How did WW1 Start? | Causes of the First World War

How did the First World War begin? By the summer of 1914, Europe was in a crisis.

Just a few weeks before, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, had been assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian-backed terrorist. Now, the continent’s largest armies were mobilising against each other with new nations joining the fight seemingly every week. The world watched with bated breath as Europe marched to war.

So what happened? How did a seemingly irrelevant local conflict in South-East Europe become a World War? And why did Britain decide to get involved?

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0:00 Intro
1:12 Britain and the Empire
02:34 Irish Home Rule
3:18 Tensions in Europe
04:07 Naval arms race
04:53 Alliances
05:42 The July Crisis
07:13 British Involvement
08:17 Conclusion

[andrewcarter]

I was teaching a class and asked them this "who started WWI?". One of the boys put his hand up, "it wasn't me, Sir" he said.

I took him to the headmaster and told him what the boy had said. "I know this lad well", said the head, "he's usually a good boy. If he says it wasn't him, I believe him".

[jeffersonwright]

WWI is still defining the world we live in. The Sykes Picot line, the Balfour Declaration, the rise of the Soviet Union, the rise of post colonial nation states the list never ends

[Vasyla]

Britain had fought a war on the continent of Europe after Waterloo, the Crimean War. Can’t believe they omitted that in the first 2 minutes.

[ektouge]

1870, Britain had 32 percent of the world's manufacturing capacity, but by 1910 Germany had 15.9 percent and Britain had only 14.7 percent. (The U.S. had also boomed, with 35.3 percent.) And Germany, now industrialized, began to develop colonial ambitions, which caused conflicts with Britain, France, and other European countries.

1897 debate in the German Reichstag, its parliament, the foreign secretary stated, "In one word: We wish to throw no one into the shade, but we demand our own place in the sun." The head of the German Empire, Kaiser Wilhelm II, committed himself to making Germany into a global power through aggressive diplomacy and the acquisition of overseas colonies.

One instance of the kaiser's aggressive diplomacy was in North Africa. In 1905, he disembarked from a German warship in the Moroccan port of Tangier and spoke in favor of Moroccan independence. Germany had no real interest in Morocco, but France did. The kaiser's goal was to support the sultan of Morocco and to impress others with Germany's power and prestige.


A conference took place the next year in the Spanish town of Algeciras to discuss issues of international law in the African colonies. But the outcome was not particularly positive for Germany, because Britain voted with France, as did Italy, and only Austria backed the kaiser.


In July 1911, a German gunboat, the Panther, arrived at Agadir, a large city on the Moroccan coast. The Germans stated that they had come to protect Morocco from French troops, which had entered the city of Fez to put down rebels. But Germany's true goal was to get access to territory in the Congo. Negotiations between France and Germany resulted in Germany's obtaining a small parcel of territory in the French Equatorial African colony of Middle Congo — a marshy area where sleeping sickness was widespread.


The kaiser in Germany, jealous of Great Britain's empire, implemented Weltpolitik, "world policy." The aim of Weltpolitikwas to transform Germany into a global power through aggressive diplomacy, the acquisition of overseas colonies, and the development of a large navy. The kaiser believed that Germany's greatness depended on her becoming a naval power. "We have fought for a place in the sun, " the kaiser said, and won it. "Our future is on the water." And Britain, which long had enjoyed naval supremacy, became alarmed at Germany's intentions.


From 1902 until war broke out in 1914, the British and Germans engaged in a naval arms race. The British designed a powerful new battleship, the Dreadnought, which it launched in 1906. The Germans immediately copied the Dreadnought, and the British Admiralty decided to maintain as many ships as Germany plus an additional six. The British also redistributed their ships so the biggest and most powerful ships were situated to fight the Germans. The effects of this race put a huge financial burden on both countries. But the naval race continued as the two powers struggled to dominate the seas.

The Russians and Japanese, competing for territory in Korea and Manchuria, went to war in 1904. The Russians also had imperialist goals in Persia and on the borderlands with India, which created tension with Britain. India was part of the British Empire, and the British were also heavily invested in Persia, which it saw as an important source of oil.


