.

Triple Alliance Triple Entente

• Germany • Great Britain

• France
• Austria-Hungary • Russia

• Italy

Alliance- an agreement between two countries, people, organisations to support each other

3
Formation of the Triple Alliance

• In 1879, Germany was afraid that Russia would attack Germany and so made an
alliance with Austria-Hungary
•
• They agreed that they would help each other militarily if Russia attacked either one
of them

• This was known as the Dual Alliance

• Italy joined the Dual Alliance in 1882, making it the Triple Alliance

• This time the alliance was directed against France

Formation of the Triple Entente

 France and Russia were worried about the alliances which had been made against
them

 So, they decided to form their own alliance in 1892: Franco-Russian Alliance

 Both France and Russia promised to help each other militarily if they were
attacked by another power – primarily Germany. This raised the tension again as
Germany felt encircled by enemies

Who is left?

 Up to this point Britain hadn’t really seen the need for European alliances
(due to having a huge navy and empire). This was called ‘Splendid Isolation’
However, in the early 1900s Britain’s position starts to look a little less
splendid and a little too isolated.

 In 1904 Britain signed the Entente Cordiale with France

 In 1907 Britain agreed to the Triple Entente with Russia and France

An Entente means a friendly understanding – it is not a military alliance. Britain had

not formally agreed to militarily support France or Russia if either went to war.

4
5
 Did the Alliance System cause the War?
The aim of the Alliance System was to keep the peace. The idea of having alliances was
supposed to “balance the power” in Europe. No one country would want to risk war with the
opposing ‘bloc’

However, the Alliance System made war more likely in some ways.

• In the long term it increased tensions and suspicions between the Great Powers.
Germany felt encircled by Russia and France, and this was made worse when Britain
joined the Triple Entente

• In the short term it also meant that when one of the members of either alliance
declared war, the other members would probably lend their support

• This had the potential to mean that when a country in one alliance went to war against
a country in the other alliance, all the countries would get dragged in to support their
allies. What could have been a small, localised war could turn into something very
different!

• This is what happened in the summer of 1914

Tasks
Colour code the key below to show which countries belonged to the Triple
Alliance and which belong to the Triple Entente.

Add in the dates that the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente were formed

Triple Entente

Triple Alliance

6
 Answer these questions in your booklet. Be ready to
feedback your answers

1) Write down one way that the alliance system helped to make a European war
more likely

increases suspicion and tension between the great powers

2) Write down one way that the alliance system contributed to peace in Europe

3) Apart from the alliance system, what other reasons for tension were there
in Europe at this time? Try to gi ve 3 reasons.

7
8
 The Arms Race

Key words
Arms Race - An arms race is when rival countries build up their armed forces in a bid
to become bigger and stronger than the other.

Mobilise – to prepare and organise (troops) for war.

The Arms Race

• By 1907, Europe was divided into two groups: the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente.
• Each side was highly suspicious of each other.
• For example, the Germans felt that the friendship between Russia (to Germany’s east)
and France (to Germanys’ west) was an attempt to surround and threaten them.
• France and Russia, however, felt that the Kaiser’s aim of becoming a world power was a
direct threat to them.
• These fears led to all the Great Powers building up their armed forces.

The arms race on land

• In the years before WW1, the great powers took part in an arms race as shown by the
amount of money spent on the military.
• In 1870 Britain, France, Russia, A-H and Italy spent over £90 million on the military
by 1914 this had quadrupled to £400 million.
• Every country, except for Britain introduced or increased conscription
• Russia’s spending on the military increased by such a large amount mainly in response
to their defeat by the Japanese in 1905. This defeat had been a huge shock to the
Russians

1910-1914 Increase in Defence Expenditures

France 10%
Britain 13%
Russia 39%
Germany 73%

9
Military Plans
The Great Powers were so worried about possible future conflicts that they made detailed
plans about where and how their armies would attack if war broke out.

• Britain - a highly trained army unit BEF (British Expeditionary Force) was created
which would travel to France at short notice to help the French.
• France: French troops would march through Alsace and Lorraine, capture these areas
then continue onto Berlin. This was known as Plan 17 – see diagram
• Russia: Millions of Russians troops would attack the eastern borders of Germany and
A-H. Known as Plan 19
• Germany: Developed the Schlieffen Plan (named after General Schlieffen).

The Schlieffen Plan

• Schlieffen believed that Russia, because it was so large and had poor rail and road
links, would take about 6 weeks to mobilise.
• This would give the German army time.
• He planned that the German army would first attack and defeat France (by travelling
through Belgium).
• Once Paris was captured, France would surrender and then they could deal with Russia

The Arms Race led a growth of suspicion, competition and increased

the chances of war.

10
What can you remember?

Which country created the BEF?

Which country devised the Schlieffen Plan?

Which country devised Plan 17?

Which country increased spending on their armed forces after being

defeated by Japan?

11
Week 2 Explore Lesson One: What was the Anglo-German Naval Race
and how important was it?

Challenge yourself!
Test your understanding by answering the following questions:

1) Explain what the term ‘arms race’ means

2) Explain in your own words what the Schlieffen Plan was.

3) Suggest reasons why Germany built up their armed forces in the years before
WW1.

4) Suggest reasons why France built up their armed forces in the years before
WW1

5) Suggest reasons why Russia built up their armed forces in the years before
WW1

12
 The Anglo – German Naval Race
Why did Britain need a large navy?

• Britain was an island – it needed a navy to protect its coastline

• To protect her vast overseas Empire
• Britain relied on trade with other nations – it needed the navy to protect its trade
ships
• British naval policy was the ‘two-power standard’. The British navy would always try to
be as big as the next two biggest navies combined

Why did Germany want to expand her navy?

• Wilhelm II was jealous of Britain’s power and Empire – he wanted Germany to become
just as powerful
• He claimed that since Germany had an Empire, she needed a large navy to protect it
• Germany also feared a British naval blockade of its coastline. In 1897, the British
foreign office had threatened to blockade the German coast if Germany intervened on
the side of the Boers in the African Boer War. A stronger navy might prevent the
British from doing this.

What happened?

• In 1898 and 1900 Germany passed the Naval Laws allowed funding for a huge ship
building programme.
• The chief of the German Navy set up the Naval League which was designed to
encourage the German people to take on interest in their navy. Tours of German ports
were organised and lectures about the naval fleet given all over Germany

How did Great Britain respond?

• Britain built new naval ports in Scotland to protect the North Sea
• Britain also built the Dreadnought

13
 The Dreadnought

• In 1906, Britain created the HMS Dreadnought

• This was the most powerful battleship ever built and made all others redundant.
• Germany then developed their own Dreadnought style ship.
• Britain responded by building super-dreadnoughts
• Between 1906-1914, Britain and Germany raced to create the most battleships.
• By 1914 Britain had 29 Dreadnought class ships, Germany had 17

How did this help to cause war?

• The competition and fear generated by the naval arms race led Britain to view
Germany as a threat, which only served to push Britain into a stronger partnership
with France and Russia.
• The Naval Race did not directly cause war, but like the arms race on land the naval
race led a growth of suspicion, competition between Germany and Britain and
increased the chances of war.

The Dreadnought

Dreadnought was faster and more heavily armed than any other warship and designed to fight
at a distance. The huge guns could fire shells further away than any earlier ship and could
blow up an enemy ship 32km away. This made ships with smaller guns ineffective because
they would never get close enough to fire their guns before they were blown up

14
Complete these questions

1) Why did Germany want a larger navy?

because they wanted to outnumber britain's ships so there was less risk of britain
blockading the coast.

2) Why was Britain so concerned about Germany building up their navy?

they would always try to be bigger than the next two big navys combined

3) What were the Navy Laws?

this allowed funding for a huge ship building programme

4) How did Britain respond to the Navy Laws? Explain why this was so
significant.

they built new naval parts, also built the dreadnaught

5) How did Germany react to this?

germany then developed their own dreadnought style ship

6) How did Britain respond?

15
britain made more and made super-dreadnoughts

7) How many of these ships were built by Britain and Germany between
1906 and 1914

britain had 29, germany had 17.

8) What effect did this tension have on Britain’s attitude to alliances with other
European countries?

it pushed them into a stronger partnership with france and russia

16
Plenary: Read Source A below. In your own words, briefly summarise
what Sir Edward Grey is suggesting about the British Navy

Source A - Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary, in a speech to the

British Parliament in 1909

There is no comparison between the importance of the German navy to Germany and
the importance of our navy to us. Our navy to us is what their army is to them. To
have a strong navy would increase Germany’s prestige and its influence, but it is not a
matter of life and death to them as it is to us.

Week 2 Explore 2: What were the long term causes of the

First World War

What does Source A suggest about the reasons for Germany’s increase in its armed
forces?

Source A: From a book published by the Kaiser’s son (Crown Prince

Wilhelm) in 1913

Our country is obliged more than any other country to place all of its
confidence in its good weapons. Set in the centre of Europe, it is badly
protected by its unfavourable geo graphic frontiers, and is regarded by many
nations without affection. Upon the German Empire, therefore, is imposed the
sacred duty of watching carefully that’s its army and navy be always prepared
to meet any attack from the outside.

Can you find a quotation to back up what you are saying?

