In short, these imperial and colonial affairs increased divisions between the Entente and the Central Powers, contributing to a geopolitical atmosphere that made war possible. While Germany did agree to stop interfering in French colonial business following the Algeciras Conference, the crisis resulted in a deepening of alliances, with Austria-Hungary coming to Germany's defense and Britain supporting France. This became known as the First Moroccan Crisis. Shortly afterward, the Moroccan Sultan rejected a series of French policies. Therefore, on March 31, 1905, Kaiser Wilhelm II visited French-controlled Morocco, touring the city of Tangier and declaring his support for Moroccan independence.

For instance, Germany, not having a particularly strong foothold in Africa, wanted to weaken France's position on the continent. Despite this diplomacy, difficulties arose. Militarism The Royal Navy's HMS Dreadnought, launched in 1906, gave its name to the type.Īt the 1884 Berlin Conference, Africa was divided between the major European powers, the most notable of which were Britain, France, and Belgium. In short, alliances were largely responsible for a regional conflict snowballing into a general European war, as they made military involvement obligatory if one's ally was attacked. Being part of the Triple Alliance, Germany was obligated to go to war with Russia, which then brought in the United Kingdom and France. Russia, a Serbian ally, then declared war on Austria-Hungary. Indeed, following the assassination of the Archduke, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The French and Russians followed this with their own agreement in 1894, evolving into the Triple Entente by 1907-a three-way military alliance between the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.ĭespite emerging out of a desire for stability, these alliances contributed to the exact opposite.

This alliance was made so that if one of them was attacked, the other two needed to provide military support. In 1882, motivated by anti-Russian and anti-French sentiments, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance.

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