1908. Russia was trying, as it had throughout history, to get control of the Turkish Straits (the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles), which connect the Black and Aegean seas. Control of the straits would give the Russian navy access to the Aegean and the Mediterranean.


August 1, France ordered mobilization, and two hours later Germany declared war on Russia. The final step, which brought Britain into the war, came on August 3 when Germany invaded Belgium and declared war on France. Britain issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding that Germany withdraw its forces from Belgium. Germany refused, and on August 4, 1914, Germany and Britain were at war.


The Zimmerman Telegraph

"We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal or alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The settlement in detail is left to you. You will inform the President of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain and add the suggestion that he should, on his own initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and at the same time mediate between Japan and ourselves. Please call the President's attention to the fact that the ruthless employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of compelling England in a few months to make peace." Signed, ZIMMERMANN.


THE HAZARDS OF THE UNFORESEEN
World War I was probably history’s worst catastrophe, and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was substantially responsible for unintended consequences of the war that played out in Germany and Russia, contributing to the rise of totalitarian regimes and another world war. American “isolationism” — armed neutrality would be a more accurate term — developed as a sensible reaction to his policies. After Germany’s initial advances into the Low Countries and France, the adversaries in World War I dug trenches and seldom advanced or retreated much from those lines.
German soldiers were generally outnumbered on the Western Front, but the Germans had smarter generals and more guns. The British navy enforced an effective blockade that made it difficult for the Germans to obtain many vital supplies, including food. Germany responded by building a submarine fleet, but it didn’t give them a way to invade Britain or the United States. By 1918, the war had been stalemated for more than three years, neither side able to force vindictive terms on the other. One of the last German offensives ground to a halt in the French countryside when German commanders couldn’t prevent their starving soldiers, amazed by the abundance of food, from gorging themselves on cheeses, sausages, and wine.


If the U.S. had stayed out of the war, it seems likely there would have been some kind of negotiated settlement. Neither the Allied Powers (France, Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and several smaller states) nor the Central Powers (Germany, Austria‐ Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria) would have gained everything they wanted from a negotiated settlement. Both sides would have complained. But a catastrophe would have been less likely after a negotiated settlement than after vindictive terms were forced on the losers.


The U.S. played a significant military role only during the last six months of the war, but that was enough to change history — for the worse. By entering the war on the side of the French and British, Wilson put them in a position to break the stalemate, win a decisive victory, and — most important — force vindictive surrender terms on the losers.


France in 1870 — a war that France had started. Clemenceau wasn’t to be denied, since most of the fighting during World War I took place on French soil and the French suffered some 6 million casualties. He made sure the Versailles Treaty obligated Germany to pay huge reparations and surrender a long list of assets including coal, trucks, guns, and ships — private property as well as property of the German government.

[noobsaibot]

Another important factor missing is the decline of the Ottoman Empire created a power vacuum in the Balkans which the Austro-Hungarians and Russia vied for influence and control while the British and the Russians butted heads on what to do with the Ottoman Empire. While Germany itself wanted to preserve the Empire against the Russians. German Empire also increases its influence in the Ottoman Empire with the Baghdad railway and the British believed their control of the Suez was under threat and their control of the Persian gulf.

[Darilon]

To quote a man of the time:
'The thing is: The way I see it, these days there's a war on, right? and, ages ago, there wasn't a war on, right? So, there must have been a moment when there not being a war on went away, right? and there being a war on came along. So, what I want to know is: How did we get from the one case of affairs to the other case of affairs?'

[Makeyourselfbig]

For 1, 000's of soldiers on all sides the war was over before Christmas.

[TheThinkersBible]

Very informative. It shows very well how easily local conflicts can escalate into major wars under the wrong conditions. It's a sobering reminder of how important the current war in Ukraine is, and what could potentially be at stake if global food supplies remain threatened by that conflict.