17
 What does Source B suggest about the reasons for Germany’s increase in its armed
forces?

Source B: From a paper written for the British cabinet by the First Lord
of the Admiralty in October 1902

The more the composition of the new German High Seas Fleet is examined, the
clearer it becomes that it is designed for possible conflict with the British
Grand Fleet. It cannot be designed for the purpose of playing a leading part
in a future war between Germany and France and Russia. A war between
France and Russia can only be decided by armies on the land.

Can you find a quotation to back up what you are saying?

18
 Long term Causes of the First World War
As you can see from the lessons so far, although war only broke out in 1914, tensions
between the Great Powers had been high since the late 1800s. These are the long term
causes of the First World War. To help us make sense of them historians often group
these causes under the headings below

M - Militarism : Building up armies, getting ready for war.

A - Alliances: Agreements or promises to help another country.

I - Imperialism: Building up an empire.

N - Nationalism: The strong belief that your country is better than

others. Can also mean a desire to have political independence
for a country

E - Economic: things to do with the wealth, resources or industry

of a country

Below are statements which point to the long-term reasons why the First World
War began. Some of these reasons go back fifty years! Use your knowledge of MAINE to
colour code each of the statements under the correct headings.

Militarism Alliances Imperialism

Nationalism Economic

19
Germany was trying to
increase the size of its
empire both in Europe and
overseas in places where the
other countries had
dominance, notably Africa.
The Kaiser believed that
Germany should be a global
power. This idea was known
as Weltpolitik.
In 1905 Germany formed a
military attack plan called
the Schlieffen Plan which
contained their strategy for
defeating Russia and France.
By 1914 Germany was
producing more iron, steel
and coal then Britain.
Britain’s economic learn had
gone
Serbia wanted to unite all
the Slav people in the Austro
-Hungarian Empire. It looked
to the Slavs in Russia for
help.
In 1906, Britain launched the In 1907 Germany wanted to
In 1882, Germany, Austria- first Dreadnought, the most increase its naval strength
Hungary and Italy formed modern
20
German manufactured goods Germany had a fear of
competed with British ones in being surrounded by France
markets that had previously and Russia, so started
been dominated by Britain. building up weapons and
Britain saw this as a threat machinery in case of a war.
to their economy.
The main European powers Germany and Austria
were growing suspicious of Hungary had well
each other, and trust was established commercial
breaking down. Alliances markets in the Balkans. In
might drag all of Europe into 1888 Russia had begun to
war if nations fought. build a railway in the area.
Germany and Austria
Hungary regarded this as a
threat because a railway
would allow Russian
produced goods to be
transported into the area
more easily.
Russia wanted a bigger In 1907, France, Russia and
empire with access to the Britain signed the Triple
Mediterranean Sea. It was an Entente agreement, forming
enemy of Austria and a closer bond. France and
supported the Balkan Russia promised military aid.
countries.
The Austrian Hungarian
Britain did not want to see
Empire was weak and the its Empire challenged, in
many different nationalities
Africa especially, as the
within it wanted their own
Suez Canal was very
independence important for its access to
India
and effective and created their own
the Triple Alliance. They warship of its time, unrivalled Dreadnoughts. It started an
promised to help each other by any other ships. arms race with Britain.
if ever attacked.

Challenge: ‘The main reason for the increase in tension in Europe up

to 1914 was the alliance system’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Give reasons for your answer.

On the one hand I agree as the alliance system….

However, on the other hand there were also other

reasons why there was tension between the Great
Powers. For example

21
 Define it Use the term correctly in Create a question where
a sentence the keyword is the
answer

KEYWORD: Alliance
What other words are Draw or find a picture to Self-assess your
connected to the illustrate this keyword understanding of this
keyword? keyword

Got it!

Almost!

Not yet!

Revision sheets: The key word sheets below can be used to

consolidate your understanding of MAINE.
Define it Use the term Create a question
correctly in a sentence where the keyword is
the answer

22
 KEYWORD: Militarism
What other words Draw or find a Self-assess your
are connected to the picture to illustrate this understanding of this
keyword keyword keyword

Got it!

Almost!

Not yet!

Define it Use the term correctly in Create a question where

a sentence the keyword is the
answer

23
 KEYWORD: ECONOMIC
What other words are Draw or find a picture to Self-assess your
connected to the illustrate this keyword understanding of this
keyword keyword
Got it!

Almost!

Not yet!

Define it Use the term correctly in Create a question where

a sentence the keyword is the
answer

KEYWORD: IMPERIALISM
24
What other words are Draw or find a picture to Self-assess your
connected to the illustrate this keyword understanding of this
keyword keyword
Got it!

Almost!

Not yet!

Define it Use the term correctly in Create a question where

a sentence the keyword is the
answer

KEYWORD: NATIONALISM
What other words are Draw or find a picture to Self-assess your
connected to the illustrate this keyword understanding of this
keyword keyword
Got it!

25
 Almost!

Not yet!

26