Militarism

1. Militarism An historical force contributing to World War I photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

2. 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 purposes • Large numbers of armed forces • Detailed military planning • Continuing emphasis on military developments and technology photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

3. Anglo-German naval rivalry photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

4. 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. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

5. 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. The British position photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

6. 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 photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

7. 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. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

8. Expanding the military photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

9. Increases in military spending All major European powers increased their level of expenditure on military matters as time increased. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

10. A comparison of the relative sizes of the armies and navies of Britain and Germany between 1880 and 1914. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

11. Planning for War photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

12. 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. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

13. 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. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

14. The original Schlieffen Plan, showing the “swinging door” strategy for the invasion of France. Go to http://www.dhahranbritish.com/History/images/schlieffenplan.jpg photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

15. French military planning France 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 photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

16. Wars begin in the minds of men photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

17. 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.” photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

18. Go to http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/index.htm photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

19. 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. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

20. 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. photos courtesy of www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm