photos courtesy of militarism an historical force contributing to world war i
TRANSCRIPT
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Militarism
An historical force contributing to World War I
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What is “militarism”?
“Militarism” is an historical force that places excessive emphasis on military power and efficiency as a major national priority.
Indicators of “militarism” include:Large amounts of government expenditure on
military purposesLarge numbers of armed forcesDetailed military planningContinuing emphasis on military developments
and technology
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Anglo-German naval rivalry
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The influence of “weltpolitik”
German pursuit of world power status required it to acquire an overseas empire
To achieve this, Germany required a navy to protect its imperial possessions.
In 1896 and 1900, Germany passed the Navy Laws, that transformed the German navy from a coastal protection force into an ocean-going battle fleet.
The Kaiser’s imperial and naval ambitions eventually brought Germany into rivalry with Britain.
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The British position
Since the 16th century, Britain had built up the Royal Navy that made it the strongest naval power in the world.
Since 1889, the official British policy was the “two-power standards” – the British navy was to be more powerful than any other two powers.
When the British realised the extent of German naval building they appointed the anti-German Admiral Sir John Fisher (right) to oversee the Royal Navy’s building programme to maintain the two-power standard.
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HMS Dreadnought
In 1906, the Royal Navy launched HMS Dreadnought, faster and more powerful than any other ship afloat. It made all other warships in the world (including British ones) obsolete.
Other nations raced to catch up on this new class of warship.
Look at this brief clip showing this ship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqF3oShB0bk
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The “Naval Scare” 1909
The acceleration of Germany’s naval building in response to the Dreadnought caused alarm in Britain, as it meant that Britain had to keep building more of the Dreadnought class to maintain the “two-power standard”.
Political pressure, based on the slogan “We want eight and we won’t wait”, resulted in Britain committing funds to build more warships
Eventually Britain won the building race, but Germany’s actions caused many British people to be suspicious of German motives.
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Expanding the military
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Increases in military spending
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All major European powers increased their level of expenditure on military matters as time increased.
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A comparison of the relative sizes of the armies and navies of Britain and Germany between 1880 and 1914.
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Planning for War
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Planning
All European powers undertook detailed military planning, based on their estimation of who the potential enemies were, their perceived strengths and weaknesses, and how each power might respond to moves by potential enemies.
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The Schlieffen Plan This plan was developed to counter the possibility of
a simultaneous war against both France and Russia. It assumed that France would mobilise for war faster
than Russia. The smart move would be to launch a swift pre-emptive strike to knock France out of the war quickly before transferring forces to the east to defeat Russia.
The bulk of the German forces were to be in the west, invading through northern France and Belgium (see map on next slide).
However, if France were not defeated quickly, Germany faced the risk of a potentially disastrous two-front war.
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The original Schlieffen Plan, showing the “swinging door” strategy for the invasion of France.
Go to http://www.dhahranbritish.com/History/images/schlieffenplan.jpg
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French military planningFrance also had its Plan XVII, aimed at the recovery of Alsace-Lorraine, annexed by Germany after the Franco-Prussian War.
Go to http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Schlieffen_Plan.jpg/774px-Schlieffen_Plan.jpg
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Wars begin in the minds of men
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Crown Prince Wilhelm’s view in 1913
“Our country is obliged more than any other country to place all its confidence in its good weapons. Set in the centre of Europe, it is badly protected by its unfavourable geographic frontiers, and is regarded by many nations without affection.Upon the German Empire, therefore, is imposed more emphatically than upon any other peoples of the earth the sacred duty of watching carefully that its army and its navy be always prepared to, meet any attack from the outside. It is only by reliance upon our brave sword that we shall be able to maintain that place in the sun which belongs to us, and which the world does not seem very willing to accord us.”
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Go to http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/index.htm
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Militarism is linked with . . .
NATIONALISM – as the ability to assert national interests is often related to military strength and efficiency.
IMPERIALISM – as the ability to acquire and defend an empire is dependent on a country’s ability to project military power beyond their own borders, either with an army and/or a navy.
ALLIANCE SYSTEM – as alliances can commit countries to support allies in a military manner, or can involves joint military cooperation and planning among allies.
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Influence of militarism on people’s lives
CAREERS – many men throughout Europe developed a career pathway within their expanded armed forces
TAXES – millions of people paid taxes to fund increasingly expensive military establishments and technology
EMPLOYMENT – thousands of Europeans were employed in industries that supplied armed forces with goods and services
POLITICAL INFLUENCE – militarism allowed people like Tirpitz and Fisher to influence political policy within their own countries.
PROPAGANDA – militaristic propaganda created the illusion that war offered a viable and justifiable way of resolving international disputes, encouraging millions to volunteer when war broke out.