European Power Shifts 1870-1914
General Characteristics
International relations from 1870 to 1914 were complex, divided into two stages:
1. 1870-1890: Bismarck dominates European relations.
2. 1890-1914: The era of armed peace, with France and England leading.
Major powers included England, France, Russia, Austria, Germany, and Italy. Alliances were driven by fear of isolation, not ideology, and were renewable every three to five years.
Key Conflict Areas
A) The Balkans: Independence movements and the weakening Turkish Empire led to competition between Austria and Russia.
B) Border Areas:
- Alsace and Lorraine (Germany and France)
- Savoy (Piedmont/France)
- Dalmatian Coast (Austria/Italy)
- Austria and Germany’s strained relationship
These tensions were managed through a system of “suspicious” alliances, except for the ongoing Alsace-Lorraine dispute.
C) North Africa: France sought control of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; Italy aimed for Libya and Egypt; England had ambitions; Spain and Germany also had interests.
Bismarck’s Alliance System
Bismarck aimed to isolate France after the Franco-Prussian War through a series of alliances:
System 1 (1872-78): The Three Emperors’ League (Germany, Austria, Russia) collapsed due to Austro-Russian rivalry in the Balkans.
System 2 (1879-87): Separate alliances with Austria and Russia, plus the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria, Italy) against French expansion.
System 3 (1887): Renewed Triple Alliance, Mediterranean agreements limiting French expansion, and a secret neutrality treaty between Germany and Russia.
Bismarck’s diplomacy isolated France for twenty years.
Armed Peace
Kaiser Wilhelm II’s ascension in 1888 shifted German policy towards global expansion (Weltpolitik), leading to Bismarck’s dismissal and a decline in German diplomacy.
France allied with Russia and exploited Anglo-German rivalry to advance its African ambitions.
Russia and Austria-Hungary temporarily paused their Balkan ambitions. Russia’s Asian expansion led to conflicts with Japan, weakening its internal stability and alliance with France.
Germany’s naval buildup alarmed Britain, leading to the Entente Cordiale (Britain and France) in 1904 and the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia) in 1907.
Major Crises (1905-1914)
1. 1905: Germany’s support for Moroccan independence strengthened the Entente.
2. 1908-1909: Austria-Hungary’s annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina strained relations with Serbia and Russia.
3. 1911: The Agadir Crisis (Second Moroccan Crisis) resulted in France gaining a protectorate over Morocco.
4. 1912-1913: The Balkan Wars led to increased Serbian power and heightened Austrian fears.
5. 1914: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo triggered Austria’s declaration of war on Serbia, initiating World War I.