Introduction

The events leading to the outbreak of war had deep roots in European history. There had not been a large-scale European war for over one hundred years, but many small problems were slowly becoming major issues. Many of these problems were used later to blame one country or another for the outbreak of war. Examinations of these problems provide important clues about the political and military situation that developed in 1914.

Germany

Germany was a relatively new country at the outbreak of the Great War. In fact, Germany was only 50 years old by 1914. Before Germany unified, it was made up of a large number of small states. Each of the states was independent and had its own ruler. The largest and most powerful of these states was Prussia. Under to guidance of the Chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck, a Prussian Aristocrat and politician there was the dream of a unified German state. Under his leadership the dream became a reality.

Bismarck was able to blend diplomacy, a tough foreign policy, and two wars to create Germany. He successfully conducted two wars in his efforts to unify Germany. The first conflict was the Seven Weeks War (1866) against Austria-Hungary, to establish Prussian domination in the affairs of all German-speaking areas of Europe. The second war was the Franco-Prussian War (1870), which made Prussia the leader of the German states.

At the end of the Franco-Prussian War, a number of events occurred that provided clues to later problems in European history. First, Germany was declared a nation under the rule of Prussian kings. The announcement took place inside the Palace of Versailles, just outside of Paris. This was a tremendous insult to the people of France.

Second, the newly formed Germany forced France to pay for the cost of the war. The idea was to cripple the economy of France so that they could not use the money to rebuild her army. Bismarck thought limiting the military threat to his new country was a good idea. In addition to the huge sums of money, Germany also claimed two French provinces, Alsace and Lorraine. This led to very bitter feelings between France and Germany. They were to fester for many years.

With the unification of Germany now complete, Otto Von Bismarck turned his attention to ensuring its future. He believed that Germany needed strong allies to help protect his new land. Furthermore, he would need to take steps to weaken France, which he believed to be the greatest threat to Germany.