In the July Crisis Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) despite not having conclusive proof. Austria-Hungary asked for German support to “eliminate Serbia as a power factor in the Balkans”. Germany agreed, offering her full support for Austria- Hungary to start a war with Serbia, and this became known as the “blank cheque”. Austria-Hungary and Germany could not have failed to realise the possibility of Russian intervention and a European war, suggesting to me that war was their objective. Austria-Hungary issued an impossible ultimatum to Serbia, which was likely to provoke a war. Serbia was given only 48 hours to reply, so was forced to think quickly, or other countries would be mobilized and ready to attack. Serbia accepted all but one point of the ultimatum. Consequently war was announced. If given more time Serbi

The formation of the Entente Cordiale and the Franco-Russian alliance worried the German government as they felt they were becoming encircled by the France, Russia and Great Britain. Germany felt threatened and so decided to try and break up the Entente Cordiale. She also wanted improved trading links, to gain land, as demonstrated by Weltpolitik and to show German strength, as illustrated in the Anglo-German arms race. Germany hoped to achieve these aims through the Moroccan crisis. Germany encouraged the Moroccan Sultan to resist French designs on the country. The Kaiser challenged French power in Morocco by landing in Tangier and declaring his intention to support the independence of Morocco (a deliberately vague statement). Germany was challenging the French, by asserting German power. Franco-German rivalry had already been born out of the Franco-Prussian war. Germany demanded a conference to settle the Moroccan question, which she had not been consulted over as agreed in the Treaty of Madrid (1880). The 1906 conference at Algeciras made Germany look weak and therefore feel humiliated. Austria-Hungary was the only country to stand by Germany. Germany won only commercial freedom. Control over the bank and police was dominated by France. Germany underestimated the strength of the Entente Cordiale as she assumed it would crumble. The Entente Cordiale had not only held together but had in fact been strengthened, as Britain supported France in this crisis, much to the annoyance of Germany. In 1911 there was a second Moroccan crisis, again increasing the tension in Europe. French troops occupied Fez, the capital of Morocco. Other European powers saw this as the first step of France’s annexation of Morocco. Germany did not want the 1906 Algeciras agreement to be broken. The German foreign minister, Kinderlen demanded the French Congo as compensation for their commercial losses incurred by the transfer of Morocco to French control. Germany sent a gunboat- the Panther to the Moroccan port of Agadir in an attempt to achieve her demands. Britain feared that Germany was planning to establish a naval base at Agadir. Germany kept silent over her intentions in Morocco. Lloyd-George issued a statement that warned that Britain would be prepared to fight to maintain her position in the world if necessary. If war resulted Britain would side with France. This increased the rivalry that already existed between Germany and Britain due to economic rivalry, Weltpolitik and the arms race. Britain and Germany appeared on the brink of war, but Germany was for

Some topics in this essay:
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