[roweenie]

I understood Serbia’s “failure” to meet the Austro-Hungarians’ steep ultimatum (6:23) was because the German general staff pressured them (A-H) to refuse to accept any concession from Serbia, which the Serbians actually wanted to do. In point of fact they didn’t want Serbia to capitulate - that’s why the ultimatum was intentionally so draconian.

This is not a trivial point - it means the war could have been avoided, if the Central Powers had a sincere desire to do so.

[hvymettle]

Germany was planning to build the Berlin-to-Baghdad railroad. This would have enabled Germany to build an oil pipeline along the right-of-way securing an oil supply for its industrialization and mobilization. Such a railroad would have bypassed Britain's dominance of the seas and made Germany a power in Europe.

[davidsigalow]

Nicely done.
Please continue your coverage of The Great War, as the IWM has access to archival footage and information one cannot find anywhere else.

[johnrohde]

There's some nonsense in this. France wasn't threatened by Germany: France had been without allies for decades after the Franco-Prussian War and Germany had done nothing.
Germany was not the primary disruptive power in the decade before 1914; it was Britain which reversed a pro-Ottoman and anti-Russian stance, largely to secure access to oil.
The clearest sign is the Italo-Turkish War that could not have been launched without British compliance and Italy was actively encouraged by Britain.
That war left the Ottomans vulnerable to the Balkan League's attack.

[WillMauz]

I love how the brits will shift blame from their colonialism and arrogance to ANYONE else.

[jserra]

Excellent distillation of a very complex period of time. Anyone wishing greater detail should read Barbara Tuchman’s “The Guns of August.”

[mashbury]

I think you will find that this topic has already been extensively covered by Capt E Blackadder in his groundbreaking work “Why we are here “

[michaelbowes]

"Archduke Ferdinand found alive! - World War One a mistake!" - Spike Milligan

[rosesprog]

Germany's fleet was never at more than 20% of the Royal Navy, that was used as a pretext only. Sir Edward Grey started negotiating with France in 1906 but didn't tell anyone in parliament until the war had already begun. Britain's first division went to Basra, the Berlin-Baghdad Railway was prevented from completion, Churchill moved the fleet in position before the war, which was forbidden, Britain seized all German colonies as soon as war was declared, Britain had no obligations towards Belgium. By secretly aligning with France, Russia AND Serbia, Britain clearly demonstrated her intention to crush Germany's fast growing economy, industrial might and to seize all foreign markets. That was also demonstrated by the whole Versailles tragic comedy, particularly by Churchill's ongoing food blockade that starved to death around 700, 000 German civilians and the famous guilt clause which was based on the non-sensical assumptions that the Kaiser and his government had planned, provoked, started and had committed war crimes the likes of which no one could imagine when they all knew nothing of the sort was true, that war was all about oil and preserving Britain's supremacy using secret alliances and the means of total destruction rather than by honest and open commercial competition. Germany had nothing to gain from going to war at that time, she was doing better than ever before and the Kaiser was perfectly aware that she had everything to lose.

[sj]

Im Canadian my ancestors from Punjab. I never paid any allegance to britian and never will.

[AustroHungarianAnimations]

After The ArchDuke got shot everything went downhill....

[SiVlog]

One of the most forgotten aspects of the post WW1 era was the Rhur Crisis. Germany was in the midst of what would become its hyperinflation crisis and was falling behind on payments to France and Belgium as part of the terms of the Treaty of Versaille. The French decided to take matters into their own hands, motivated by fears of a resurgent Germany, and decided to occupy the industrial region of the Rhur Valley. They did this as a means of using raw materials to receive payment if currency didn't work.

The problem was, the French government miscalculated. Rather than being supported by their wartime allies, Britain and the United States, the French were condemned as a destabilising influence in Europe. What's more the German government declared a State of Emergency and encouraged people in the Rhur to passively resist the French, making it harder for the French to achieve what they wanted.

In the end, the French were forced into a humiliating climb down and all their action in 1923 succeeded in doing was ultimately create the conditions necessary for the Nazis to increase their popularity on a national level in Germany and leading to Germany becoming what the French thought was going to happen in 1923, only leaving France worse off for it